Ellen Percy; or, The Memoirs of an Actress — page 233: what you’re looking at

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220 of yours. They never reached me; or else, Jane “Ob, I know your goodness of heart!” cried, Miss Parks: “and I was wrong yes, very very wrong to suspect that you and your family could have been purposely and intentionally re- served towards me on account of my father’s mis- fortunes. But Ob, my dear Charlotte! when people are brought down in the world, they are taught so many rude lessons in adversity’s school that their minds become warped — their vision grows jaundiced—they suspect their best friends a “ As you have done in this case, my dear Jane,” interjected Charlotte, speaking with the utmost kindness. ‘Did you not know that you always had a home to which you could return wheresoever my parents dwelt?—did you not feel convinced that the slightest hint to the effect that money would help you was certain to receive instantaneous attention P” , “TI ought to haye known all this,’ rejoined Jane Parks; “but Oh! when I found that my letters remained unanswered what could I think P” “T am sure,” I observed, now breaking in upon this discourse, “enough has been said upon the subject. The miscarriage of letters on the one hand, and the return through the post of those written on the other hand, are clearly established and require no further demonstration.” “Tellme,” said Charlotte Tremaine, with that generous enthusiasm which seemed natural to her, —‘ tell me, my dear Jane, is it now too late . “T am eating the bread earned by my own in- dustry,” interrupted Miss Parks. “Accept my sincerest gratitude, Charlotte, for the proffer which I see that you are about to make me; and believe me that should I unfortunately need the succour of a friend at any future time, I shall not hesi- tate to apply to you. And now TI will give youa proof of the reliance which I place upon your friendship. I will not attempt to disguise any- thing from you—I am sure that you will not scorn and repel me when I tell you that I also have be- taken myself to the stage m3 “You?” ejaculated Charlotte Tremaine, with a look of ineffable amazement. “Is it possible?” “ But in a far humbler sphere,” proceeded Jane Parks, “than that in which my friend Miss Percy so gloriously shines. In short, Charlotte, you who are always reading of dramatic matters, — you must doubtless have fallen across the name of Mademoiselle Angeline—although it has been but for so short a time before the public ¥ “Yes—I have heard of it!” cried Miss Tre- maine. “But you do not mean me to under- stand a Jane Parks looked deprecatingly at her friend for a moment; and then she said, “ Yes—I mean you to understand, Charlotte, that [ am Made- moiselle Angeline!” “ And sincerely—most sincerely, my dear Jane,” said the young lady, with all the fervour of her impulsive disposition, “do I congratulate you on the success which you have achieved! If I de- plore anything, it is that there should have been a necessity for you to betake yourself to the stage. It is however done; and we will not touch upon the past more painfully than is absolutely neces- sary. I know, Jane,” added Charlotte empha- ” SS nn SSS a rr re re re ELLEN PERCY; OR, THE MEMOIRE OF AN ACTRESS. tically, “ you will experience at the hands of my parents and my sisters as hearty a welcome as you ever received from them in other times—the wel- come which is bestowed on a dear, dear friend !” ' Jane Parks could not give any verbal responsa to the words that were so kindly spoken: she was overpowered by her emotions: but taking her friend’s hand, she pressed it warmly. I should here observe that while engaged in this conver. sation, we had reached Waterloo Bridge—we pro- ceeded slowly along it—and the variations of feel- ing and excitement which accompanied the dis course had little need to be checked through fear of being observed: for as those of my readers who dwell in the metropolis well know, there are never half-a-dozen passengers seen at any one time upon that bridge. . “JT daresay,” cried Charlotte Tremaine, after a pause—and she now spoke with the evident in- tention of turning the discourse into a different channel, so as to relieve Jane’s mind from any pain- ful impressions that might have been left upon it, —“ I daresay you are anxious to know all about our own proceedings and movements. As I just now told you, we only arrived in London the day before yesterday after an absence of nearly four years from England. We are temporarily staying with my uncle, Colonel Tremaine; and it is at his house that I shall expect to see you, my dear Jane —and you likewise, Miss Percy. But we shall not remain for more than a week in London: we are going to the old Hall in Staffordshire Fr “Tremaine Hall!” ejaculated Miss Parks. “How often have I heard you speak of that beautiful place !—how often likewise have I heard your father describe the home of his ancestors !” “You are aware, my dear Jane,” resumed Charlotte,—“ indeed my father has never made any secret of it for the necessity was not en- tailed upon him by any extravagancies of his own, but through the enormous expenses of a lawsuit which was forced upon him and which dragged its slow length through the Chancery Court,—it is no secret, I was about to say, that my father was compelled to go abroad for a few years to economise, and what is called to ‘nurse the estate. But the lawsuit has recently been settled—not with any very great advantage to himself—yet in @ manner which enables him to return to his native country and go back to live at the old Hall and in the midst of his tenantry in Staffordshire.” * Must sincerely do I congratulate you, upon this happy occurrence,” said Jane: “and may you, my dear Charlotte, and ail with whom you are con- nected, experience many, many years of bliss and prosperity.” It was now Miss Tremaine’s turn to press with fervour the hand of her friend: and as a modest blush overspread her countenance, and she sud- denly cast down her eyes with an air of some little confusion, she said, “The return of the family to the old Hall will be celebrated by an event a bridal 3 “ Indeed ?” ejaculated Jane, in mingled astonish- ment and delight. “May I hope—dare I ven- ture “ Yes — my deer friend, your conjecture is right,” said Miss Tremaine, with a deepening blush upon her cheeks and an enbanced confusion of the looks. “Circumstances have occurred ” EE Go Doo (C -_———-— =~ (EO)