Ellen Percy; or, The Memoirs of an Actress — page 250: what you’re looking at

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ELLEN PERCY; OR, THE MEMOIRS OF AN ACTRESS. 237 ee it be within the scope of human means to raise {| him: he was pleased to learn that his wife had you up to health and viguur once more ! this I do not despair. No! But do not excite yourself !—you must not indulge too exultingly in hope! And yet there is hope of “ Oh, Ellen! is this indeed possible P” reiterated Lady Kelvedon, and the reader may imagine with what a degree of anxiety and suspense she put And of | energy sufficient to think of making any pur- chases whatever; and in delicate terms he offered to supply me with a liberal cheque upon his | banker: but I of course declined the proposal, as I had in reality no purchases to make. During the journey to London, I had leisure to reflect maturely and deliberately upon the main this questiou—for it doubtless seemed a matter | features of this very difficult case which I had now of life and death to her! | taken in hand. The first question which suggested “ Listen to me,” I said, again taking her hand | itself, was whether Lady Kelveden was really sul- and pressing it warmly: “but I implore you to exercise as much control as possible over your feelings! Iam acquainted with a gipsy-woman, who is skilled in arts that are not generally prac- I mentally ejaculated. | ' ! tised—and heaven be thanked that they are not !” | “TI believe that I can find | she sold him her venomed lozenges, and when fering under the influence of a slow poison—or whether she were not? I believed that she was. All the symptoms were precisely the same as those which Dame Betty had detailed to Mr. Colling- wood amidst the ruins of the farm-buildings when this woman—and that very shortly too: and if | accompanied by Beda, I overheard their discourse, so, she must come hither to see you—at least it is probable that she may wish to judge for her- self af “Let her come, my dear Ellen come!” exclaimed her ladyship, the excitement of her feelings bringing back the colour to her cheeks | neighbourhood. and pouring a flood of light into her eyes. “Yes—she shall come, if it be necessary,” I rejoined: “ but how is this to be managed? The whole proceeding must be wrapped in the deepest mystery—the veil of secrecy must be thrown over it—and not even your own husband must be made the roof of that mansion, lay my hand upon this particular individual, when Hermione herself had so vehemently declared that she could suspect no one? ‘not breathe a syllable of accusation against Col- | But if Hermione were really suffering under that terrible influence, who was administering the poison ? who day by day was driving as it were a Oh, let her | fresh nail in her coffin? Not Collingwood himself: he had been for many months absent from the It must therefore be some crea- ture whom he had bribed—some domestic beneath How could I possibly And then too, I dared acquainted with the circumstance of your re- | lingwood; for the reader cannot have forgotten the ceiving a visit from this gipsy-woman.” Lady Kelvedon reflected for a few minutes ; | | Oath which I took in the ruins, to the effect that I would never say anything which should compromise and then she said, “ It must be contrived—yes, it his safety on account of the discourse which I had must be contrived by some means or another !” “But how?” I inquired; “for I must leave you presently to ascertain if this woman can be found: and before we part we must make some overheard between himself and the old woman. The situation of affairs was therefore altogether complicated; but I believed and hoped that I | should be enabled to unravel the tangled skein arrangement according to which I shall be | most effectually, if I could only fall in with Dame enabled to bring the dame hither at any mo- | Betty. ment,”’ you yourself can so conduct your own arrange- ments as to make them correspond therewith. The dusk now closes in by four o’clock—the evenings are thus very long. If the appointment could be made, therefore, for the evening part of the da > “Tt shall be so,” I replied. “ Proceed.” “You could come to me alone in the first in- stance,” continued Lady Kelvedon, “leaving your gipsy-companion at a short distance from the house. I can then manage all the rest.” “Tt shall be so,” I rejoined. “T see a plan, Ellen,” said Lady Kelvedon, “ if | “ But pray bear | FE | CHAPTER CVI. DAME BETTY, THE moment I alighted from the post-chaise at my house in Great Ormond Street, the front door was opened ; and the faithful Beda, welcoming me home, hastily whispered, ‘‘ I have succeeded !” I knew what she meant; and an ineffable sensa- tion of joy took possession of my heart. Hasten- ing with her into the dining-room, I shut the door, in mind that I am not positively sure of being | exclaiming, “‘ You have found her? you have seen enabled to discover this old crone. The chances are however in favour of the affirmative: but still there is the possibility of failure.” “ First of all 1 put my trust in heaven,” replied Lady Kelvedon solemnly; “and ther, my dear Ellen, in you!” I hastened my departure from Kelvedon Hall, because I was most anxious tv return with the least possible delay to London. His lordship was astonished and annoyed when ue beard that I was going after only remaining a couple of hours at the mansion: but I assured him that it was in order to make some purchases in the metropolis to please her ladyship, and that I should be back Again in two or three days. This pretext satisfied her ?” “Yes,” responded Beda; “and she holds herself at your orders and disposal. I assured her that if you should happen to require her services the recompense would be large 2 “Yes—it is as I foresaw, Beda!” I ejaculated. “T do indeed require the woman’s services! Most fortunate was it that before I left London I so earnestly conjured you to use every effort to dis- cover the abode of the hag—to bid William Lardner likewise exert himself ? * And yet it was neither William nor I, who, in a direct manner, so to speak, made the discovery. Perhaps we should have both still been prosecutinz a tedious, if not useless search———”’ Gomichboo (EO)