Ellen Percy; or, The Memoirs of an Actress — page 252: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

i SN ee eee ae ELLEN PERCY; OR, THE MEMOIRS OF AN ACTRESS. 239 “No—not he,’ I ejaculated: “he is on the ‘Continent. But are you aware of any person be- neath the roof of Kelvedon Hall, who may at pre- sent be employed as hisagent ?” “T am not acquainted with a single soul within those walls,” answered the dame,—“ at least not to my knowledge. Collingwood never told me when nor how he meant to use the drugs, nor for whom they were intended— though perhaps I might have made a guess upon this latter point, for I knew that he had an old uncle who bad married a young bride, and tbat by either cutting off the one or the other—or perhaps both—he would as a matter of course materially advance his own interests.” “Well,” I said, “no matter as to how the poi- son is being administered. There is, alas! little doubt that the unfortunate lady is suffering under it! For six weeks she has complained—she bas now an almost total loss of appetite + “The appetite requires much pampering ?” said the dame inquiringly. * Yes,’ I replied. “She is growing gradually more and more Janguid—she has lost all inclina- tion for taking exercise " “ She has no energy ?” asked Dame Betty. “None: and she says that her spirit is like- wise broken. Still she has not entirely lost her strength : she rose up in my presence and walked across the room % “ And then she threw herself into her chair as if completely exhausted ?” interjected the dame, still speaking interrogatively. “ Exactly so!” I cried. “ Oh, I see from your manner, and I judge from your words, that the worst is to be apprehended !—I mean that the unfortunate Lady Kelvedon is indeed suffering under the influence of poison!” “‘ No doubt of it,” responded the dame. “ But there is an antidote a “ Ah! thank God!” I ejaculated. ‘“ Then it is not too late i “I hope not—since you likewise hope it, and since I am now to consider myself temporarily in your service “ “You hope not?” I interrupted her: “ but tell me likewise that you think not? Oh, for God’s sake do not deceive me! Now I remember full well every word you spoke to that villain Col- lingwood when you met him amidst the farm- ruins near Petersfield. You said that there were ninety lozenges in the box that you gave him— that it was a supply for three months, reckoning one a day—but that if he wanted to kill his vic- tim in two months, he must administer one lozenge a day for the first month, and two a day for the second. Ob, I shudder as I reflect ¢ “ You shudder at what ?”’ asked the dame, ex- hibiting but little emotion, “Six weeks have elapsed,’ I rejoined—and my voice sounded hoarse in my own ears,—“ six weeks have elapsed since Lady Kelvedon first experienced a sense of indisposition . “ And perhaps,” interjected the dame, with what struck me to be a diabolically wicked smile, “she had been taking the poison for at least a week before she even began to think within her- self that it was quite possible she was not so well as she used to be.” “Just heavens ! what do I hear P” I exclaimed, ——— nn eee eee ———[———— ee now seized with the direst affright. ‘‘ At least seven weeks may have elapsed since the venom was first infused into her system? fPerhaps this may be the eighth week P—and Oh! if your dreacful suggestion should have been followed— I mean that of killing the victim in two months Ob! in this case she is already tottering on the very verge of the grave—and it may be too late to save her !” “Then why do you send for me?” asked the dame bluntly. Oh! for an instant how I loathed, abhorred, and even hated, that vile wretch !—how vehe- mently I could have denounced her as the atro- cious vender of poisons—the infamous murderess —the demoness to whom might indirectly be attri- buted the death of my grandfather—the hag whose detestable compounds had no doubt worked even a larger amount of mischief than I could possibly suspect ! “Are you going to treat me with a piece of play-acting, my dear ?” asked the vile harridan, with a half supercilious, half familiar smile. “ How you seemed to flame up allina moment! How vehemently you dashed away those masses of glossy black curls from the sides of your beau- tiful countenance !—how the two rows of pearls gleamed betwixt the vivid vermilion of your Grecian lips! How the pink-tinted nostrils of that faultlessly chiselled nose dilated !—how those magnificent large eyes shot fire!—and how your fine full bosom swelled as if actually about to burst its prisonage of corset !” “Silence, woman!” I angrily ejaculated: but allin a moment hope sprang up in my heart— and I cried, “Ah! there is a certain assurance about you!—a certain confidence! Yes—you are doubtless very skilful a So, my pretty dear,’ interrupted the hag, with a cold sneering sarcasm, “you can loathe me one instant—but you can fly to me the next ?”’ “Tell me,” I exclaimed, “that you can save the life of Lady Kelvedon, and five hundred guineas shall be your recompense !” “ Ah! do you really mean this?” cried the hag, her reptile eyes gleaming with delight, “7 mean it! I repeat the pledge! Most solemnly do I swear to you and you best know whether I can keep an oath!— you can tell whether I have been faithful to the- one which the villain Collingwood extorted from me % “Yes, yes—and also the promises you made to Gilderoy on my account,’ rejoined the dame. “ But five hundred guineas % “You think a large sum?” I ejaculated. “I will show you my banker’s book 6 “ No, no, Miss Perey—your word is sufficient,” interjected the dame. “ But the process of curing Lady Kelvedon will be almost ae slow as that other process—the one of poisoning, I mean— which has brought her down to her present perilous condition.” “No matter how slow,” I exclaimed, joyous hope expanding in my heart, “provided it be sure!” “It is assure, my dear girl,” replied the ol¢ woman—and though I reoviled from her fami. liarity, yet I greedily drank in the assurance which she was giving me,—“ it is as sure as that every Gomichboo (E(@)