Ellen Percy; or, The Memoirs of an Actress — page 253: what you’re looking at

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

~ 240 poison has its antidote, and that I am acquainted with the antidote of the poison which by a gradient process has been carrying Lady Kelvedon to the very verge of the grave!” “Ah! then, you think,” I said, with a strong shudder, “that her ladyship has indeed been brought so near to the final confronting of death r ~ And from all you have told me,” interrupted the dame, now spoaking with more gravity than she had hitherto adopted throughout this inter- view, “ that in three days more she would be be- yond the point from which it is possible to snatch her back to life—and in a week or ten days she would be «, corpse !” “And you can snatch her back from the verge of the grave?” I demanded, with anxiety. “ Yes—provided that no time be lost in the ad- ministration of my remedies.” “Jt is indeed my wish that no time should be loss!’ LT cried. ‘When shall you be prepared P” “ Unfortunately at this moment,’ muttered the harridan, more in a musing strain than for my behoof, “I have none of the pink lozenges But there are the drugs which could be other- wise administered ~ * Oh delay not, I conjure you!” I exclaimed. ‘“ No, no, my dear—there shall be no unneces- sary delay,” rejoined the dame. “ To-morrow 1 will call and bring you certain drugs But Ah!” she suddenly interrupted herself, “ what guarantee am I to have for the payment of the sum when the lady is cured?” “You have wy sacred word of honour,” I an- swered; ‘and it is a pledge which has never been falsified! But methinks I have omitted to men- tion something—which indeed is a stipulation——” “Proceed,” said the dame. | “Tt will be absolutely necessary for you to accompany me to Kelvedon Hall, that you yourself may see her ladyship——” “But I can cure her without seeing her!” ins terjected Dame Betty. “T know it,” I said: “but still i¢ is requisite that you should accompany me. I have spoken to her of my acquaintance with a gipsy-woman In short, she already expects you.” “Indeed P” cried the dame;. and for a moment she looked upon me with some degree of suspicion and mistrust. “Yes,” I responded: “for how was it possible that I myself could undertake to administer drugs or medicines P—how could I pretend to fathom her malady P—how could [——~” “You have told her she is poisoned ?” inquired the dame, fixing her regards scrutinizingly upon me. ! ‘* No—heaven forbid!” I exclaimed; “and she need never know it!” “ Five hundred guineas,” said the harridan, “ are a bribe sufficient to render me faithless to the cause of Mr. Collingwood, who gave me but fifty. But still I should be loath that any evil overtook him; exposure in One case means exposure 10 an- other——” - “And is my conduct,” I asked, “that of one | who purposes to bring about an exposure ?” “ No!—true!” said the dame: and then she added with a chuckle, half sarcastic, half tri- uwphant, “Tor when the immaculate, the high- EA ELLEN PERCY; OR, THE MEMOIRS OF AW ACTRESS. principled, and pure-minded Ellen Percy is thus holding familiar intercourse with an old poison- vender * “Ab, well, dame,” I interjected, “since you yourself have said it, let the argument stand as a proof of my good faith. But Oh!” I went on to say, speaking solemnly, ‘do not allude with jest or levity to your antecedents as a poison-vender: for remember that the white rose was the cause of Zarah’s death—the means of her suicide !” “True,” said the dame: and she became humbled. “There is one more point,” I resumed, “con- cerning which I am desirous to speak. Pray listsn with attention. Now, it is evident that some one within the walls of Kelvedon Hall, has been for weeks past administering poison to the noble lady of that mansion. You are about to provide an antidote——”’ “One word will suffice !” interrupted the dame, with a smile of confidence upon her lips; “ for I can fathom what is passing in your mind. Make yourself easy on that score! The drugs 1 am about to prescribe will prove a restorative trom the effects of poisons hitherto administered, and 2n antidote against all poisons that may be admi- nistered during the time the drugs themselves are being taken,” Thus far my conversation and my arrangements with the old harridan were completely satistac- tory ; and I now addressed her in the following terms :— * You remember that some time ago: fear not, I am not going to reproach you—for as much as possible I will fling a veil over the past, in consideration of the good you are at this present time about to accomplish But I was going to say that some time ago you gave Beda two boxes of lozenges be * Yes—I remember—it was when I met her in Birmingham—she came with me to my cot- tage if “ Never mind the particulars,’ 1 said. “ You gave her the two boxes, one containing the brown or poisoned lozenges—the other containing the pink * “ Which is the antidote,” ejaculated the dame. “TI know it:~—and those pink lozenges I kept for whatsoever emergency might occur. The brown ones I destroyed.” ** And what became of the pink?” asked the dame, hastily, and with a visible start of uneasi- ness. “Do not think,” I said, at once comprehena- ing what was passing in her mind, “that I have it in my power to forestall or dispense with your aid in reference to Lady Kelvedon. No. Those pink lozenges have been disposed of. Some months ago—when dreading lest through Collingwood’s villany Lady Kelvedon should be poisoned by means of the brown lozenges supplied’ by your hands—I called upon her ladyship ; and under e certain innocent pretext I presented her with tho box of pink lozenges which I had in my posses- sion. I said nothing of poison I simply flat- tered her vanity and gave her to understand that it was a specific for the complexion which I was thus proffering her. She has now been informed that those lozenges emanated from a gipsy-woman ;— and if I at present tell you all these particulars, it EORNICLOOC) cS (E(0)