Ellen Percy; or, The Memoirs of an Actress — page 256: what you’re looking at

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

ELLEN PERCY; OR, THE MEMOIRS OF AN ACTRESS. cular window behind, I saw that I was not fol- lowed—my superstitious apprehension grew weaker and weaker, until at length it was totally lost in the sense of burning shame which I experienced for what I now conceived to be the outrageous and unpardonable folly of my conduct. At the places where the chaise stopped to change horses, I looked to see if there were any persons of suspicious as- pect hanging about, or whether the successive postilions had an air at all calculated to make me uneasy. But in every respect I found the circum- stances to be totally devoid of all suspicion, so that my courage was completely restored, and I beheld the dusk approaching without any return of un- easiness. At the last posting-town I learnt, upon inquiry, that it was likely to be as close as possible upon five o’clock when the chaise would arrive in the neighbourhood of Kelvedon Hail; and I bade the postilion stop in the road when he came to within @ couple of hundred yards of the park-gate. This ‘he promised to do; and I slipped a liberal fee into his hand, as I thought he might otherwise look strangely upon the circumstance of my being about to encounter an old gipsy woman, and I knew very well that the coin would effectively induce him to keep bis opinion to himself, The chaise halted at the spot which I had al- ready designated; and a glance thrown at my watch by the aid of the lamps, which had been lighted at the last posting-town, showed me that it was ten minutes past five o’clock. The evening was dark; and as I stepped out of the chaise, I could see but a short distance along the road, as I fiung my regards to and fro. Scarcely however had a minute elapsed, when I became aware of a dark form ata litile distance; and as it emerged from the surrounding obscurity, I recognised the bowed figure of the old gipsy woman, enveloped in a dark cloak, the hood of which was drawn over her large white cap. She carried her crutch, but did not tap it hard upon the ground; for she doubtless thought it prudent to make as little noise as pos- sible. “How long have you been in the neighbour. hood?” I inquired in a whisper which was in- audible to the postilion. ** About an hour,” was the answer. “And have you looked to see whether you can enter the park otherwise than by passing through the gates?” I demanded; “for if not, you must get into the chaise, and this will entail the neces: sity of telling the postilion some tale and of order- ing him to stop again in the middle of the park for the purpose of setting you down——” “ Dear me, Miss Percy !” interrupted the crone, ‘how ready you seem tobe to meet difficulties half-way! There is no necessity for me to get _ into the chaise in order to ride through the park- gates. I have discovered a gap in the fence which will answer my purpose. And now tell me where- abouts [am to await your farther bidding—east, north, south, or west of the Hall? how far off? and in what kind of hiding-place ?” “On the southern side of the main building,” I responded, “you will find there is a shrubbery of evergreens. There is a small grass-plat between the skrubbery and the building itself ; and in each corner of the grass-plat there is a vase. Now I Wish you to hide yourself in that part of the shrub- 243 bery which is nearest to the vase standing at the south-western corner of the grass-plat.” “Good !” responded the dame. “ Have you any further instructions ?” “* None,” I replied,—“ at least not for the pre- sent, Ah! by the bye, I ought to inform you that I cannot possibly tell how long it may be after I have set foot in Kelvedon Hall, that I shall come to fetch you from your place of concealment. it may be a few minutes—it may be half-an-hour —it may be even an hour ? “No matter, Miss,” answered Dame Betty: and then she added with a low chuckle. “Have you not bought me for the present, body and soul ? Let me see? The price ? “ Five hundred guineas,” I emphatically ejacu- ated. “Ah, true!’ rejoined the dame. “I thought it just as well to mention the amount once more, so that there might be no possibility of a mise take.” Having thus spoken, she hobbled away, speedily disappearing from my view in the surrounding obscurity. I had taken good care that the posti- lion should not overhear a single syllable of whatsoever passed between us: but still I thought it better to say something to the man as an ad- ditional precaution beyond the bribe I had given him, “Té is most probable,” 1 said, “ that I shall set out on my return to London to-morrow morning : at all events it is next to a positive certainty that I shall leave some time in the course of the day. I can give you the assurance in advance, that Lord Kelvedon will permit you to put up your horses in his stables, and to mingle with his domestics during the period of my sojourn here. Now, it suits me that not a syllable be spoken in refer- ence to the interview I have just had with a cer- tain woman, who has brought me particular in- formation that I required a “ It’s no bisness of mine, Miss,” interjected the postilion; “ and ’m ready to take my ’davit that I didn’t see no o’oman and nothink whatsomever.” “That is right,” I rejoined. “If you drive me as fast to-morrow as you have done this evening, you will have the same reward I have already given you.” This was a delicate way of holding out to the man the prospect of an additional bribe for the maintenance of secrecy in respect to my interview with the gipsy crone; and resuming my seat in the vehicle, it speedily reached the park-gates, The lodge-keeper came out—the gates were thrown open—up the avenue dashed the equipage —and in a few moments it stopped at the ens trance. Lord Kelvedon happened to be traversing the hall at the very instant when the front door was opened and I crossed the threshold of the mansion. He hastened forward to give me a cor- dial welcome, and I was thus rejoiced to find that his humour had in no way changed towards me, but that I stood as high in his good books as on the preceding day. I inquired after the health of Lady Kelvedon P—and he responded with a mourn- ful shade upon his countenance, “ T am afraid that she is much worse since yesterday morning when you left her.” “ Worse ?” I ejaculated: aud then I thought within myself, “ Perhaps my presence here may a EN ee (COMMU = OOO)|K (SO)