Ellen Percy; or, The Memoirs of an Actress — page 277: what you’re looking at

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

OE CE SC LO A EL AL ALL OO, i 264 = ee oo TS seech you to let me attend to him for a few minutes! Ido not ask to be set at liberty I will make no attempt to escape " “ T suppose the young chap is the lady’s lover ?”” said one of the fellows; and his two comrades joined in his own coarse laugh at the brutal jest. “He is a worthy youth in whom [ am certainly interested!” I indignantly exclaimed ; for I felt that in my agitation and alarm on his behalf I had gone too far in avowing a knowledge of him to be able to retract or to use any subterfuge with the slightest chance of being believed. “ But you may think what you choose, provided that you will only for a few minutes play a humane. part * “T think, Miss Percy,” answered the spokes- man, in a mocking tone, “ me and my mates will prove quite good enough nurses for the young chap; and so you needn’t be under any alarm, I can assure you.” | They now passed with their burden into the doorway on the same side of the building where the window was situated from which I was look- ing ; and the unconscious form of poor William Lardner was lost to my view. “That chance of escape is over!” I said, with a profound sigh, as I turned towards Dame Betty. Her whole countenance was distorted with rage, disappointment, and grief: she literally wrung her hands as she ejaculated, “ Everything goes against us! Itis destined that Zarah shall be unavenged, and St. Clair shall escape !” “It is indeed most unfortunate !—most unfor- tunate !” .[ murmured to myself. ‘“ What a fatality! But Ah! William’s note must be burnt!”’—and I hastened to commit it to the flames. ‘“ How could he have found,” inquired Dame Betty, as if suddenly inspired by another hope, “that you were here?” : “T know not,” I responded. ‘“ But one thing is very certain,—and this is that I may bebold in his presence the forecasting prudence and precaution of my faithful Beda.” ‘¢And perhaps Beda herself may be at hand somewhere ?” ejaculated the dame; “ perhaps she may be in the neighbourhood? and there is yet another chance! What do you think, Miss?” and the old woman was quivering with impatience and suspense. “No,” I rejoined, after only a very few mo- ments’ reflection: ‘it. is by ne means probable! Beda would not have come alone with William— she is toe prudent and modest. She evidently sent him to be upon the look-out ” “Ah! then all is lest!”—and Dame Betty, re- turning to her seat before the fire, rocked herself to and fro, giving utterance to low moans and mutterings, until at length her head fell com- pletely forward on her bosom, as if she were a child sobbing herself to sleep. I thought that she might fall into the fire: I accordingly touched her upon the shoulder, and bade her lie down. She adopted my advice— hobbled to the bed— threw herself on it — and drawing the coverlid ever her, was soon buried in a sleep in which all her sense of rage and affliction was for the time doubtless lost. I returned to the window and listened; but I could not hear the sound of any human voice. The cold night air of December was penetrating ELLEN PERCY; OR, THE MEMOIRS OF AN ACTRESS, like a succession of ice-shafts, and the chill seemed to enter into the very marrow of my bones. I closed the window—drew the curtain over it—and went and sat down before the fire, painfully won- dering how it fared with poor William Lard- ner. Time passed on—all continued silent—and I still sat in front of the fire. Fortunately there was ample fuel tv replenish the grate; and I therefore suffered no longer from the cold. Every now and then I rose and walked a few times across the room to give exercise to my limbs: but the greater portion of the remainder of that night was passed in the chair in front of the fire, I did not once close my eyes in slumber: I did not even so much as experience the slightest drowsi- ness; but broad awake did I remain while the old dame continued to slumber soundly upon the bed. At length the dawn of the wintry morning began to glimmer: I drew back the little window curtain; and Dame Betty presently woke up. She at once asked if anything fresh had occurred; but I answered in the negative. “And now,” she said, with a strange fierceness of look, as if she were almost prepared to wreak her spite upon me, “I care not what happens or what becomes of me—or of you—or any one else; for my enemies have prevailed, and this day will St. Clair go forth into the world again— acquitted— discharged with unblemished charac- ter “i “Be not so hasty in rushing to conclusions,” I said; “for though your language and demeanour seem now to be but little conciliatory towards myself, I will nevertheless remind you i “ Ah, my dear young lady!” interrupted the old crone, “you must forgive me! I felt almost be- side myself—[ did not mean to offend you——” “Well, say no more upon the subject,’ I ob- served, with more or less good-nature in my tone and look; for much as in my heart I loathed her, I nevertheless wished to keep on what might be called a good understanding with the dame on account of the work which was yet unfinished in reference to Lady Kelvedon. “Do you not reflect that the moment you are liberated hence, you may repair to London—you may address yourself to a magistrate—you may circumstantially nar- rate the reasons which prevented you from at- tending at the Old Bailey this day ?—and inas- much asa foul conspiracy bas been entered into in order to defeat the purposes of justice, measures will no doubt be taken to bring the guilty St. Clair again to trial, and with perhaps a very different result !” Scarcely were these words spoken, when an ironical laugh—but one that was full of the strange sweet music of that voice which was so familiar to my ear—rang through the room. Both Dame Betty and myself started and flung our looks in the direction of the door, towards which our backs had been previously turned; and Lady Lilla Essendine stood before us. We had not heard the door open: the bolt had evidently been drawn back with the utmost neiselessness, so that her ladyship might thus play the part of an eavesdropper—which she had done; for as that musical laugh relled away, she said, as if speaking in atone of the most good-tempered raillery, “No, no, my dear Hilen!—we are not quite so JOO <SuiGO . SS Ee eens 6 ees et