Ellen Percy; or, The Memoirs of an Actress — page 28: 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. 15 place before he became my husband; and for this | that Mr, Norman would suspect I was straining to reason perhaps I ought to think the more merci- | keep his attention diverted from particular sub- fully of him—were it not that the whole tenour | jects. The evening wore away; and I was glad of the crime was so black, so infamous! Siill 1, when the moment came for us to retire to our must remember that he was forced into that mar- | respective chambers. riage with me, and that this very marriage per- It was a long time before I could get to sleep: haps prevented him from performing an act of | but at last slumber came upon my eyes. When justice towards Miss Gower. I must not there- | 1 awoke in the morning, I felt rejoiced that I had fore abandon him altogether: I have accepted | not been disturbed by those cries which on the the position of a wife, and to a certain extent | preceding night had penetrated so fearfully into must I perform its duties. Frederick has agreed | my room; and I said to myself, “ Heaven grant to abide by my decision; and I am now enun- | that all may now go on tranquilly, and that nothing ciating it. We will continue to live beneath the | may transpire to reveal the dread secret to Mr. same roof; we will endeavour to maintain certain | Norman !” appearances before the world: but in other re- When we were all assembled at the breakfast- spects we shall dwell apart. Never again will I | table, Juliet and Lord Frederick still adopted incur the risk of being startled from my slumbers | towards each other an outward air of friendly po- by the wild cries which in his horrible dreams he | liteness ; and as I furtively watched Mr. Norman’s sends forth! As for his secret, for my sake as| countenance, I trembled as I fancied that his well as for his own must it be respected !—not for | eye occasionally wandered suspiciously from his worlds would I have it come to the knowledge | daughter to his son-in-law. After breakfast Mr. of my father! No! b:2fore him we must both | Singleton called: he remained alone with Lord dissemble! And now, Ellen, do me one more act | Frederick for a few minutes, and then took his of kindness—seek my husband, and tell him all | departure. I did not see him—neither did Juliet that I have just said to you.” or Mr. Norman; nor did the last-mentioned seek Juliet spoke with a mournful calmness, but | an interview with the surgeon. It struck me with a firm decisiveness of tone. As I had ex-| that this circumstance was favourable, and that pected, she dictated her decision and consulted me | Mr. Norman was now resolved to suffer matters not upon it. I therefore offered not a syllable of | to take their own course. Juliet and I asked him comment: but I rose from my seat, with the | to walk out with us—to which he readily assented, simple intimation that I would do her bidding— | Lord Frederick having casually observed that he and I left the room for the purpose. Deeply, | had some letters to write, and should shut himself deeply as I pitied her, yet I was almost glad, and | in the library for a few hours. I certainly experienced a relief, that the crisis} Nothing of any consequence transpired during should be brought about; for it put an end to a/ the day: we all assembled at the usual hour in most unnatural state of things, or at least brought | the dining-room, and still Lord Frederick and matters to a settled point. his wife maintained towards each other that ex- Lord Frederick had doubtless expected that | ternal demeanour which it seemed they had tacitly I should presently have something to communi-| resolved to adopt. After the dessert I went out cate to him: he was waiting to hear the drawing- | to roam in the garden; and I had not been many room door open; and he descended from the land- | minutes there, when I was joined by Mr Norman, ing above. I led the way in silence to the} I at once perceived by his looks that he had some- library; and when we were there alone together, | thing of importance to say to me; and I dreaded I explained to him Juliet’s decision. He himself | a recurrence to the one terrible subject. was now calm and nerved—though I could not “Ellen,” he abruptly exclaimed, “I cannot un- help suspecting that there was something fearfully | derstand all this! Circumstances seem to have forced and unnatural in this composure. He | taken a new phase: I feel as if I were in the midst listened in silence until I had finished speaking; | of a scene which Iam utterly at a loss to com- and he then said, “It shall be as Juliet has| prehend! At first Juliet and Frederick were all ordained. Miss Percy, you have acted a noble | tenderness towards each other : but since yesterday part throughout these distressing transactions; | afternoon it seems to me as if a change had come and I can only say that 1 am deeply, deeply | over them. Their demeanour is altogether differ- grateful.” ent. I am not to be deceived: there is a coldness He then quitted the library : and I returned to | —a constraint which is not to be glossed over by Juliet. a simple bearing of courtesy! They now show “I have still for a day or two a most difficult | each other mere polite attentions, as if they were part to perform,” she said; “for as long as my | friends: but affection is visibly dead between father is with us, I must dissemble—I must| them. And you too, Ellen, appear to be in a endeavour to wear a look that will betray nothing. | strange and unnatural element. You converse as But you know not, Ellen, how different I now | if you were inwardly conscious of the painful ne- feel!—for it is far better to ascertain the worst, | cessity of keeping up a discourse which would than to live amidst the tortures of anxiety and| otherwise droop and dwindle into silence. And suspense.” there is another thing too, Ellen:—my daughter Mr. Norman soon afterwards returned; and | and her husband occupied different chambers last then Lord Frederick joined us again in the draw- | night; for I heard distinct doors closing, despite ing-room. He and his wife were courteous and | the caution that was used by Juliet in shutting polite to each other: but words and epithets of | her own door. Ah! circumstances have rendered endearment were dropped. During the dinner- | me keenly alive to every fresh incident; for in the hour I did my best to sustain the conversation on | present strange and unnatural posture of affairs, a variety of topics, until I almost began to fear | everything is significant—nothing is trivial!” aS ECORNICLOOOLK (©)