Ellen Percy; or, The Memoirs of an Actress — page 321: what you’re looking at

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308 RLLEN PERCY; OR, THE MEMOIRS OF AN ACTRESS. charge, for I was now determined to adopt a par- ticular course without any further delay. I sent to inform Lord Kelvedon that I wished to speak to him immediately in the library, where I was waiting for him. He soon made his appearance : he was quivering and trembling all over witha pitiable degree of nervousness, on account of the new horror which had just occurred beneath the roof of bis mansion. “ My lord,” I at once said, “you have been kind enough to intimate your readiness to place implicit reliance on my judgment under existing circumstances 4 “Yes, yes, Miss Percy!” he answered ; “ do what you will—suggest what you think proper! But, Oh, heavens! does it not seem to you as if this house were actually accursed P—as if the ven- geance of heaven itself were falling upon it ?” “ Heaven’s vengeance is only overtaking the guilty, my lord,’ I answered: “but still these horrors are indeed too much for your wife to sus- tain. They are striking her blow upon blow!— her nerves cannot possibly endure such excitement —and she must be removed from the scene. Yes ! she must immediately leave a spot where hideous ideas and frightful thoughts are enveloping her, and where everything is now seen through an at- mosphere as horrible as a blood-mist ! With your permission, my lord, I will at once take her to London.” ** Yes, yes, Miss Percy! immediately—without delay !”’ answered the nobleman, “I think as you think—it will prove too much for Hermione to remain here any longer.” “ Yes—far too much,” I rejoined. “There will be all the confusion and excitement attendant upon the Coroner’s inquests—the removal of the bodies—the re-building of the floor above the pri- vate staircase a “ Yes—there will be all that!” said Lord Kelve- don, trembling as if he were afflicted with the palsy. “ Depart immediately if you will! I suppose I must remain here for the present P” “ Yes—you must remain here, my lord,” I an- swered. “Do you know the Coroner? I mean are you intimately acquainted with him ?” ‘“ He is a tenant of mine,” responded the noble- man; “and he is indebted to me for the appoint- ment.” “You will take care, my lord,” I said, “ that my evidence may be dispensed with. I shall ac- company her ladyship. It is of infinitely more consequence that I should proceed with her to Eaton Square than that I should tarry here to attend the Coroner’s investigation.” It was accordingly agreed that the departure should take place the moment the requisite prepa- rations could be effected; and when I informed Hermione of the arrangement which I had thus made, she cordially gave her assent thereto. She was most anxious to leave Kelvedon Hall, for it was now indeed the scene of horrible associations from which the strongest mind shudderingly re- coiled, and from which therefore the more sensitive feelings of an invalid revolted with a still greater loathing. As for the Countess of Belgrave and Aline, they were only too glad to regulate their movements according to the convenience and the welfare of their friend Hermione; and it may also be supposed that they had no very particular inclination to remain beneath a roof where in so short a space so many frightful incidents had occurred. In less than a couple of hours everything was ready for the departure. Agatha was to accom- pany her mistress: but I was considerate enough for the excellent young woman’s feelings to desire that she should leave a letter to be sent to her lover Richard Brownlow, in order that he might not fancy himself in any way neglected or slighted by her. We reached the metropolis in the afternoon; and I was glad to observe that Lady Kelvedon sustained the impression of recent occurrences with a greater degree of mental strength than I could have supposed she would have been able to exert. But she was supported, and in a manner tran- quillized, by the conviction that her restoration to sound health was being effected; for I had said everything soothing anc encouraging to her on this important point. On arriving at the mansion in Eaton Square, Hermione begged me to remain a day or two with her; and I readily gave my assent—for indeed I had purposed so to do. The Countess of Belgrave and Aline per- ceived the necessity of Hermione enjoying as much tranquillity as possible: they therefore took their leave, and returned to their own respective homes. I had now an opportunity of entering more fully than I had previously done into a series of explanations in reference to the proceedings of the past. In giving those explanations, I made Lady Kelvedon a confidant of many of the most salient episodes of my own life; for if was more or less necessary to do this, in order to explain how it was that I had first of all become acquainted with Dame Betty—how I had learnt anything in refer- ence to the poisoned lozenges—how I was enabled to furnish her ladyship with an antidote some time back—and how I had been led to suspect Mr. Collingwood’s iniquitous intentions. On all these points I gave Hermione the minutest details—for I now considered myself bound so to do; and the reader may imagine with what a degree of interest she listened to the revelations that were thus wafted to her ear. “One of the principal reasons,”’ I said, “ which induced me to recommend that you should at once come to London, is that this woman Dame Betty may call upon you here or at my house. She must see you—the week has nearly expired for that purpose—and I know that when she hears of everything that has happened at Kelvedon Hall, she will not think it very prudent or safe for her- self to proceed thither again.” Hermione left herself entirely in my hands in respect to the old woman; and I resolved to lose no time in communicating with her. Accordingly, after having dined with Lady Kelvedon in Eaton Square, I repaired to my own house in Great Ormond Street. My arrival at home was quite unexpected by Beda, who was therefore all the more rejoiced to see me; for I had now been pre- cisely a week absent. And during that week how many things had happened! how much had I to relate to my faithful Beda! how much gratitude to express for her affectionate forethought in sending William Lardner to watch over my safety in Hampshire! And with what an awful interest GOmicboo (E@)