Ellen Percy; or, The Memoirs of an Actress — page 387: what you’re looking at

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ee 374 ELLEN PERCY; OR, THE MEMOIRS OF AN ACTRESS. advance the desired amount. I presume, from your preceding observations, that you are quite ready and willing to lend your name for the use of Lady Frederick ?” “Tam quite willing,” [ answered. “But pardon me, Miss Percy,” continued the lawyer, “there are certain little preliminaries which must be observed. You will satisfy me that you are a householder possessed of a certain amount of personai property—such as furniture, plate, jewels # “JT can of course give you these proofs, Mr. Mansfield,” I rejoined, somewhat coldly and dis- tantly ; “ but if so much formality be requisite, I think that I had better apply at once to my own lawyer, Mr. Wilkinson, of Furnival’s Inn.” “ Mr. Wilkinson of Furnival’s Inn?” ejaculated Mansfield. “Is he your attorney P” “ Yes,” I answered, astonished at the sensation which my words bad suddenly produced. “ Why do you ask ?” “ Because, singularly enough,” replied Mans- field, ‘‘Mr. Wilkinson of Furnival’s Inn is my London agent !” “ Then, after all,’ I interjected, “as he must know it one way or another, you may as well take the business in hand at once; and I authorize you to refer to Mr. Wilkinson on the points you have named.” “This can be speedily done, Miss Percy,” re- joined Mr. Mansfield: “for I was about to remark that it is not only a singular coincidence that Mr. Wilkinson should be my London agent, but it is still more singular that he should be in Dover at this very minute!” : ‘Mr. Wilkinson in Dover ?” I ejaculated. ““Yes:—he arrived late last night,” returned Mr. Mansfield. “I have not yet seen him ; but he sent me a note just now, to tell me of his ar- rival, and likewise to inform me that he had some little business to transact of a private nature which would occupy him for an bour or two, but that he would be with me at noon precisely.” I looked at my watch: it was now a little past eleven o'clock ; and I said, “ With your permis- sion, Mr. Mansfield, I will return at twelve, so that 1 may see Mr, Wilkinson ?” The lawyer bowed an acquiescence to my pro- posal ; and I quitted his office. I rambled to- wards the pier: I felt somewhat dejected, low- spirited, and humiliated. That I should be re- duced to the necessity of mortgaging or pledging my furniture, plate, and personal property, for a few hundreds of pounds, was enough to mortify me, when I reflected that in the zenith of my pro- fessional success I could always command a hand. some balance at my banker’s. I was almost in- clined to return at once to Mr. Mansfield’s office, and tell him that I would rather let the affair drop at once, so far as he was concerned, and write to Lady Carshalton for the required amount,—when the whole busines was for an instant driven out of my head, by the sudden and most unexpected en- counter with a personage who has been recently mentioned in my memoirs. I was walking towards one of the quays, when the passengers were landing from a steam-vessel which had just arrived from Calais. All in a mo- ment some one ejaculated, “ Ab, is it possible ? Miss Percy !’—and Count Teleki stood before me. ’ ”_-_-eoeee eee w:::0.0. ii The Hungarian nobleman had a cloak richly trimmed with fur, thrown over his shoulders : two domestics in livery, and a valet in plain clothes, were following him with such little portable articles of luggage that were not necessary to pass through the Custom House. “Tam delighted to see you, Miss Percy,” he said: “and may I ask after your friend, Lady Frederick Ravenscliffe? Ab! I am charmed to hear that she is in good health !” he continued, when I had replied to his question. “I have been abroad ever since I saw you in London two months ago. You will be surprised to learn that I am the bearer of letters for Lady Frede- rick “ Indeed, my lord ?” I ejaculated with amaze- ment, “ Yes,” he continued, “I happened to pass through Strasburg 4: “ Ab, then, you saw her father ?” I interrupted him. “‘Yes—I saw Mr. Norman; and a very nico gentleman he is,” proceeded Count Teleki. “ It was not however my intention to deliver in person the letters which I have for Lady Frederick. I am desirous of reaching the metropolis with the least possible delay ; and thougb, as I am aware, her ladyship’s residence is on the high road only a couple of miles or so out of Dover, I shall be un. able to stop. Do not however suppose, Miss Percy,” he added, with a smile, “ that it is through any want of respect or friendship to your friend Lady Frederick : but my time is really sa pre- cious that I must defer until a future occasion the pleasure of paying my devoirs personally at River House.” “Perhaps your lordship will permit me,” £ said, “to save you any further trouble in respect to those letters, by becoming the bearer of them to Lady Frederick ?” “Ob! if I might so far trouble you,” he ex- claimed, “I should be rejoiced; because I should then know that the letters had fallen into the hand of a trusty messenger !” Tbe nobleman thereupon drew forth his pocket- book, and gave me a small packet addressed in the well-known writing of Mr. Norman, to Lady Frederick Ravenscliffe. I promised that imme- diately on my return to River House it should be delivered to Juliet; and we separated. I con- tinued my way towards the pier ; and as I passed the steam-vessel, I observed that one travelling- carriage was already landed, and that another very handsome barouche was at the moment being lifted off the deck by the huge crane. From some observations which met my ears, I learnt that these carriages belonged to the Hungarian noble- man from whom I had just parted; and I saw that three or four other servants in the Count’s livery were standing by to witness the operation of landing the carriages. “Tt is strange,” I said to myself, “but I cer- tainly thought when first Count Teleki was intro- duced to Juliet, she had made a certain impression upon him. Indeed [I felt comvinced that he was Smitten with her beauty! But now he passes by her house without even delaying his journey for a single instant to deliver the letters wherewith he was charged! Perhaps it was even in a semi- satirical vein that in speaking of Mr. Norman Giook (EO) —— SSSSSSS——sesessSSSS