Ellen Percy; or, The Memoirs of an Actress — page 40: what you’re looking at

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ELLEN PERCY; OR, THE MEMOIRS OF AN ACTRESS. we all sat, screened off from the male portion of the auditory in the Speaker’s Gallery. At first there was only some routine business of an uninteresting nature—the reading of private bills for docks, turnpike-roads, canals, railways, and so forth; and during the hour thus occupied Zarah and I had leisure for a little whispered dis- course. “ Nearly a month has elapsed, my dear Zarab,” I observed, “since you and I parted after our return from Petersfield; and you have not as yet suggested what course is to be adopted in refer- ence to the forger and assassin Mr, Parks.” “T called at your house, Ellen, last Saturday,” replied Zarah; “and I learnt that you had gone to Dover. I wished to discourse upon the matter with you; and I will therefore visit you to- morrow, if you should be disengaged, in the after- noon.” “ T shall be disengaged, and I shall be delighted to see you,’ was my answer. “ Indeed, the sooner something is now done in reference to Mr. Parks, the better. You know my resolution!—the man shall not escape punishment!” ‘Nor is it my wish that he should continue in the enjoyment of impunity,” replied Mrs. Sté. Clair,—“ especially, my dear Ellen, as it would afford me infinite pleasure to behold you in poss session of the fortune of which you were so cruelly plundered. I have not been unmindful of the subject—I have already revolved several plans in my imagination, and [I have settled upon one which [ think will be effective. But more of this to-morrow. By the bye, L experienced a little adventure the other day, which, if I had seen you on Saturday, if was my intention to com: municate.” ! “No adventure of an unpleasant character, let me hope ?” I said. “It was by no means agreeable, I can assure you, Ellen,’ was the response. “ But you know that I am tolerably strong-minded,” she added, with a smile; “and therefore it produced upon me & more mitigated impression than if would have made upon most persons of our sex. But to the tale:—A few days ago,” continued Mrs. St, Clair, **T went to call upon a lady residing in our neiga- bourhood ; and as the distance was very short, I proceeded on foot. On my way thither I per- ceived a crowd gathered at tho entrance of a diverging street ; and I saw that it was assembled to behoid the performances of a party of Italian mountebanks. They were about half-a-dozen in number: they were dressed in a quaint style— and they were performing various feats after tho usual manners of itinerant acrobats. I was pass- ing towards the other side of the way in order to avoid this crowd, when my attention was suddenly directed to one of the mountebanks, who came rushing forward with a saucer in his hand to solicit a donation. I quickly drew forth a coin from my purse: but just at that very instant these strange words hissed in my ears—‘ The day is yet to come when I will wreak a deadly ven- geance upon you! Much as I once loved you, so bitterly do I now hate you!” “ Good heavens, Zarah!” I whisperingly ejacus lated: “ could it possibly have been ; * Yes, Eilen—I see that you already suspect who the man was! It was the wretch Luigi !” i 27 “The murderer of his unfortunate master, the Count of Carboni!” I exclaimed, though still speaking ina low whispering tone: “ or at least there is too much reason to suppose that he was the Count’s assassin! I told you that dreadful tragedy at the time——” *Yes—and most assuredly I had not forgotten it!” responded Zarah. “ But listen to my nar- rative. When the mountebank first approached me, I paid no particular attention to him—TI did not even glance at his countenance: I was in haste to bestow my donation and escape from the notice of the crowd. But when those words sud- denly hissed upon my ear as if breathed from the mouth of a hideous reptile, £ flung my eyes upon the countenance of the speaker ; and then, through the mask of paint which bedaubed his face, I at once recognised Luigi. ‘Wretched murderer! assassin !’ I ejaculated: but scarcely had the words gone forth from my lips, when he darted away with the speed of lightning not rejoining his companions, nor mingling amongst the crowd, but turning into another street and disappearing from the view as if if were a phantom melting into the thin air. A police-constable instantaneously ac- costed me and asked if I had been robbed ?—* No,’ I hastily responded ; ‘but that man who has just fled from my presence, is the supposed assassin of the Count of Carboni who about six months ago was murdered at Dover !’—* Ah, I recolicct!’ eja- culated the constable: and without saying another word he set off in pursuit,” * But he did not overtake him P” I exolaimed: “he did not capture him ?P—for I saw nothing of the incident in the papers !” “And I heard nothing more of it,” rejoined Zarah: “I therefore conclude that the wretch succeeded in effecting his escape. I must how- ever add a few more words to my narrative. The incident which I have described took place, so to speak, in the twinkling of an eye; and as it was apart from the crowd, none of those bystanders overheard anything that was thus said—but there was of course & general sensation when the people bebeld the occurrence. From certain ejaculations which burst forth, I perceived the impression to be that the mountebank had snatched my purse from my hand and had fled. Cries of ‘Stop, thief !’ therefore soon became general; and I, anxious to escape from the notice of the crowd, bent my hur- ried steps to the house whither I was proceeding at the time.” “Luigi thus discovered,” I said, “ that he is suspected as the murderer of his late master; and since he succeeded in evading the pursuit of the police on that occasion when his mountebank dress ought to have rendered him an object so easy to capture, there can be little doubt that by this time he has got safely out of the country. If this be so, I shall feel glad for one reason—that you, my dear Zarah, will remain in ‘security acainst the execution of the villain’s vindictive threats; though on the other hand, I should be sorry if justice were to be cheated of its due and that the murderer should escape the arm of the law.” Our conversation now ceased; for the order of the day initiating the grand debate was read. Then some leading member of the Opposition rose to bring forward an amendment, of which, as it CORNICLOOOLK (F©)