Ellen Percy; or, The Memoirs of an Actress — page 67: what you’re looking at

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| 54 ELLEN PERCY; OR, THE MEMOIRS OF AN ACTRESS. you have taken so serious a step as that of appear. ing upon the stage, you will not regret it ?” “ Why should I regret it, my dear Miss Percy ?” asked Aline, contemplating me with some degree of surprise. | “TI will tell you,” I responded; “and I was de- termined to take an opportunity of speaking to you thus seriously upon the point before you shall have gone too far to retreat. Iam not going to compliment you, Aline, when I say that you area young lady in every sense of the term. You are accomplished—you are beautiful—your manners are refined: if you were the daughter of a duchess, you could not be in this sense superior to what you are. Now, remember that when once you set your foot upon the stage you are risking, if not indeed abdicating, this position; for there is no denying the fact that the social status of an actress is more or less held to be an equivocal one ” Tell me not so, my dear Miss Percy,” inter- jected Aline, “ when I see that you are universally respected and esteemed—everywhere spoken of with deference—courted far more than you wish to be courted—able if you thought fit to visit in the best society es “No, my dear Aline,” I said; “there you are wrong. The haughty ladies of the English aris- tocracy might tolerate me—but nothing more. There are a few,—amongst whom is Lady Kelvedon, and likewise my friend Cecilia the Countess of Belgrave—-who are on the most friendly terms with me: but asa general rule this is not the case. English ladies cannot forget the actress; and knowing such to be the fact, I have always sedu- lously avoided placing myself in a false position. What I am now saying is on your account. That by your conduct and character you will command the respect and merit the esteem of the world as I do, I have not the slightest doubt: but do not de- ceive yourself, Aline !—~you will no longer remain a lady according to the general acceptance of the term! Ina word, you will to a certain extent be abdicating your present position. It is this that I am desirous to impress upon you.” “Tf I possessed a fortune,’ replied Aline, “ or had the chance of possessing one, it might be dif- ferent. But, as you know, I am dependent either upon the bounty of friends or upon my own exer- tions. In the former state of dependence I cannot exist: I have my little pride, Miss Perey—but I am sure you will admit that it is only in a sense which is laudable “Oh! nothing can be more laudable,” I ex- exclaimed, “ than that pride which urges the indi- vidual to eat the bread of independenca! It was this pride which made me what Iam. You have the true dramatic genius, Aline—and your success is certain, Do not therefore for a moment think that I seek to throw a damp upon your spirits. No-—Heaven forbid! But I deemed it my duty, as your friend and well-wisher, to speak to you thus seriously—to bring you to envisage as it were your true position, so that you may not now take any step of which you may hereafter repent.” There was a long pause, during which Aline Marcy seemed to be buried in profound reflection ; and I surveyed her with a deep interest, not alto- gether unmingled with mournfulness—for I could not help feeling that it was a pity circumstances should compel that fair creature to descend as it ee were from the position which she might otherwise so brightly occupy. At length raising her large soft hazel eyes towards my countenance, she asked in a low gentle voice, “ Are you sure, my dear Miss Percy, that you have not some reason as yet unexplained for speaking to me as you have been doing 2” I did not immediately answer: I meditated— and then I said, “ Perhaps, dear Aline, there may have been something in my thoughts—something suggested by my own experiences of the past ——” * Dotell me what you mean ?” said Mademoiselle Marcy, as I again hesitated. **T will be candid with you, Aline,” I continued: “yes, I will speak openly! At the outset of my own professional career I concealed the secret of my having embraced it, from one who was dear to me—who is still very dear—and it engendered the most threatening complications. Prejudice had to be overcome — painful explanations to he given 3 | I stopped short: for there was something in Aline Marcy’s countenance which suddenly struck me with the idea that I had touched a chord which was Vibrating painfully in her heart. From each hazel eye did a pearly tear-drop start forth: she hastily wiped them from her cheeks; and laying her hand upon mine, she looked up into my coune tenance with an expression of indescribable sweet- ness, saying in a low tremulous voice, “I under- stand you, Miss Percy! Your heart is bestowed upon some one who must be proud and happy in possessing your love? May heaven grant that in all things you shall be blessed and prosperous !” The very tone in which she spoke, as well as the look that accompanied her words, seemed to indicate that with a species of sympathetic feeling she was wishing me a happiness to which she herself had Once aspired but which she sadly felt was no longer within her reach. I pressed the hand that had been laid upon my own; and I said, “ Now, per- haps, my dear Aline, you begin to comprehend wherefore I seized the present opportunity to ad- dress you in so serious a manner ? I knew nothing of your secrets—I did not seek to penetrate them. But f thought within myself that it was scarcely possible that one so beautiful, so accomplished, and so fascinating as you are, could have failed to win the affection of some one whose honourable love you might reciprocate. And then methought, Aline, that if you happened to be taking this step either without his knowledge or contrary to his wish, there might be in store for you the same bitter experiences which at one time marked my own career! SBelieve me, therefore, that 16 was for the most friendly purpose I addressed you so seriously,” “Oh, I appreciate all your kindness, dearest Ellen!” exclaimed the grateful girl; “ and as you have given me your confidence, I will give you mine in return!” She paused for a few moments—bashfully hung down her head—and then, with her eyes still bent upon the carpet, she continued thus in a low voice :—= “Yes, Ellen—there has been some one who told me of his own love and who asked me for mine in return. And he did not ask in vain! I loved him I love him still——buit all is at-an end between us!” Gomichboo