Ellen Percy; or, The Memoirs of an Actress — page 72: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

—-—-- —— ———— — rr ' 1 ELLEN PERCY; OR, THE MEMOIRS OF AN ACTRESS. 59 ee to this place—you have detained me by foree—you} laboured. There were nervous spasmodic twitch« are keeping me here against my will — you are | ings, so tospeak, throughout his entire frame ; his putting me in bodily fear—it is an assault and} hands kept clutching at the rail; he first rested battery—conspiracy —violent abduction lg the weight of his body on one leg, then upon the “ Be silent!” exclaimed Gilderoy. “If you! other; and at last he said, “I aminnocent! I have naught to advance but this tissue of de- | did nothing of all that isimputed tome! I have clamatory verbiage, which produces not the slight- | deeds to prove that certain transactions have taken est effect upon us, you had better hold your peace: | place betwixt myself and Miss Percy—she has ac- we take upon ourselves the responsibility of what | knowledged the validity of the will—you dare not we are doing—even as you, Thomas Parks, have | say it is a forgery—and if it were valid, what inte taken upon yourself still more frightful responsi- | rest had [in making away with the old man For- bilities, if the details of the indictment against | syth?” you be correct. There is however this difference; “Be not too sure of all these matters, where- —that with you the day of reckoning is come, | upon you seem to rely,” said Gilderoy, in a tone whereas we repose in the fullest confidence that | of marked significancy. ‘“ When a man is placed no such day will ever come for us on account of | in a certain position, the ground upon which his these proceedings !” feet rest, and which he flatters himself is firm as a * Be not too sure!” retorted Parks. “ I instan- | rock, becomes a quicksand to engulph him.” taneously demand my liberty; and if it isrefused,} “ What do you mean?” asked the lawyer, his I will raise such a clamour—I will shout for as- | accents now proving that he was again labouring sistance a under a vague and fearful consternation. “ Who “ Enough of this child’s play !” interrupted Gil- | are you, that you set yourself up for a judge?” deroy. “ Shout if you please: the walls will beat | “No matter who I am,” rejoined Gilderoy; “it back the sounds of your voice, even though it be | is sufficient that I have the power to judge you— raised to the loudest pitech—and you will benefit not | and that power I am exercising. Let there be no yourself! But inasmuch as for mercy’ssake I am | more waste of time: you haye exhausted my disposed to bear with you patiently yet a little | patience; and as you have proclaimed yourself while, seeing how awful is the position in which | innocent, the declaration will be taken as tanta- you stand " mount toa plea of Not Guilty. The trial shall * Awful?” said Mr. Parks: and the word ap- | proceed.” peared to strike him with more or less consterna-| There was again an awful silence; and I should tion. observe that I had now not the slightest inclina- “ Yes, awful!” repeated Gilderoy solemnly ; | tion to leave my seat or to quit the apartment. *‘ for it is a matter of life or death with you—and | Indeed, all the scruples that for an instant I had if not death, at least the fullest atonement !” entertained, became absorbed in the sensation of * No, no—you dare not threaten my life!” cried | profound interest with which I had listened to the the wretched man, whose courage was abandoning | opening proceedings on the introduction of Mr. him, and who glanced around with terrified and Parks to the dock of the tribunal. So far as | haggard looks. those proceedings as yet extended, Beda ana i had “Talk not of what we dare do, or what we dare | watched them with suspended breath: we were not do,” said Gilderoy sternly : “ for perhaps, if | both motionless as statues behind that sable curs you look into your own heart, you know to what | tain which concealed us from the view of all the an extent human daring can go for purposes of|rest. As the darkness was nearly complete behind evil:—how far greater, then, may be its range for | that curtain, a feeble glimmering only penetrating purposes of good! And our purpose is a good | through the window, the holes could not be per- one! But I was ere now on the point of giving | ceived by any one in the body of the apartment; you a word of salutary counsel. Listen, there- | and thus, when Mr. Parks had in an agony of fore! You threatened to cry and to shout with a | affright looked round the room, gazing behind him hope of summoning hither the officers of justice. | as well as on every side, his eyes were not attracted Do you know what would be tho consequences if | particularly towards the curtain, you succeeded? Instead of remaining to be| “Is not this solemn and awful?” whispered judged by this tribunal, which has the power to| Beda to me during the last pause to which 1 have enter into terms with you if the result should | alluded. render you a suppliant for merey, you would be} “Little did I anticipate such a scene as this, transferred into the presence of another tribunal, | Beda !” I answered, also speaking in the lowest —a tribunal whose legality you would not dare | tone possible. “The agony of mind which the challenge—whose authority you would not venture | wretched man is suffering, becomes already no to question,—a tribunal which would have a stern | mean chastisement for the odious crimes of which and solemn duty to perform, and which if the re- | he has been guilty !” sult were against you, could negotiate no terms— “Call the first witness!” said the individual could show no merey! Now, Thomas Parks, have | who performed the duties of Clerk of the Court. I at length succeeded in awakening you to a due | The dwarf opened the door and looked out into sense of your position? and will you plead to the | the passage for a moment: almost immediately indictment which is brought against you ?” afterwards a young man entered, I immediately There was a silence—an awful silence of nearly | recognised him; and I whispered to Beda, “ The a minute, during which both Beda and myself con. | affair does indeed become more and more serious. tinued narrowly to watch the prisoner through the | This is Mr. Moss, the lawyer’s clerk.” holes perforated in the curtain. Though the light| We both narrowly watched Mr. Parks; and we was so dim, yet were we enabled to discern suffi- | saw him start with affright as Moss thus made his cient evidences of the agitation under which he! appearance: but instantaneously becoming col- Gomichboo cS 6 (E(0)