Page:New Peterson magazine 1859 Vol. XXXV.pdf/226

 THE OLD MANSION. STONE sents the following day. As I looked around, a feeling of melancholy, almost indescribable, stole over me. To haYe sat down and cried would hare been a relief. I had never felt so, without sufficient cause, before; and I was ashamed of myself for being, as I thought, hysterical Alas! it was a presentiment of evil.

The breakfast bell rang, an hour later than usual, and though every one looked haggard, all obeyed it, except Georgians. After waiting for a quarter of an hour, her father, who was a martinet in punctuality, testily ordered her to be summoned.

“Poor thing," said her mother, apologetically, “let her sleep. We can breakfast for once with out her, father. She must be quite worn out."

“Not more than we are," answered Mr. Elliott, who was always out of humor if he had to wait for a meal. “Let her get up, like the rest of us. It was for her pleasure the house has been turned topsy-turvy; and the least she can do is not to keep breakfast standing."

When my uncle spoke in this way there was no appeal. A servant, therefore, was despatched to Georgiana’s door; but the poor creature returned immediately, followed by my cousin’s maid, consternation on both their faces.

My uncle and aunt rose at once, divining something terrible. But neither could form words to speak. It devolved on me to interrogate the maids.

Both spoke at once. Georgiana’s room was empty, they said, and her bed had not been disturbed.

Simultaneously we three, uncle, aunt and myself, rushed up stairs; my uncle with an oath, my aunt shrieking, myself with a dread- fnl suspicion at my heart. The servants fol- lowed after. I looked back at Georgiana’s maid, and read in her face, though she strove to ap- pear frightened, that she knew more about the affair than she chose to tell; and my suspicions and fears began to assume shape.

Mr. Elliott was the first to reach the chamber, His eye instantly detected a note, left conspicuously on the dressing-table, which he read rapidly through, threw with an oath at his wife, and then rushed down stairs, exclaiming that Georgiana had disgraced them forever, and shooting for a carriage and policemen.

My aunt took up the letter, but her hand shook so that she could not see, and I was compelled I offer to assist her. Leading her to the bed. to ordered the servants from the room, and then read the note aloud, the poor mother rocking to and fro, and wringing her hands, except when she broke into audible sobbings.

My conscience smote me as I read. Georgians had eloped, the letter said, with one whom she knew her parents were prejudiced against, but who was all nobleness and virtue, as they would yet discover. He had loved her, she wrote, ever since he first saw her, at the sea-shore, in the summer; but had not dared then to breathe high hopes, because an old enemy of his, Mr. Talbot, had, he knew, prejudiced her parents against him. Since then, however, he had followed Georgians home; they had met frequently; and she had finally consented to be his; indeed, she had loved him, she said, from their first meeting. The missive ended with what is, I suppose, the usual conclusion in suoh cases, an entreaty for forgiveness.

I had no difficulty in solving parts of this riddle. Georgiana had eloped with Mr. Deepencer the adventurer who had disappeared so suddenly, the day after Mr. Talbot’s arrival. But other parts of it were still enigmatical. I had always intended to tell Georgiana this man’s true character; but had forgotten to do it; and I had never since even heard his name mentioned in the family. From my aunt I could extract no information. She had never known, she said, that he had visited at the house--how then could it be supposed that she or her husband was prejudiced against him? My poor aunt, on saying this, began to reproach her child, and went into violent hysterics.

The problem was not unriddled till later in the day, when my uncle, having returned from an unsuccessful pursuit of the fugitives, and my aunt having partially recovered, I mentioned my suspicion that Georgiana’s maid knew more of the affair than any of us. My uncle had her immediately summoned, and by locking the door, threatening her with a prison, and promising  her a large reward, he so worked on her alter nate fears and cupidity, that she-ﬁnally betrayed her mistress. By putting together what she revealed; what I already knew; and what I suspected, I got at the full truth.-

It seems, that, within a few days after our return, Mr. Despencer had waylaid the maid,  and by a liberal reward had induced her to send him word the next time Georgiana went out alone. Thus informed, he had met my cousin, as if accidentally, and renewed their acquaint Georgiana, mortiﬁed by the loss of Mr. Talbot, and having always secretly liked Mr. Despencer, consented, after one or two of these apparently chance interviews, to meet him clan destinely. Hence her walks before breakfast.

“Miss Elliott," continued the maid, "used to tell me all. How that Mr. Despencer was a lord