The Mysteries of London, Vol. IV — page 157: what you’re looking at

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

—— et renee ee oe ES 150 q PU’ MYSTERIES OF LONDON. ee ee ee to leave Dover about. a couple of hours later than Le Courier. During this interval Charles bethought himself that, should Mrs. Fitzhardinge not join them in the course of the day, Perdita and himself would be com- pelled to continue their journey to Paris; and, witha due sense of delicacy towards her who was to become his wife, he saw the impropriety of their travelling alone together. Ye accordingly intimated to Perdita the necessity of procuring for her a Jady’s-maid with- out delay; and though she would have much pre- forred that herself and lover should be the sole occu- pants of the interior of the post-chaise, she nevertheless comprehended that the expression of such a wish on her part would give him but a poor idea of her mo- Jesty. She therefore assented to his proposal with apparent cheerfulness, and thanked him for his kind consideration. By the agency of Madame Dessin, the Jandlady of the hota, a French Jady’s-maid, who wuderstood English, was speedily obtained and engaged; and Perdita was now by no means displeased to find herself elevated to the position of a woman of some consequence. She, who but a short time before had entered London ina butcher’s cart and elad in the neanest apparel, was now provided with a special attendant and could choose dresses of the latest fashion and the costliest material, he lady’s-maid wa3 a pretty young woman of about three and twenty, with fine hair and eyes, good teeth, and a beautiful figure; and her attire was of the most tasteful, though guict and unassuming, desrription. Her manners were very agreeable, and would be termed lady-like in this country: but, be- neath a modest and innocent-looking exterior, she concealed a disposition for intrigue and no small amount of sulitlety. At the same time, Losalie—for that was her name—syould not for the world seek to leal a virtuous mistress astray; and to such virtuous mistress she would doubtless prove an excellent, taithful, and trust-worthy servant. But should she have to deal with a mistress given to gallantry, then Rosalie would cheerfully exercise all her arts of dupli- city—all her little cunning machinations—and all her aptitude for the management of an intrigue, and would take delight in enabling her Jady to deceive a hasband or a lover. Such was the young person who now became Pordita’s attendant: but it must be observed that the character of Rosalic, as far as it was known to the sandiady of the hotel, was unimpeachable :—that is to say, she bore the reputation of honesty, cleanliness, a perfect knowledge of her duties—in fine, all those qualifications which are sought and required m an upper servant of her description. Having: waited until the arrival of the English packet, and finding that Ars. Witzhardinge did not inake her appearance, Charles, to whom her absence was unaccountabie and bewildering to a degree, ordured the post-chaise to be got ready; and, while this was being dune, he proceeded with Verdita to the iritish Consul’s to obtain passports. Finally, at about five o'clock in the afternoon, our travelers took their departure from 1) sin’. Tivtel im a echaire and four— Rogalte occupying a seat inside, fur the sake of appear- anes. Qh! had Charles Hatfield known that the young woman—his intended bride—for whose reputation he manifested so much delicate care,—had he known that she was sv thoroughly polinted in body and mind,—~ LT A OC A i a re a could he have head the history which the two officers at Dover might have told of her, had they chosec—-he would have been shocked and horrified—he would have spurned her from him—and all his ardent, en- thusiastic love, amounting to an adoration and a worship, would lave changed into feelings of abhor- rence, loathing, and hate. But he believed her to be pure and virtuows,—pos- sessing some strange, wayward, and eccentric notions, if is true,—and yet endowed with a syirit so plastic and ductile as to yield willingly to pood counsel and to be ready to sacrifice any peculiarity of opinion to the | man whom she loved. It is likewise true that he remembered how she had permitted him, in moments of impassioned tenderness. to toy with her—to press her glowing bosom—to glue his lips to her's, as if she herself would on those occa- sluns accord cyen more: but he likewise. recollected how inyariably she started from his arms—witlidrew herself from his cmbrace—and manifested a suddenly resuscitated presence of mind, when he had grown too bold and, maddened with desire, had sought the last favour which a woman, in amorous dalliance, can bestow. Le therefore reasoned that, although her naturally warm temperament had led her to bestow upon him such unequivocal proofs of her love, yet that i virgin pride and a maiden's prudence had enabled her in every instance to triumph over temptation ;— and this belief enhanced his profound admiration of her character. Dut from the moment that Charles had first belicld Perdita, his brain had been in an incessant state of excitement,—an intoxication, an elysian deliriun which made Perdita an angel of beauty and almost of excellence in his eyes:—and those fervent caresses which he had been permitted to bestow upon her, and those slight forctastes of the most voluptuous enjoy- ments which he had been allowed te snatch, had only fended to sustain that excitement—increase the dreamy delights of that intoxication—and enhance the bliss of that continuous delirium. Then, in addition to the fascinating influence of the syren—in addition to the enthralling witchery which her charms, her arts, her conversation, and the silver sounds of her duleet voice exercised over himj—were his ambitious hopes, his soaring aspirations! All these circumstances had combined to unsettle, if not altogether change, in an incredibly short space, a dispositiun naturally good—a mind naturally ener- getic and powerful: and then those unhappy scenes with his father, when neither fully understood the meaning and drift of the other’s observations, had aided to preduce an excitement which was thus hurrying the young ian along apparently to his utter ruin! Unless, indeed, some good angal sheuld yet inter- vene, ere it be tuo late-— But we must not anticipate On the contrary, Iet us return, from this partial though not unnecessary digression, to the threat of our narrative,—so that we may all the sooner be cn- abled to bring our readers back to that metropolis— that mighty London, of which we have still so many Mysteries to unfold! £7 The travellers pursued their journey oll night, Charles being anxious to reach the French capital with the least possible delay, and Perdita seconding him fully in the wish. Let us therefore succinctly state that in the morping they breakfasted at Amiens—in the afternoon they EConnicloooks (SO)