The Mysteries of London, Vol. IV — page 343: what you’re looking at

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ee er re ct ree aE 68 ey 7. wt oe a a TEND eps an atte ES erence 333 ° MID MYSTERIES OF LONDON. i rr na aT these thoughts! I looked upon myselfas a vil- nin—a deceiver; and often—often was I on the point of throwing myself at Mrs. Greville’s fect and exclaiming, ‘Pardon me, madam, for having dared to ask the hand of your daughter tn marriage f Tam tut a phantom—a ehadow: the finger of Death is upon me,—and tf Udtitha should accompany m¢ to the altar, it is 7 robable that in less than a@ year she weil have to follow me to the tomd /’—But when | thought of Editha’s matchless beauty, and poudered upon the immensity of the love that [ experienced for her, I could not command the courage necessary to enable me to resign tho hopo of possessing such atreasure. Besides, in ler roctety I could smilo and be pay: her mueteal voleo was more ravishing tomy ears than the Inspired strains of an impro- visatrices—her breath was more fragrant than the perfume of flowers—her lips more delicious than tho honey-dew upon the bincsoms! Ohl no—no: I could not resign my Vditha! Dut no day had been as yet fived for ore marriage—and six weeks had already elapsed since To had proposed aml was necopted, Shall Teonfess the truth ? I dared aot ask her mother to name the days Porhrank from the ideaias if T were meditating a murder—had mnarked aut my vietlm—but dreaded to rettle in my awn mind the nicht and the hour when the aera. cineblow should bo struck ! “Jowas lying in bed one morning, reflecting on all theee things—for the dark fit of detpondency was upon me—when my valet entered the room with the morning's newspapers, T Tistherely une folded one of the journals, when my eyes cuddenty esught sight of an adverticoment, heade! thus:— ‘Manhood: the Rewons af we arly Darlings wih Pian Hints for its Complete Resmecitation’ Phis book Was annonneed to bean eiianation from the pen of T.L Surtecs and Co, Consulting Surge one, redding in one of the streets leadiog out of Soha Sanares and ft appesred by certain quotations of notless from the leading newspapers, that the book was a medical treatiee of great utilty, tnerdt, and dmport- ance. Hope now dawned ja upon my conl Parhaps my constitution was not irretrierably damsyed f Perehanee Emight not be in a consumption, after all?) Such were ins thoughts, after perusing that advertisement orer and over spain; and fre olsed to love no time ineslling upon the able practitloners who undertook the resuscitation of any constitu. tion, no matter how hopeless the eaco might coon, Accordingly, hasiog hastily dressed inveelf, Pree paired ina street evs to the address Indicated in the advertisement. The Louse was one of impacing ap. pearance; and the w ords 6 Surtess and Co, Coneult- tng Surgeons, sere displaged sn diepeblack letters, on hamense shining zine-platet. The fawn-ealoured Vonetinn binds wero drawn down; and I raid to mrcelfjas Talighted with a fluttering heart, (Doulit- less there eminent practivioners hare patients wait- ing in every room to consult them.’ Entering the parsige, I found an Inner door, with a bronze knocker and a pround-glacs fan-lipht, on whic wero inecribed tho fame words as thore that ap- peared on the polished xine-plater, Twas imme- diately almitted by a footman, and conduated up stairs to a drawing-room, every feature of which is at this moment as fresh in my memory as if I were ecated and writing there now, “his apartment at first tight impressed mo with an idea of juxurions spleudours but a clerer cxa- mination into its appolutments showed mo that tho yaaa cain, wae epciaaagarctai® Ot most vulgar taste had presided over its fitting-up. The paper was of crimson and gould; and tq the walls wero suspended sevoral paintings set in mag- nificont frames, which only rendered tho daubs tho more miscrably ludicrous, Two of them were corcred with plate-glass, as if they wero vory yalu- ablo; whereas they were as wretched as the others. ‘Somo unprincipted person, thought I, ‘must have imposed upon these worthy doctors, by recommend- ing pictures to which I would not accord house- room. But men of philosophic minds and who aro devoted to professional studios, are seldom ood judges of works of art? ‘Thus ruminating, I con- tinued my oxaimination of the spartment; and T was struck with surprise at the utter vulgarity and ab- senee of taste which characterised the profusion of Freneh porcelain ornaments scattered about, Here was an Chineso Joss, with a moveable head: and there was a pedlar mounted on a gigantic pont. At the corners of the fire-place were two paintings evidently cut ont ofa picture, and representing little charity-rehool girls, In the centre of the room stuod | n loo-table, upon which a writing desk was placcd; | and this was surrounded by medical publications, bearing on their titleepares the magical names of those gentlemen whom [was se anxiously waiting to sco, Tlavd tho curiosity to open one of the works: bat Eowas diepusted with the obscenity of the coloured plates whieh ft contained, AW moment's reflection, however, induced motobeliove that tha —, could be nothing indecent In the development of tho divine artof surgery; and I felt ashamed of myself for having even for an Instant entertained such reruples, Asn concluding observation respecting the drawing-room Hteclf, Tomust remark that its entire appearances Indicated the taste of a valzac upstart, rather than the refined elegance of a po- lished mind, “Having waited nearly three quarters ofan hour, afsotman made his appearance, and, with many obseaqgions bows, conducte Lome down stiute: Inte a dintnp-room most paudily and extrarapantly fire nished, The came grovelling ralgarity of trsto which T had noticed elsewhere was apparent in the rimcon damask curtains with yellow fringes and taseele—the lnoking-placses in ponderous frainces-— the showy daubs suspended to the walls—and the furniture arranyed for the purpose of display, Folding-doors almitted mo into an inner apart. nent, of equally vulgar appearance; and beyoud wasn little room, only a few foct square, and which the foatman, as he ushered me fa, denominated re surgery, “Finest confess that mv huairt beat violently as I traversed those twe apartments leading to tho | ennefuts whore Lexpeerd to find myself in the pree renee of tho eminent mdiesl practitioners. I had pictured to myself a couple of old and venerable. looking gentlemen, with genies stamped upon their high bald foreheads, and their eyes expressing all the powers of vigorous intellects, Iwas therefore romewhat surprited when, on being Introduced jpto | the surgery, | beheld only one individual, who was the very reverse of the portraiture I had drawn by anticipation, lis features wero of the Jowish cast: his complexion was of that swarthy and greasy description peenliny to the lower order of the Hebrew races—his hale was black and very thick ; and his whiskers met beneath his chin, His cyes wero dark, and ono of them was larger than the other: his bottle-nose wat rather on one side; and —a + ie = —_— = cd —_ ee ey ee ore EConnicloooks (CO)