The Mysteries of London, Vol. IV — page 359: what you’re looking at

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

JO4 Marquis; “I shall yet move you in my But tell mo—you are acquainted with one whom, a TS fT a a RL LA ee Sn rt TUD MYSTERIES OF LONDON. favour ! if you please, we will continue to call Mrs. Sefton: has she ever communicated to you any particnlars of hor earlier life?” “ Prankly and candidly,” replied the young noble- man, “she has confided to me a portion of those particulars; and I have this day learnt sufficient to fill up the few blanks which she left in her narra- tive ” “You know, then,” resumed his lordship, “ that I wedded her against her consent: but I knew not at tho timo—as Godis my judge !—that I was so com- pletely sealing her misery by that marriage. Sophia —thatis her Christian name—was young and beau- tiful whonT first saw her—Oh! so beautiful that I became mad\y {n love with her: and you may per- haps be aware that lova is selfish—claiming its* object at any price, and at any sacrifice. Her fathor was in deep pecuniary difficultics—nay, more —ho had done things which wouid have dishonoured his name and even endangered his personal safety. I had an enormous fortune at my command—TI told him that I adored his daughter—and he promised me her hand. On that occasion he concealed from me the fact that the young lady’s affections were already engaged: indeed, hoe assured me that love was as yet astranger to her bosom, but that she hind been struck by my appearance, although I was go much her senior, Tho duplicity of the father was the first fault in that long chain of unpleasant circumstances and untoward incidents : and, relying on ali that ho had thus told me, I at once advanced a hundred thousand pounds to relieve him from his embarrassments. Soon, however, did 1 begin to perceive that my visits wore rather tolerated than encouraged by his charming daughter Sophia; and then Tlearnt—but not from her lips—that she loved another. I felt indignant with the father—while I passionately coveted the daughter; and under the influence of those feclings I pressed my suit. Iwas resolved not to be made a dupe by the sire, and sacrificed by the young lady to arival. Tad she herself frankly and candidly revealed to mo the state of her affections—thrown. herself upon my mercy— appealed to my honour, J should have acted a gene- vous part, my lord—yes—I should have been gene- rous !” “But tho young lady was coerced by her father, who intimidated her at ono time and ridiculed her at another,” observed Trevelyan: ‘I remember full well that she told me of her sire’s unfeeling conduct towards her.” “Yes—and to me also she made the same revela- tion, when it was too late,” continued the Marguis, “owever, it was under such inauspicious circum- stances that our marriage took placo; and again I appeal to heaven to attest the truth of my words when I declare that I treated her with all possible tenderness, affection, and regard.” “ She has done your lordship that justice in nar- rating those particulars to me,” remarked Trevel- yan. “But I could not render her happy,” resumed the Marquis: “she was constantly weeping—and our honeymoon resembled an intorval of mourning after a funeral, rather than a season of felicity Buccecd- ing abridal, Much as I exerted myself to please hor— avish as I was with money to procure her the meany,of recreation and enjoyment—profuse as I becam,, with the most costly gifts, not only to hor- oe self but likewise to all her relatives and friends, | . could never win a smile from her Jips. lordship will admit that this was more than an un- ; pleasant life to lead—it was absolutely wretched. But your lordship may conceive the deep vexation which I experienced when, having succecded on ono occasion in inducing the Marchioness to appear at Now your a ball given by some friends, I saw her palo coun- tenance suddenly glow with animation and her eyes light up with joy as Gilbert Heathcote advanced to solicit hor hand for a quadrille, And sho smiled, too—yes, she smiled—and, oh! how sweetly upon him, as hor elegant figure moved with dignity and grace in the mazy dance. My soul seemed as if it were withering up within me: I am confident that T must have eyed them with the ferocity of a lynx. But Sophia appeared to have forgotten that I was prosent—that there was such a being in the world as 1: her whole attention was devoted to my rival —her whole thoughts were absorbed in the pleasure of his society. Sho danced with him more than once—she sate next to him at the supper-table— and after the banquet she waltzed with him. I have ever dotested that voluptuous—that licentiows —that indecent dance: but how I loathed—oh ! how I loathed it on. this occasion! J tore myself away from the ball-room, and sought a secluded corner in the card-room. There I endeavoured to reason with myself -upon the absurdity of my jealous rage—of the ridicule to which any manifes- tation of the feeling would expose me—and of tho contempt I should inevitably draw down upon my- self from my wife, did I allow her to perceive how much I was annoyed at what she would doubtless consider a trivial matter. Thus exercising a power- ful command over my emotions, I even assumed a smiling countenance when we returned home, and whenI congratulated her upon having been in such high spirits, But all her coldness and inanimation had come back, and I thought within myself that She would not appear thus if Gilbert Heathcote ‘voro still in her society.” “My lord, pardon me—but wherofore enter into dotails which only arouse reminiscences so painful to yourself?” interrupted Trevelyan. “ Bear with me yet a Httlo while,” said the Mar- quis, speaking in so mild and plaintive a tone that Lord William could not find it in his heart to mani- fest any impationce or any farther disinclination to hear the old nobleman’s narrative: ‘ bear with me, J say—for I have a motive in entering into these details,” he continued. “At the same time, I will not be too prolix, although there aro a thousand little circumstances which recur to my memory, and which might be quoted to prove how patient and enduring I was under the cruel indifferenco wherewith I was treated. But I will content myself by observing that Sophia smiled only on those occasious when she encountered Gilbert Heathcote in society or in the fashionable prome., nades: at other times she shrouded horself in a species of dreamy apathy. Her father, peorcoiving when it was too late how utterly he had wrecked his daughter’s happiness, died of a broken heart: but, strange to say, it was not long after this event that Sophia appeared suddenly to rally a little and seek a more active existence. She began to take fre- quentairings in the carriage—grew addicted to shop- ping—accepted every invitation that was sent for balls, routs, card-parties, and concerts~and re- quested me to take a box at the Opera: in fine, she ~ rc A A SA OT CT PTO, gS TCT ID » ° on gem a nage nena Sh mel (CO) 5} GIOOKS (CO) >