The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 101: what you’re looking at

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

85 TAR MYOTERIES. uit OF ch¢ wind-sicrm, tie plasi of the rapid current apainst the piles wnich served as buttresses to the foundations of the dwelling. Those sounds, se ominous and drear, struck terror to ber heart: for they scemed mingled with the moans of drowning men—ard the thought that a watery grave Iny ready there, tcneath the very window, was su::gestive of horrible ideas of suicide as a relief to this world’s care und aullering! Yes: it was buta step—a single step tnut lay between the unhappy girl and the waters of oblivion;—and yet she dared not take it— Oh! no—no! Nevertheless, who at that moment was so wretched as Caroline? All the circumstances of her past life and her present position were present to her me- mory with the vividness of stationary lichtn'ng—if such a phenomenon could poasibly have existence, She was an orphan—and she retuined the fondest re- collections of dear and loving parents,.now po more : she hud been left to the care of Mrs. Brace, whom she had looked upon as her only friend, and who, while affecting to perform a mother’s part, hed tbrown the unprotected girl in the way of the syste- matic seducer! Him she had loved—mailly, fer- vently loved; and in Ais presence ber looks had beamed with a radiance mure divine ead a.brilliance more warm than the scorching rays of that land to which her mother had belonged and where she her- self first saw the light. For Spanish blood flowed in her veiny, and imparted a higher glow to her trans- parent brunette complexion than characterises E.ng- lish beauty! But when she had surrendered the only earthiv treasure which she possessed—her virtue—to him who had won her young heart’s best and purest affections, she soon—Oh! too soon—perceived that it was not love which she had read ia his impassioned {ooks, but a gross sensuality that when appeased left himn comparatively cold and distant. Fur some time did she close her e;es as well as she was able to this sickening— desolatiug truth; and when she found herself in a way to become a mother, she was fond, and confiding, and sanguine enough to hope that he would falfil all his promises—accomplish al} his vows-—and give a father’s honourable name to the child that was in due time to be ushered into the world. He did not spurn her—he lid not even dis- dain her prayer, it is true: but he replied in a man- ner that feft her ouly to persist in hoping on even against the destruction of hope itself. ‘Then came the necessity of her retirement to the midwife’s abode: and here we now find her,—alone in her chamber-—in a solitude made more ternble by her own distracting thoughts. O God! how often is it that woman is destined to pour out the divinest flood of her bosom’s affections and her soul’s sympathies into a heart which is hol- low, vacant, an unfilled to the last !—how often does woman—beautiful, adorable woman—perish mise- rably through the vileness of that man’s heart which is thus unworthy to receive that torrent of holiest devotion —that full tide of purest love! And how often it is, great heaven! that not only does one woman pine and die for such a heart,—but that a hundred living, bursting female hearts are doomed ta perish wretchedly, wretchedly for the infamy of one man ! But if Caroline Walters could no lonver live for sove—yet she might still live on for vengeance! A great change had come over the young girl during the twenty-four hours which ahe bad now -passed be- neath the midwife’s roof She no longer atvermpted to veil from her sight the. missy of her positien. Lost —betrayed~abandened by him whom she had edored, the full measare of his deceit and treeckcry developed itself, in all its black detads, to her appalHed understanding, Then came jealousy, too,—running like the bursting of a pent-up terrent through every avenue of her soul;—and she felt sssured that ahe had been deserted for some other fair one! Her Spanish biood boiled ike a lavasstream in her veins; —and a thirst-for vengeance, aequiring ali the inten- sity of a ferocious passion, penetrated like a consum- ing flame into the very depths of the young girl's being ! The dark nature of her thoughts seared bor, as she thus sate ruminating in her lonely chamber. The ideas upon which her bewildered mind settied itself-~ideas urging her Spanish nature to revesge —appeared to be a orime. But the longer she studied them—<the more she dwelt upon them, the less startling did they become. And then arose new sources of terror in the inflaence which the racing wind-storm without and the plashiug of the turbid waters below exercieed upon her soul ;—-and lastly came those thougt«s of suicide, which oun- valved her entire frame with ineffable horror. But, no-no: she must live for vengeance ! Rising from her seat, and casting a harried giance around the chamber, —whioh was email, but neatly furnished, theagh gloomy in‘its aspect,— eho felt that she must do something to occupy her mind. She knew that she could not sleep even it she retired to her couch ;—and herutter loneliness ahke of position and of mind, began to have an influeace over her which was intolerabic. What if she were to seek an hom 4 companion- ship with one of the four young females to whom she had been introdeeed, and with whom she had passed the greater portion of the day? They were kind aad compassionate towards her: for they were in a condition even to-afford consolation, naemach as they did not feel their own degraded state as deeply and as severely as Caroline felt her's. Yes: she would stealthily seek the chamber of sume one of those young women ; for every inetant was the awful sense of solitude becoming more diticult to endure. Taking the candle in her hand, she etole noise- lessly forth from her room: but when she foand herself in the large landing oateide, and beheid three or. four doors besides her own opening thence, she knew not at which to knock. After hesitating for a few moments, she blamed herself for her irresolution ; and, tapping gently et the door of the chamber precisely opporite, waited for the answer. None reached her ear : and, grow- ing pesitively terrified by the deep silence which reigned throughout the house and which had in it something mysteriously awful at the time when the wind was roaring in such terrific gusts without, sie opened the door. A glance into the room oon- vinced her that it was not a sleeping-chamber nevertheless, an unaccountable feeling of curios‘ty prompted her to enter. She crossed the threshold and advanced, holding the candle high up so as to obtain a complete view of the place. it was a lumber-room, where broken furniture and articles not in use were stowed away; and it had that peculinr disagreeable, earthly smell which iuvariab'y prevails ja apartments cunstently slut COMIC ODOOKS.ECO