The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 144: what you’re looking at

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

CHAPTER XXXVILI. ANOTHER MEETING. Iz was not without an emotion of annoyance that Octavia Clarendon had found herself escorted by Harriet to the same room where she had met her lover on the two previous occasions, and from which the bed-chamber opened: for it shocked and pained her to think that the lady of the house and her eer- vant must fancy that she came thither only as the mistress of Mr. Harley, and not in the quality of his destined wife. She dared not however make an ob- servation upon the subject to Harriet: for shame sealed her lips;—but when the domestic had qith- drawn, tears started to the long black lashes which ahaded the lovely creature’s deep blue eyes. For a few moments she remained pensive and melancholy—more than half repenting of having of her own accord made this appointment. But when she recollected how ardently she had longed to meet her lover again, and that this desire waa now on the point of being ggatified, a smile played upon her red lips hike a sunbeam kissing a rosebud—and she hastily wiped away the traces of her tcars. Scarcely had she thus composed herself, when the door opened—and the next instant she was clasped in the arms of her lover. “ Qh! my sweet Octavia,” exclaimed the Prince, pressing her again and again to bis bosom, “ how truly elysjan is the happiness which you have thus afforded me! Never, since we parted the last time, has your worshipped image been absent from my mind: but now the radiance of your loveliness re- news the flood of intense delight which the remem- brance of all that glorious beauty has poured into _ ny soul.” “ Dearest George—I also have thought of thee without ceasing,” murmured Octavia, all her senses appearing to dissolve into softness beneath the melt- ing infinence of the insidious language which the ' melodious yet manly voice of her lover breathed in = Wy - her ear. “ Yese—my angel,” continued the practised and aystematic deceiver, having conducted her to a seat, and placing himself by her side,—*I have not fora aingle moment proved unfaithful to thy sweet image. | Jt has been my contemplation by day—and has rea- Qn ee ew eee eee ee dered my dreams deheious at night. But when thou art not with me, it seems as if a strain of exquisite music had passed away, leaving only the faint pro- longation of the dulcet sounds in the ears.” “These assurances create an ineffable joy within my heart,” said the enraptured young lady, suffering the Prince, without a remonstrance, to remove her bonnet and ample shaw!, —while the very sou! of her impassioned love breathed upon him through the words which she uttered, and shone upon him in her heavenly looks and her sunny smiles. “ You cannot conceive the delight which your letter gave me,” continued his HKoyal Highness, whose princely rank was so little sumpected by the contiding Octavia. “It issaid that Peetry wafts the soul of the bard into an elysian realm of his own creating, where thoughts and images appear as ip a celestial temple full of music and incense, and whence his beatific spirit bears them back to the earth to weave them in tmrnortal verse. But, oh! | how much more truly may all this be said of Love, which wafts the seul te no ideal world, but inte « heaven baving a real and palpable cxistence, and from which there is no awoking to find it all a dream !” “ And shall you everentertain these thoughts which infuse so mush delight inte my heart?” murmared Octavia, who could not possibly have understood, even if a skint had rnsen from the dead to proclaim the fact, that her lover experienced not a particle of the poetic sentiment which he described in such glow- ing terms, but that his passion was a mere gross sensuousness. “T shail never cease to adore and worship you, mv angel,” he replied, straining her to his breast, and lavishing upon her the warmest caresses. “You are aware that my father bas returned—and you will now seek an early opportunity to form his acquaintance ?’’ said Octavia, thus delicately re- minding the Prince of all the pledges and yows which he had made ber on previous occasions. “ When he shall have become settled in his new abode, dearest,” was the specious anawyr, “I shall obtain an introduction to him. He now stands every chance of shortly becoming heir to the Marchmont peerage.” “ Unless some favourable chanze should take place in respect tothe Honourable Mr. Arthur Eaton, who, as [ informed you in my letter, is wasting away visibly. Some frightful and unknown malady has fallen upon him,” added Octavia, in a tone of deep com miseration. “ And isno causeallecec for this strange indisponi~ tion?” inquired the Prince, who was toying with his lovely mistress while thus conversing. “ My father was speaking of the matter again this morning,” answered Octavia; “and it appears that | some tine ago the Honourable Mr. Eaton was aup- posed to be deeply enamoured of the orphan niece of a rich nobleman: but he suddenly discontinued his visits to her, w:thout any obvious reason. Iler noble uncle brought her with him from Derbyshire tp Londen—and mnoe that time the myaterious sick- ness has stgicken the young man. Nevertholem, my father declares that it is not a mental malady —but a physical one: he is not pining away through dis- appointed hope and blighted affection—but is gra- dually perishing as if all the elements of exiatenco were sapped aud undermined.” “ This is most extraordinary,” said the Prince, on whose breast Octavia’s head lay reclined, while from time to time he imprinted burning kisses pen ber brow, her cheeks, and her lips. “ But since we are thus diacoursing for a moment-—and observe, it shail not be for lony,” he added tenderly,—* upon various and comparatively indifferent matters, let me ask yoo something more than you have already yet tuld me relative to those two ladies whose travelling-chariot broke down iu front of your house, the very first evening that [ was so fortunate—so truly blest as to become acquainted with you. On the last two occa- sions that we inet here, I have been going to specs to you about them: but subets of a nearer aud dearer interest so much absorbed my attention tiat I lost sight of the matter.” “Do you not remember that my sister and [ in- formed you those ladies were a Mrs. Mordaunt and Mrs Smith —and that we fancied they were tra‘cl- ing iacugnite 2 said Octavia * But you voursed declared tat they did not deceive us in respect to their naines ;—and yet my tatuer shares the suspicios = nee ' 4 COMICOOOKS. COR