The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 396: what you’re looking at

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

Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee rere ee eee eee eee ace eee rere eer a THE MYSTERIES. a Great was his surprise, therefore—inefihbie was bis amasement, when Rose Foster, suddenly in- spired with the energy which is often furnished by started from her trombling, timid attitude— drew herself up to the full of her graceful height— aad extending her right arm towards him, exclaimed fa a tone of command, “Silence—and pollate the air ne longer with those worda which are baleful as @ peatilence {” Oh! grand ia thy virgin dignity—overpoweriag ia thy maiden modesty wast thou at that moment, thou lovely and pure-minded orphan girl! The. royal voluptuary—unable to believe the evidence of his oh cars and eyes—-Was staggered by thy words and amazed by thy demeanour. And beautifaul— Oh! inoaleulably beautifal was the effect of thy etatuesque attitude and the noble expression of thy eoft and touching features, at that moment animated with a sense of outrage and insult! Oh! deep, deep is the sympathy chat we entertain for thee, thou virtuous and charming girl ;—anad sooner than the hand of the spoiler shall grasp thee rudely fm the embrace of unhallowed lust—sooner than thy parity and thine innocence shall be sacrificed to the passions ef thy persecutor--aye, aed sooner than thos, with thine own consent, shall become the mistress of the royal profligate, we would see thee dead—iaid in the cold grave—and we would our- selves exelaim, “Baok, back to the realms of heaven, thou ray from Jehovah's brew |” ¥es—the Princes was indeed amazed and stag- gered by the words and the demeanour of the young orphas; and before he eould recover from the state ef feeling into which he was thus thrown, she addressed him with a solemn and touching earuenteess which would have evoked a gencfous sesponse frem any other individual. - No words, Prince of Wales,” said Rose Foster, “can describe the indignation with which I rajeet— may, soorn and recoil from, the proposal which you havé dared to make me. The ladies of the Aris. eocrucy may Geen it un honour to become ndtorivas as the Prince's favourite wantens: bat the hamble daughter of the People tarne in loathing and wrath @rom the bare idea of such ignominy. Oh! well does the nation know that the higher the grade, the leas virtue t to be found in i; and the despised, scorned, tyrant-rtdden, and starving militons may t¢talre to themeelves credit for virtues anknown amongst theie tided oppressors. Go, Prince of Wales—go amongst your Duchesses, your Mar. chionesses, and your Ceentesses—-and pay your’ covert © them: you kuoew full well that thay will nok refuse your fove-snit, bat will deem it aa honcer te serrender ap ali purity, innocence, and virtae at the shrineof Royalty. Yes-—-go to thon: but daré not to breathe the same tale in my ears | The daughters of the People know that shame and fufuunry, however highly gilded, sre shame and in- famy s#till—and that the tarnish of a frail weman'’s utation shows through the costliest veil with h the beunty and profasion of a royal lover may sek to conceal it! Now then, Prince of Wales, be xyeneruts—be great—be good—end silew me to depart in safety. I will thank you fer this act of werey, f you will concede it: for though J may more properly call it a deed of jastice—yet will I speak of & and regard it in the light of a bounteous and humane concession from a mighty Prince to- wards on Obacare and friendicss orphans gici [” “By heaven! I know not how to answer you how to deal with you, singular and incompr hensible oreature that you are!” exclaimed t heir-apperent, whe oould not help thinking thes the maiden appeared ravishingly charming a: profoundly interesting in the midst of her gri and tears, she was radiantly attractive and ove poweringly beautiful in the flash of her exoiteme and the goddess-like dignity of her attitade. In one word,” she said, trembling inward through fear of a refusal, “I beseech your Roy Highness to saffer me to leave this room and « house—and everything that 1 have previously ¢ dured af your hands shall be forgotten.” “Oh! no—uo,” he exelaimed, hie passion ma dening him: “I cannot part with thee thus easil thou adorable ereatare |” ; And apringimg forward, he caught the you maiden in his arms. A piercing seream burst from her lips-—and al atruggied desperately to tear herself from his oe brace. But, excited almost to a delirious pit by the fury of his desires, he seemed like a ma man bent upon accomplishing his aim without 4 slightest regard fer the consequences; and t wretched girl found ber strength failing her a: her senses ebbing away, an efery moment saw b struggles becoming weaker ant her cries mo subdued, — while the triumph of the Prince 4 peared more and more certain. But suddealy the door was burst violently oper and Tim Meagies, followed by Melmoth tl working man, rushed into the chamber. CHAPTER CXI. THE FRIENDSHIP OF ROYALTY ! Te dash forward—huril aside the Prince of Wal —and catch Rose Foster in bis arma,—all] this wv the work of a single instant with Meagies ;—a: when his Royal Highness, uttering a terrible i precation, was about to spriag upon his friend T’ and deal him a savage blow, Melmoth seized ap the heir-apparent without hesitation, pinicning bi fast despite of the desperate struggles be made extricate himself. But scarcely was all this accomplished, and Ro head begun to mermer a few words of hearth thanks te her brave deliverer, wien three armed with staves entered the room, followed | Mrs. Brace'’s two footmen, the milliner herself, a Harriet the tady's-maid. The fact was that Meagies and Molmoth t working man, having been out together the whi morning instituting inquiries concerning Ba: were standing in St. James's Square deliberati what course they should pursue new, five days researeh having hiready preved vain end fruithe —when they observed an arrow lying upon ¢ pavement near the enclosures and curios! prompted them to pick it ap, te their indesoribat amazement they foundthe note which at onee clear up everything in respect to Miss Foster's hither anascountable disappearauce. Bat asTim Meag! was well aware that Mrs. Braces cotablishaec was secretly patronized and protected by the Pria of Wales,~-and moreover, as the law gare fim | power to force his-way into ié without the coun: ECOMicloooks co