The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 209: what you’re looking at

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nn een 198 you so often render me: but I know that you have heavy expenses te meet in various ways—and per- haps that amount will sharpen your wits in my be- half on the present occasion.” “ Well—I suppose that I must see-what I can do im the matter,” said Mrs. Brace. “ Leave me to devise some project to smooth your path to the en- vied bower of the fair lady. After all, she is not we—but flesh and hlood—aye, and the blood is warm, too, that flows in her veins. But have you forgotten your Octavia ?—does she no longer en- gage your thoughts, even for a single monent?” “J love and adore her with a lasting passion,” exclaimed the Prince: “and I shall write to her in a day or twu to request her to meet me here. She pelieves that I am out of town for the present. But my affection for that beauteous girl is quite of a different nature from that which inspires me with regard to the Countess of Desborough. You say that you wll see her ladyship the day after to- morrow in the forenoon? Well—in the evening I shall do inyself the pleasure of visiting you again. Meantime farewell, dear Fanny.” . And having embraced the handsome nilliner, his Royal Highness took his departure. sees CHAPTER LVL TWO SPECIMENS OF THE “NEW LIGHTS.” At the snme time that the preceding dialogue was taking place in Pall Mall, a scene of scarcely a leas interesting character was in progress at Mr. Meisles’ ladles in Jermyn Street. Shortly after eizht o’clock on this particular evening, Lady Letitia Lade, habited in her Ama- zonian garb, arrived at her friend’s abode, and was immediately conducted by the agile Wasp to the parlour where his master was discussing a cigar and a bottle of Madeira, “My dearest Letitia,” exclaimed Meagles, bound- ing from his chair to receive and welcome the huntress; “I am so delighted you are come. There is such a treat in store fur you !” “The canting parson, I'll be bound,” said the Amazon, laying aside her hat and arranging her giossy hair, as it showered in a thousand luxuriant riulets over her well-formed shoulders, “ Exactly so,° cried Meagles. “Bat sit down— take a glass of Madeira—light your cigarette—and I shall just have time to tell you all abeut it before he comes.” The beautiful woman complied with the various invitations to which Meagles gave such rapid ut- terance; and, lolling back in the chair while she stretched out her symmetrical legs towards the fender, she gave him a look to intimate that she was ail attention. “By the bye,” said Meagies, “ youn have heard of Joe Warren’s marvellous escape ” “The whole town is ringing with it,” responded the Amazon. “He is a perfect rival of Jack Sheppard. But let us hear about the New Light,” she added, lau:rhing. “So you shall,” regarned Meagles. “This morn- ing, at about ten o’clock, I wanted to go inte the City to pay some money to a person of whom 1 bought a horse yesterdiy,and my gig was at the deur, when as I was going down stairs, I overtook my sanctimonious neighbour, Mr. Nathaniel Snealks— by. ‘A fine morning, reverend sir, I observed.— ‘Yes ; under the divine blessing, he observed: and then he turned round and stared at me very hard indeed. ‘J presume,’ he continued, after a long si- lence and an equally protracted survey, ‘that you are the flesh-pot of Egypt who dwelleth on the fired floor of this tabernacle !'—I acknowledged with - out hesitation that I was the flesh-pot alluded to; and although I hada great mind to knock him down for his impudence, I restrained myself be- cause such a proceeding on my part would only have spoilt the fan that you and I had determined to have with him.—‘ Alas ! alas!’ he murmured, groaning heavily at the same time, and rolling his eyes in an awful fashion: ‘is tt possible that such a comely gentleman as you are can be a prey to all the sinful lusts of the flesh °'— Really, sir,’ said I, ‘Iam ata loss to understand your meaning ;’ and I was getting very savage.—‘ Whose chariot of the Philistines is that at the door * he demanded sud- denly, and without taking any notice of my obser- vation.—‘ It is my gig,’ I said; ‘ but as for its being a chariot or belonging to the Philistines, that is quite another part of the business. —' Which way is the man of wrath going ? inquired Mr. Sneaksby.— ‘Tf you mean me, I am going into the City, was my answer.—‘ 1 will accompany the ungodly one,’ said the reverend gentleman : ‘he shall puf me down al the gates of Salem, that the portals thereof may de- light his eyes, and invite him some day to enter! And without any more ado, Mr. Nathaniel Sneaks- by clambered up into the gig, covered his legs with my spare cloak, and made himself as comfortable as possible. So away we drove ; and all along the Strand and Fleet Street the reverend gentleman regaled me with a discourse on the vanity of every possible thing in this world that he could think of. At last, when we reached the commencement of Cheapside, he desired me to take bim a little way up St. Martin’s le Grand; and, in compliance with his wishes, I stopped at the door of a large chapel, on the front of which the word ‘Sarem’ was cut in large letters. Two sleek-looking men, dressed in black, and who were standing at the entrance with faces as demure as if they were mutes, came forward and assisted the holy man to alight; and Mr. Sneaksby, without uttering a word of thanks for the ride he had enjoyed, asked me if I would not ‘tarry and hear the soul-refreshing discourse’ he was about to deliver. I expressed the regret I felt at my inability to accept his kind invitation; bat 1 said that if he would honour me with his company for an hour in the evening, in my own apartments, I should be charmed to listen to his edifying and instructive conversation. He took it quite seriously —seemed to have formed a much better opinion of me than at first—and promised to look in at half- past eight o'clock. It is that now,” edded Pim, consulting his watch. Searcely had these last words fallen from the lips of Meagies, when slow and measured steps were heard descending the stairs, as if a funeral procession were coming down. “This is the parson,” whispered Meagies, chuck- ling in anticipation of glorious fan. “But he is bringing somebody with him,” ob- served the Amazon, in a similarly subdued tone. “ The more the merrier, ifthey‘re all like himself” responded Meagies. “Hush COMIC OO© SS co