The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 322: what you’re looking at

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

street, on the cold pavement,—yes—such a death were preferable. to the jess of hee honour ! Alas i alas: poor erphan gitl, deeply—deeply do we sympathise with thee—beundiesa is eur oom- passien, O pereesuted virgin ! But whither doce she now fly so quickly ?—what mew ides. has atized upon her imagination ?—what suddes impulse is sha obeying thus precipitately ? She remembera thet there is such a persan in the world aa Meagles—sha is hastening to Jarmyn Street @ ascertain whether it be mally true that be has undertaken a journey te Scotland, For this purpose is ake spending en so franticly again—'tra her only -hope--and brr ardent longing to find it realinal, lends wings to har feet. But « sadden. vertige seizes upon her—she stop shoxt—-hes brain neels—she staggara forward a few paces, extending ber ernas as if to implore assiatance -—than sinks upoa a decors step in that vile neighbour- Kae the splendidiy-furnished drawing-recu beloeging to her eum ouite of apertmenta at Cariten Howe, Mra, Fitsharbert was costed alonn in apansive mood, ‘wpom a sofs placed nesr the fire which barat in the guste os if with a cheesfuiness that mocked har moarnful aspeet. Not only was she indignant and efimded om ac- 4+ esusst af tha scane whieb had eccurzed ea the night sppreaching evil waighing heavily upon her. was by no means the only eves experienced with. the haless the firat that led te no.attempt at what cua this parsaverance in maintaining a enmity mem i--what did & aguify? Had her chums lost their epelis—ber witchenies their | gener; berwnsandra their femivation? Or, vas his Royal Highness in reality so deeply attached bh. Eady Dasborengl that -he'net only pined on account of the disappointment ho kad expexieuced, but like- wis c am unfergiving rancour sgainst he who. bad thus interposed between bimaeplf and the | intended wetim. of bie lust 7 The watoward inekdsst bad taken place on Mon- third was drawing: to ts qhoee—aad not a ward nor a line from him whe hefere God was her husband, though tae detestable laws made by man. forbade the eonmemion. At first the lady’s indignation and resentment sustained en ker own side a feeling which weuld have made her decline any agawar ta a verbal message and send back = written ene unopened: then, as her move angry sentiments gave way to the fondness which she really experienced for the Prince, her pride provapted her te shroud herself in a re- serve as gloomy as that in whick he had shut him- self up ;-~end thee from neither side had emanated the least overture towards a reconciliation. Though ball: bus thene was likewise a presentiment } thar | kim as the deepest woe the superb creature. whose eyes were $1} living baneath the same roof, thia husband and wife had not seen each other fer three whole days! New thereforg the-lady’s pride was more than ever wounded; and indignation was again asserting its empire in her breast. How haughty was now that earl an her exquisitaly chiselled lip !—how menac- ing was the light which ahone in her large blue eyes! —hew nesvously did her taper fisgera play with the long, pale, glossy treasen which flewed down upon her plump shoulders of dazzling whiteness aad the besom of such luxurious proportions ! Should she await the royal pleasure of her hus- band to make up their serious differenees? — or shawid she pen a line conveying the first overture to 1m ? These were the questions which ahe asked herself in » saoment of milder maoed : and she was deliberat- ing the points within her own breast, when a servant theew open the daor of the apartment, amnouncing Mr. Meagles. A glow of triumph and the animation of joy ‘lighted up the splendid features af Mra. Fitzherbert, as.she rose to. receive the guest: for it instantly atruck ber that he was.come asa messenger af peace from his Royal Highness. Meagles, who was attired in a suit of blagk, but whoae coat mevextbeless had a certain sporting cut about it, endeavoured to assume a demurenese of eoentenamce which he deemed. suitable to the task which he had taken in hand: and indeed, he did feel dimatiafied and low-spirited concerning it—for, much an he seally disliked Mra. Fitsherbert, he could not reaiat the painful reflection, now when matters were coming, to a paint, that it was a woman againat whom he was about to wage war. Even at the last mo- ment would ke have gladly retreated from eny far- interfensnce in the business: but intezeat — self-inte tism,—these prevailed with a man who was far from being deficient in qualities natu- rally generous and traits unquestionably amiable. With a greater courtesy than she had ever before maanifested towards him, did Mrs. itzherbert proffer ber hand to Mr. Meagles and request him to be seated: then, with the tact of that goad breeding which affected te sea in him anly an ordinary visitor and not a messenger sent on a special errand, sho hegan ta converse on the current topios. of the day with as much graceful case aud unpretending flaeacy as if she had naught weighing on her mind. Meaglea was far more embarrassed than he thought he should be. Mra. Fitzherbert’s cordiality ef manner disaxroad him ef the rancour whieh he hed cherished against hex; and her extreme beauty touched his, heart, enlisting his aympathies in apite of himself, He adored the fair eex—and it struck being something criminal to plunge into new heaming kindly and whose lipa were emiling apea. him. But he thought of the dukedem which he. hoped ta gain eventually~and once more did egotism triamph ! Avexting his head partially, so that the lady's at- tillexy of charms and fascinations should not play with euch powerful effect upan his looks, he availed himself af a momentary pause in the discourse to observe,“ Madam—your Boyal Highnessa—I know not exactly which to eall yan—-—” “ Ah! then at all eventa you are no stranger to the secret of my marriage with the Prince of Wales f* NOOO) lin CO ©) ‘SS CO