The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 78: what you’re looking at

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

THE MYSTENIES. ~'@ How eld are you, Gabrielle?” asked Miss Cle- gencdon. “Gnesi,” returned Florimel,smiling in his sweetest qnanner. | Pauline surveyed the disguised nobleman atten- . Gvely for nearly a minute, and then said. “ I should eonceive you to be about one-and-twenty. ;_ “ No—I am only nineteen,” answered Florimel, @etermined to make his years correspond as closely as possible with those of his-lovely companion. | ‘Phat is exactly my age!” exclaimed Pauline, ' ith adelight so frank and real that it was almost childish. “ Yes—yes,” she continued, in the same ' Syous tone, “ we will be friends—bosom friends, Ga- 6rielle—will we not ?” “Till death!” replied the nobleman. et us seal our friendship with a kiss.” Pauline bent down to him as he still remained | seated on the chair; and as she pressed her moist : jps to his, he could scarcely prevent himself from ' dinging his arms around ber and straining her to his breast “Now let us think about retiring to rest,” said Pauline; “and we will talk ourselves to aleep,”’ she added, gaily. With these words she proceeded to lay aside her gown ; and when Florime] beheld her lovely form set off in all its fine contours by the corset that rather cook its shape from these charms than gave any ¢ymmetrieal improvement to them, hia passion was inflamed almost beyond the power of control. Burn- jing desire struggling with a consciousness of the paramount necessity of prudence-—an intense: fervour raging in spite of the certainty that any abrupt de- claration of his sex would ruin his project—an ardent longing to throw -himeeif at her feet, proclaim his love, and implore her to have pity upon bhim,— each was the turmoil of emotions that now agitated within the breast of Lord Florimel ! Placing herself befere' the glass, anid having her back turned towards him,’ Pauline began to arrange ocr hair for the night. Having unloosed the shining nasses, which now flowed in silken waves over her naked shoulders, she combed out that luxuriant Covering which might have been envied by the Proudest empress ‘hat ever wore a:‘diadem upon her brow. “iy sweet Pauline,” said Florimel, impatient to give their conversation such a turn that he might gradually prepare the maiden's mind, as it were, for the denouement of this adventure, “is it not strange that we should have experienced precisely the same views and the same thoughts relative to the neces- dty of a sincere and tender friendship in order to aomplete our happiness?” “ I¢ proves that our dispositions are congenial, and that there exists a strong: sympathy between us, Gabrielle,” returned Pauline. “ And yet perhaps the ideas and reflections of one of us have been mere developed by circumstances than those of the other,” ebserved Florimel. *T do not understand yeu, my eweet friend,” said Pauline, who was stil] occapied in combing out her beautiful heiy before the glass. “T alluded to myself,” continned the young no- blessais, heaving a profound sigh. “Ah! you appear to be unheppy!” exclaimed Panhne: “and now J remember that when we first “ And now a rr rT a PS OCS i TG CC IP Be LPT a TP, ° 4a eee eee ee 4 gou anything preying upon your mindt If so, it ( 63 were wrong to keep it a secret from me, after the vows of friendship which we have exchanged.” “You shall possess my entire confidence, doarest Pauline,” said the disguised nobleman. “ The first secret that I have to reveal to you is this——] love!” “And are you unhappy on that aecount?” {fn quired the young maiden, in a tone of tender interest “ But perhaps you are not loved in return ?” “I know not,” responded Florimel, throwing a re en deep melancholy into his voice: “ I hope~—and yet I | fear !” ‘“ Donbtless the object of your affection is very handsome f” said Pauline. “Not handsome — femininely beautiful — very beautiful !’ exclaimed Florimel, with all the effusion of aworship. “ But tell me, my dearest friend— have you yet known what it is to love —” “ Never,” answered Pauline. “Then are you unacquainted with a source of the purest and most ineffable delight,” said the youthful voluptuary: “or I should rather describe it as a de- liciousness of the feelings—a paradise of the emo- tions——"’ “ Wherefore, then, are you unhappy, Gabrielle” . inquired the artless girl. + “Oh! love is a pleasing pain—or a painful plea- sure—I know not how to describe it!” exclaimed Florimel, “It is something that encourages the most heavenly hopes, throughout which there never- theless. runs an under-current of fears;—and yet these fears are not exactly what you would describe as zloomy apprehensions—they are rather an excit- ing influence, seldom or never sinking into despon- dency. ‘Fhus, when I tell you that lam unhappy because I fear, 1 should likewise avow that I am ‘happy became | hope; and such a strange, unde. finable sentiment is. love, that these contradictory feelings—these opposite sentiments are experienced ‘by the soul.at ove and the same time !” “°Tis.singular--most singular,” observed Pauline. in a musing tone: “and yet I think that I can fally understand whas love must be.” “ Friendship often ripens into love,” sald Florimel, | “You can searcely say often, my dear Gabrielle,” returned Pauline; “because it is very seldom that friendship ever subsists between a youny ladyand a young gentleman who are not related to each other.” “Nevertheless, such is the case with regard ta myself,” observed Florimel. “A sincere friendship exists between me and the object of my love.” “And on your side that friendship has already ripened into love?” said Pauline, interrogatively. “Yes,” answered the disguised nobleman; “and if it be true that love begets love, 1 may yct see all my hopes fulfilled and my fears dissipated.” “ Heaven send that you may, my dear Gabrielle !* exclaimed Pauline, in a tone of profound sincerity. “If 1 were a man I am certain that I could love you seeply and tenderly—and the more so, when J learnt that you already loved me.” “ And what makes you hold this opinion, which i so flattering to me?” asked Florimel, trembling all over through. very ley and pleasure. “Because you are beautiful—extremely deauti. fal,” said Pauline, turning round towards bim- “and because you areso amiable—and good—and pleasing came up-stairs, eometning was annoying you. Havejin yorur menners. Do you think, my dear Ga» brielle, that I should have conceived so sudden _ COMIC OOOKS. Com