The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 297: what you’re looking at

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

284 TBE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. t fe of that bright red fire,—in an atmosphere flooded with the serenely mellowed light, and filled with a delicious fragrance,—she seemed resolved as it were to abandon herself wholly to ‘the yaeen of the present moment in order that she might the more deeply luxuriate in the enj joyments that’ were svon to come.’ Thus were her passions gradually exciting themselves and her desires being worked up to the highest degree, not only by the scope which she allowed her imagination to take and the bliss in which she permitted'her fancy te run riot, but also by the surrounding influences of the scene. : At length, when she was becoming absolutely impatient of delay and wondering ‘wherefore Sir Douglas Huntingdon came not,'a gentle tap at the door reached her ear and thrilled‘like a galvanic fiood of ecstacy through her entire frame. She rose —ahe unlocked the door—and then'she flew back to ‘the sofa, a sudden but momentary feeling of shame seizing her at the idea of appearing in semi-nude condition in the presence of one to whose embraces she was as yet a stranger. ° ‘ She heard him enter—close' the door—then lock it again with strictest caution; ‘and a moment afterwards he was by her side, ‘snatching her in _ his arms and covering her with caresses. But, heavens! what words can depict the surprise—the amazement — nay,‘ even the consternation which seized upon her, when instead of being strained to the breast'of Sir Douglas Huntingdon, she found herself in the arms of the Earl of Curzon! ° —- ° But at the same instant—yes, at the very same moment that she made this discovery —did the truth flash to her ‘comprehension. She must ‘have’ given the wrong letter to the Earl! > There could be no doubt about it: it was the only way to account for the present occurence—and moreover, it was an ac- cident that after all might so easily have’ happened, secing that neither note was addressed to any parti- cular individuaL- ° ‘ Thanks to that consternation which thus seized upon .Venetia at ‘the moment she’ found | herself clasped in the arms of the Earl of Curzon, she gave vent to no cry—no ejaculation : and’ her ‘pre- sence of mind instantaneously returning, her resolve was taken almost as ‘soon ‘as the’ discovery ° ‘of the misadventure iteelf ‘was made.‘ *This resclve was to resign herself to circumstances! ‘ Refusal’ would be impossible as well as ridiculous in Tespect to a man who not only had her‘at this instant in* his power, but who doubless could also produce the letter in pursuance of which he had come thither.’ Besides which, the ardent kisses that: ‘Carzon lavished upon her, speedily repewed those sensuous feelings which she‘ had herself been irritating by ; her! imagination and fostering by’ her fancy: and thus was it that in a very few moments the Earl became the’ object of all those’ desires with which the image of the’ ‘Ba me had — amt - 4 S se & @ . * ects a S ‘es Quemi-s a Tt was between ‘eight and: nine‘ o’tlock in the morning that the Earl’ of Carzon stdle'forth from Venetia’s ‘béulioir and crept back to ‘the ‘chamber which had ‘been’ allotted to'himself. ‘To“say that he was happy were to say ‘nothing: his’ ceuntenance was radiant with tridmph !'- Pecuniary embarrase- mente—troubles’ for the present—anxicties for the Gature—and the dark suspicion that still rankled in his mind relative to his own wife,—dll, all, ‘were forgotten—all utterly lost sight of—all absorbed as it were in the one grand ecstatic reflection’ that Ve- netia—the incom parable Venetia—had ” abandoned herself to his arms. But how strange—how passing strange | was this consummation—this sort of realization of the pledge which he had made two months back When he stood in her presence ‘at Acacia, Cottage! He had then said, “I have sworn ‘top ‘you, and I will ‘keep my vow.: Be ‘you ‘guarded by‘all the angels of heaven, I will invoke all the devils of hell to succour me ‘in carrying out my resclvéf” But without violence—without craft—without the suc- cour of any of those infernal powers which he had threatened to enlist in his service, he had obtained the object of his wishes, ‘ It was scarcely a triumph = no—it' was xet‘a triumph, because’ there ‘was no preliminary resistance offered.: He had been fn- vited to take possession of the citadel at a moment that | when he had not been dreaming of making warfare against it; and it had surrendered ‘not merely at discretion, but willingly, cheerfally, joyfully! - the . Sach were the Earl’s thonghts on regaining the chamber which had been’ assigned to him. Bat perhaps his vanity would’ have’ been “som shocked, although his sensuous satisfaction: might not have been less, had some little bird whispered in his ear the secret that it was purely and simply through a mistake he had been blessed with Vene- tia’s love that night ! ' Immediately after the Earl of Curzon had stolen forth from the boudoir, Lady Sackville rose from the couch of illicit pleasure and rang the bell. Jessica speedily made her appearance; ‘and the business of the toilette then commenced. Still bent upon retaining that empire which ‘she had already gained, over the mind of Str’ Douglas Huntingdon, Venetia took considerable pains with herself in order to set off her charms to the greatest advantage. She ordered Jessica to allow her hair to fall in long flowing masses over her shoulders and down her back ;—and she chose a dress which, fitting close to her'shape, developed its noble con- tours in‘ their luxuriant fulness and their roudded. plumpnese. “. “ Nor did Jessica, who loved her mis~ tress and was’ proud of her,—more than ever proud of her, indeed, since she had become a peereas and also the favourite. of the Prince Regent, — Jee-' sica, we say, did not fail ‘ to ‘lavish her ‘usual Praises, encomia, and compliments upon Venetia’s * Ascaredly' your ladyship bas the finest hair ¥ ever saw, » observed the'abigail. “Here it is a shining mass of gold wiiere the light falls upon it —there it is of a glossy velvet darkness where the shade remains.“ If your ladyship were a queen, this glorious hair would render a crown needless. And your ladyship’s: neck—it is of dazzling white- ness—archihg so‘ gracefully’ too.. Permit me to arrange the body of your ladyship's dreas. ‘There f now it its the fine slope of the shoulders : how ravishing a picture ‘to the eyes of a male admirer!: Pardon me, my lady, for venturing the observation—bat gour bust is the grandest—the finest—the most superb that ever woman pos- sessed. ‘There is but one lady I ever siw who cam at all compare with your ladyship in this re- spe “ And who is that?” asked Venetia, with & smile CONNIE OOO© (C SS Rw me: eee ores = = tm ole = RR Cerca er eee ee reer i , EEE, us Gle Geese So ae | i na CO