The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 75: what you’re looking at

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

62 “¢ can wiite po mone. Ged bless and foegive you-—yes, “ The unhappy and almost distracted, “ MARY.” This letter, which was blotted with the traces of amany tears, had been left upon the table ina chamber te which the young lady had retired; and the maid having found it, delivered it to Mrs. Owen, to whom it was addressed. But Mary—the unhappy Mary -—had disappeared, to the mingled grief and anger of her wother and sisters. The vessel was however ready to sail: Agatha, Kimma, and Julia accordingly took leave of Mrs. Owen and embarked—and the mother, having thus lostes it were all ber dangh- ters, repaired to London in order to keep the appoint- ment which her letter had fixed with the Marquis of Lenesen. Such were the particulars which the nobleman gleaned from Mre. Owen, who likewise handed to bim for his perusal the above note which the. fugi- tive Mary had left upon the table at the hotel in Woolwich. “Tt is awkward—very awkward,” observed the Marquis. “But she promises not to betray the one grand secret—and from the tenour of her letter it is clear that her ming is profoundly influenced by the affection which entertains for yourself and her sisters. This influence will not anly keep her lips sealed while absent, but will speedily bring her home to you again.” “If I thonght so, I should be far less uneasy than Lam,” said Mrs. Owen. “ But she is young—inex- perienced—beautiful—and if some designing villain falls in with her, he may entice her to reveal all those secrets ——” “Let us not anticipate misfostunes nor meet calamities half-way,” cried the Marquis. ‘“ Console yourself, my dear Anne—console yourself; and tell me what you wished to communicate—for your letter hinted that you had something to say to me.” “Oh! this cruel affliction has well nigh driven all other subjects from my mind,” exclaimed Mrs. Owen. “But the matter to which my note alluded is a pecuniary one. You are aware of the enormous expense to which the outfit of my danghter has pat me. Their dresses—their jewels ——”’ “I understand all that very well,” interrupted the Marquis. “But I thought that the Queen had pledged herself to pay every expense f” “Her Majesty guaranteed me all my ontilay to the extent of two thousand five hundred guineas,” answered Mrs. Owen. . “ Five hundred her Majesty has paid me: but her letter of yesterday tells me that I must wait a short time for the remaining two thousand guineas, as she is eomewhat embarassed at the moment in respest to funds available for secret purposes. Now, my dear Leveson, you know her Majesty’s meanness as well as I do—and you must agree with me that she will endeavour to post- pone the payment of these two thousand guineas as long as shecan. The want of the money troubles me mueoh. The jeweller’s bill is eight hundred guineas—each of the girls being obliged to have a complete set of diamonds, in addition to other costly articlea. Then there is the milliner’s bill, four hun- dred and fifty guineas ” “My dear friead,” interrupted the Marquis of Leveson, “1 du not require you to enumerate all these details. ican perfectly understand that the a THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. bills are owing—and, what is more, that they must be paid. If you will give me 9 amount, so that I may obtain it the Queen, who will not be able to excuses so easily an she can you, write you a cheque for the two thousand guineas.” “This is precisely the favour which [ to solicit,” said Mrs. Owen. “But do struction given him in the morning. The noble- man therefore said something about Brockman’s being engaged, and volunteered to hasten and procure the cordial himself. Mrs. Owen thanked him for the trouble which he thus took in her be- half; and his lordship hurried from the apart- ment. When he returned at the expiration of a feu minutes, he found Mrs. Owen lying in apparently @ very exhausted condition upon the sofa: but the racy liqueur which he had brought with him, soca effected a marvellous change in her condition. Her physical energies and her spirits both revived ; and it seemed as if she had been partaking of the elixir of life. “The resuscitating power of this cordial is truly marvellous,” observed Leveson, with a amile. * You feel better now f”’ “TI feel as if a new existence were infused into my veins,” answered Mrs. Owen. “My dear I am deeply indebted to you for this kindness, The fatigues of travelling—the annoyance pro- duced by the Queen’s postponement of the pro- mised money—and then the terrible affliction relative to Mary,—all these influences had com- pletely prostrated me. Bat now I am myself again —and I must retarn home to Richmond without 59 She accordingly penned the receipt for the two thousand guineas; and the Marquis sate down to write a cheque for that amount. But an ejacu- lation fell from his lips, as the ocincidence strack him that it was agai, and for the fourth time,a sum of two thousand guineas which he was about to pay away: and yet the demand for that amount had not as yet been made upon him, Mrs. Owen looked at him in surprise as be gave utterance to that exclamation: bat he made some excuse and’ proceeded to fiji up the cheque. The business was thus terminated—and Mrs. Owen took her leave. Is was now nearly six o'clock in the evening; andthe Marquis of Leveson began to be seriously alarmed lest the expected visitar with the pooket- book should not eome at all. He was annoyed, in- asmueh as that pooket-book contained several billele-douz, the contents of which, if made public, would seriously compromise the reputation of two or three ladies of high rank: it likewise contained some private memoranda relative to the affair for which Mrs. Owen's daughters had been destined —end also a few letters fram the Prince Begent, of GORMGOOOKXS COMM