The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 269: what you’re looking at

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

2 oo -= wae bd 958 date which had given the Duke of Marchmont | his new mistress, before he found that he was many thousand pounds out of pocket; and that if she went on in the same expensive manner, it would be productive of serious inconveniences, notwithstanding the magnitude of the income which he enjoyed. He had foreseen from the very first that her imperious temper was likely to cause him much annoyance; and a few little examples which she had given him of her domineering dis- position, had shown that his presage was by no means ill-founded. He bitterly cursed the unfur- tunate incident which had rendered him the slave of such a connexion; and he saw the necessity of asserting a will of his own if he would not have that imperious woman put heg¢ foot completely upon his neck. Although ahe wag go oxceedingly handsome, and possessed a figure af guch perfectly THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. Mrs. Oxenden made her appearance, escorted by the shopman from below. As she entered the room, the glance which she swept around, showed her that Colonel Tressilian was present. This was the officer whose mistress she had formerly been, —the same whom she had encountered at March- mont House in Belgrave Square, and who hed threatened to expose her if she did not retire from the entertainment. Then she had felt ber- self to be in his power: soe she no longer dreaded exposure—she had accepted the position of a kept mistress—and ehe was prepared to arm hereelf with all the false pride and hauteur of a brazen hardihood. She affected not to perceive Colonel Tressilian ; and he was by no means likely to court « recozni- tion on her part; for a young and beautiful wife whom he bad married about a year back, was modelled and voluptuous beg a did he) leaning upon hig arm. We should observe bow. take no pleasure in the possession of auch a mis- tress: there was something ip her filled him with dread whenever he fopnd himself in her presence; and though ghe wag of a tem- t perament which burnt with’ the strongest fires of i sensuous passion, yet was deficient in those little blandishments and og fascinations which constitute the real seqyctive powers of woman. A magnificent set of diamon at pearly eight thousand guineas, hed et ae little time been exhibited at the shop of @ fg hlongble joweller in Bond Street. Numberg of pergo ‘ belonging to the higher order bad been to inspect them ; several offers were made for the purchase of the set: but the jeweller would not abate ono shilling | of the price which he had originally put upon the hess, ag sho ‘gontinued to gaze upon the dia- gems. Wives bad endeavoured to wheedle their husbands, and young ladies their papag, into the purchase of the diamonds—but withont effect. Weeks bad passed since their firaf display; ng there they remained. At length, one aftern: pden aligh from her gplendid Ml: Crd hare to make a few purchases. Bhe had been on $l previous day attracted by something she had seen in the windows; and hence this visit. It was the first time she had patronised the particular esta- blishment in question; and she had not heard of her character which | and eponde BS ft & Hg ever that it waq by no means generally known that Mrs. Oxenden was the Duke of Marchmont’s mistress—although, as a matter of course, there were whispers in certain quarters to that effect. Colonel and Mrs. Tressilian were amongst s group engaged in fhe inspection of the much- coveted Hfamonde there was however space suffi- cient to afford Mrs. Oxenden room to take her place at the table in the middle of which they stood beneath q glass globe. “Are they not beautifal?”’ she heard Mrs. Tressilign whisper to her husband. 3 truly magnificent, my dear,” re- olonel, in the same low tone. den heard Mre. Tressilian heave s F which was full of longing covetous- Mrs. profoun monds. “You know, my dear,” continued the Colondl, still speaking in ¢ whisper, which he supposed to be audible only to his wife’s ear, “nothing would afford me greater pleasure than to purchase those gems for fea. I offered a cheque for seven thou- aM as you well know—but it was refused; and Pins sure you cannot wish me to go any higher ?” No, certainly not!” rejoined his wife. “ But still’—and with another deep sigh she stopped short. “T seo that you are very anxious to have them,” the diamonds that were exhibited for sale in the | proceeded the Colonel: “ and it is no wonder! I show-room up-stairs. The shopman who served | tell you what I will do, my love: I will offer seven her—fancying from her own distinguished appear- | thousand five hundred for them—and I dare say ance, and from the brilliant style of her equipage, that she must be a person of some uence — inquired whether she had seen the diamonds ?— | his wife. and on receiving a response in the negative, he begged that she would condescend to inspect them. To the show-room Mrs. Oxenden accordingly the cheque to that amount will not be refused.” “ Ob, how kind and good of you!” answered “TI already consider them to be mine! And to confess the truth, I had so completely set my heart upon them——” “ Now that you tell me this, I cannot possibly ascended. It was at that hour in the afternoon | suffer you to be disappointed,” interjected Colonel when fashionable loungers of both sexes are wont to drop in at such establishments, either to while away the time, or to see if there be anything new which may strike their fancies. The show-room on this occasion was more than ordinarily thronged; and the diamonds were the centre of attraction. Several ladies of rank were present with their husbands or fathers; and many a esjol- ing word was whisperingly spoken from beauteous bps, in the hope that the diamonds would be won as the reward of the honied language. But the sum was too great; and thus the cajoling was useless. Tresilian. “ Come—let us go and give the jeweller his own price, whatever it may be.” The eyes of the beautiful Mrs. Tressilian lighted up with ecstatic joy as she accompanied her hus- band from the show-room,—neither having the re- motest suepicion that any portion of their discourse had been overheard. Mrs. Oxenden beheld the door close behind them; and a fiendish expression of triumph flashed in the depths of ber large dark orbs. “These diamonds are truly magnificent,” she said to the shopman who had conducted her to the show-room. cS) (CO COMME HOG