The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 88: what you’re looking at

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

Tt Sas SSS sss SS THE MYSTERIES OF THB COURT. 7h Mr. White Choker felt as if he had been sud- | be in readiness to resist any sudden attack; and denly turned into a snowball and was rapidly | assuming s look sanctimoniously firm and depre- melting away. The ferocious Cartwright strode | catingly virtuous, he said, “The oharacter of a into the room with clenched fists and a counte- , good nance convulsed with rage. He was dressed in and well-meaning man is not to be aspersed in this style. Peradventure I did verily go to the plain clothes: but his moustache seemed fiercer, if | abode of the woman whom you call Madame An- possible, than even when he had burst into the presence of Mr. Softly, or of Lord Wenham. Linda shrieked and covered her face with her hands. Mr. White Croker was confounded on finding that his beautiful homily had produced no earthly effect ; his countenance was ghastly—he wiehed that the earth would open and swailow him up. But the flooring of the house appeared by no means disposed to achieve any such spon- taneous miracle for his especial behoof, all saint though he were. “You vile woman !” vociferated Captain Cart- wright: “so I have found you out againP But this time in what a position! Not earning your bread honestly as a teacher of the young idea how to shoot—but as the mistress of this hypocritical old vagabond. And talking about shooting, you shall very soon see if I won't try my hand at it. What do you mean, sir, going about seducing men’s wives with that precious white choker round your throat P”” “My good friend—my worthy sir—my gallant Captain,” stammered forth Mr. White Choker, “this dear lady is as pious a vessel ——” “Silence!” roared Captain Cartwright; “or I will very soon show you that your head is a vessel to be broken into a dozen pieces.” “ Bat, my dear sir,” resumed the wretched saint, “ this is really too outrageous. I am a man re- spected in the congregations and of good odour in the tabernacies ——”’ “ Such tabernacies as Madame Angelique’s house of infamy!” exclaimed Captain Cartwright: “ for there you were the other day—and there you met my wife. Ican prove it. My lawyers can prove it. A highly respectable firm, tir——Catebflat, Sharply, Rumrig, Downy, and Co., Linooln’s Inn Fields———and if you don’t see their names at the back of a writ, laying damages at five thousand pounds, in the course of this very day, then my name is not Hannibal Cesar Napoleon Cart- wright.” The miserable Mr. White Choker, who had risen from bis seat, sank back again in perfect dismay at hearing those separate strings of names. The appellations of the legal firm denoted all the chicaneries of the law: the appellations of the gallent plaintiff himself denoted all his bellicose propensities. Meanwhile Linda, sitting apart, kept her countenance covered with her hands, and seemed as if she dared not ow much as even steal a furtive glance at her husband, nor put forth a single syllable in appeal for bis mercy. But a sudden idea struck Mr. White Choker: his only resource was to ride it with a high hand; and though it required a very desperate effort to screw up his courage to such a point, yet the circum- stances of the case enabled him so to do. It was a sort of neck-or-nothing crisis—one of those emergencies which give exergy to the veriest coward. Rising up from his seat, he advanced a pace or two towards the ferocious Captain—but taking good eare to pick up his cotton umbrella, so as to gelique: but it was for the blessed purpose of re- eee bose sheep which had strayed from the “ And so you take one of the sheep,” vociferated the Captain, “and put her into a handsomely fur- nished villa ?* “Yea, verily—to reclaim her,” responded Mr. White Oboker, now speaking with a degree of assurance that astonished himself. “ My visits hither have had the most godly purpose. I¢ has been to reason with her on the past—to preach savoury homilies unto her—to infuse refreshing doctrines into her soul——” “ And these precious homilies of your’s are so eng,” retorted the Captain, with a ferocious sneer, “ that you have to pass the whole night with her at times—eh P” “Prove it—I defy you to prove it!” ejaculated Mr. White Choker, his assurance heightening into effrontery through the very desperation of his posi- tion: and he moreover flattered himself that he could place implicit reliance on the fidelity of the servants belonging to the villa. “ Now look you, Mr. Saint, or whatever you are,” exclaimed the Captain, “it is all very well for you to assume an air of innocence : but you are safe caught in a trap. I know everything. You won’t have a leg to stand upon if you go into a court of justice; and you'll have Mre. White Choker and all the little Chokers pointing their indignant fingers at a bad husband and a worth- less father.” “We shall see,” said the saint gruffly. “ You ought to be ashamed of yourself to go on in this manner before your virtuous wife. Speak to her, sir—she will tell you of what holy and blessed nature our intercourse has been, so that not even have we gone as far as to exchange the chaste kiss of peace.” “ Linda,” said Captain Cartwright, now speak ing in a tone of mournfal reproach, “ you imagine that you have had wrongs to complain of at my hands. But my fault has been in loving you ali too well———-” “ Oh, do not speak to me! I cannot endure it !” cried the weeping Linda. “I feel—oh! I feel that I have wronged you much—that I have ex- aggerated your little ebullitions of temper ——~” “Confess that you have dishonoured me!" said the Captain : “throw yourself upon your knees at my feet and reveal everything. It will be some atonement 7 “Linda my love—Mre. Cartwright, I mean— dear sister in the blessed cause I would say,” stammered out Mr. White Choker, now affrighted, wretched, and discomfited once again, “ you would not betray me——-I mean—I mean, you would not say anything against me—or tell an un- truth 7 “ Linde,” broke in Captain Cartwright, “I command you to speak with frankness! On what terms are you living with this man? Are you not his mistress ?”’ “Oh, I must tell the truth |—this is dreadfal !” CONIC OOO <S co