The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 111: what you’re looking at

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

9+ TIE which was only at a short distance from Paradise Vitlas. Lights gleamed from the parlour-windows —and lie Knew that antious hearts weré beatin within. For he hed no secrets from his wifé an daugiiter: they knew afl—and now they were wait- ing to know the worst. But he paused on tiie steps for upwards of two minutes ere he conld coti- mand the courare and the energy sufficient to raise his hand to the knocker. How could he meet them face to face, dnd say, “I din ruined ?”— how could hé éncountet thet earnest, Inquiring gaze, and proclaitn that hope was gone? For doubtless they were hoping still ;—yes—and cheering edch other, —mother and daughter each striving and strain- ing her utmost to sustain the spirits of the other! My God—how could he cast the blight of despair upon all those tender sympathies—those pious as- surances—those holy corisolations? Yet it must be done: sooner of later the blow would arrive— sooner or later must the storm of ruin level the castles which hope was building on the unstable sand that it mistook for a firm rock! Oh! un- happy—doomed family ! oster knocked at the door—gnd immediately afterwards his ear caught the rustling of dresses and the rapld tread of light feet in the hall within. The door was opened hastily—anxious voices wel- comed him, and in the same breath inquired what news he had brought: and he remained standing motionless on the threshold—and spoke no word. For before him were his wife and daughter—the two beings whom he loved so well, and to save whose hearts a pang he would cheerfully lay down his existence,—aye—and smile in the midst of that self-martyrdom ! The light of the hall-lamp fell upon his counte- nance—and they saw that it spoke terrible things. Then they knew the worst! Now, had he entered in an excited manner tnd at once proclaimed the full extent of Afs misery— which was also their miscry—they would doubtless have burst into a violent ebullition of grief. But when they saw that he—the husband and the father—was as it were stunned and stupified by the immensity of the sorrow that weighed upon him, they instantly revealed themselves in the true eenroso Beara t—and became Mc os = a cc Ynurmured the w ] may not be as a » daughter, suc- ce ut it was through gl en me & good ed ents—and I can wi motions rushed to rant who was s0 te o affectionately ad ering the house he >», and Wept over th he state of his mi real relief: they or it were, a new pt ‘n stupified and BOL ny ee ee geee ee eeeey ee BS NOW Writhing with an anguish that penetrated into the lowest confines of his being. Even though smiles had ex- panded over him like sunlight, they would only have served to bring into stronger relicf the desert- Pa ce TES sts sss gs lf eA PE centers MYSTERIES. like desolation of that fature on which those whom he loved so well were ahout to ertter. Masteting, Kuwever, his emotions as well as he wis able, Foster described the failure of iris visit to Cariton Horse. Then came from his wife's lips thé tretiticts; hesitating question whether Hodson and Bforl¢y would riot aeeord him a farther delay. * No—not an hotr—not a minute !” artswered the merchant, almost distracted; and he dashed his open palm violently against his brow. “My dearest husband,” said Mrs. Foster, “ there is One above who hears onr words and watches our ways; and if it should please Him to rescue us from ruin, penury, and want, even at the last in- stant will succour and salvation come.” Bat the dffiicted marr shook his head despair- inglv : hts sorrow was teo great for the consolations of religion. His daughter —a lovely girl of sixteen, and to whom her fond parents had given the sweet name of Rose, as if in her earliest infancy they foresaw the beauty into which the then delicate flower was destined to expand,—this charming creature, we say, now exerted all the influence of the tenderést endeatments atid aN the power of language te solace her distressed father. But suddenly his countenance grew strange and fearfal: then a wild laughter wavered upon his lips—and, springing from his seat, he began to toss his arms about and rave as if in the fever of a delirium. His wife and daughter threw themselves on their knees before him, and besought him to be calm. This touching spectacle and still more earnest ap- peal produced an almost instantancous effect upon him: the wild Jaughter and the indistinct ravings were speedily lost in profound sobbings and suffo- cating sighs—and these were in their turn subdued by copious weeping and quenched by floods of tears. Considerably tranquillised, Mr. Foster at length suffered himself to be conducted to his chamber. Sleep fell upon him: but his misfortunes pursued him in his dreams—and he awoke at an early hour, unrefreshed. He raised his heaty eye-lids—and the first objects his languid looks encountered were his wife and daughter. They had not retired to rest all night: their patient, holy, and affectionate vigil had been wakefally kept! Oh! who can estimate the devotion of woman ? —who can define a limit to her generous sympa- thies? Unto what can we liken the boundless love of which her heart {s susceptible? To the elastic afr which is caipable of an expansion 30 vast that a cubic inch may dilate to a volume filling all space, infinite though it be! Yes—to the air, so falsely called empty, let us assimilate woman’s love. For even 48 that same atmosphere is filled with the perfume of flowers a million times mingled, so is wwoman’s love fraught with all those sentiments of the soul that are in themselves a delicious essence and a fragrant balm :—again, as the air becontes the me- dium of wafting all the harmonies of nature to the ear, So is woman’s love breathed in melodious tones, combining all the modulations of her ten- derest sensibilities;—and, lastly, even as the at- mosphere is radiant with the lustre of the orb of day, so does woman’s love diffase its brightness from beaming eyes and in sunny smiles ! Oh! thou vile, ruthless ruffian that could raise thine hand against a woman !|—Oh! thou black. GCOMNGLOO S COMM