The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 350: what you’re looking at

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

THE MYSTERIES. Octavia Clarendon with looks wherein | confidence, they retained each other’s hand in a anguish was blended with terror and dismay. “Nothiag now is unknown to me—not a secret fs hidden !’’ she continued, with rapid utterance and flerce gesticulation—while her hair, dishevelled again and flowing over her shoulders, gave her the air of a Pythoness. “A film has fallen from my eyes—a veil has been withdrawn from my mind. I can read my own heart—aud I understand yours. I am the victim—and you triumph——” “Octavia! Octavia!” ejaculated the Prince, seiz- mg her in his arms and endeavouring to stifle her maniac words with kisses. “ Release me !” she screamed, struggling violently. “Your breath is hot—’tis a serpent’s venom——” “ Silence!—in the name of God, silence!” cried Ins Royal Highness, still retaining her in his arms “You will alarm the house ——” “I care not f screamed the wretched girl. * Re- lease me, I say——” “Suffer me to bear you to the sofa—lie down and eompose yourself——” “ No—ten thousand times no ” she shrieked, her veice becoming frantic and her struggles desperate. “My God! do you think that I will hurt you” | exclaimed the Prince, driven to despair. “Yes—you are a serpent—your coils environ me ’—and a piercing, rending, thrilling scream burst from her lips, as she broke away from his Royal Highness. Madly she rushed towards the door—it opened violently just as she was within three paces of it— aad several of the Prince's dependants burst into the room. “Let me go !—let me pass!” shrieked Octavia, ' possessed by heaven only knows what dreadful hallucination. | “Sop her !” thundered the Prince: * I command you to stop her !” The door was closed instantaneously—and Oc- , tavia was seized upon by the servants. | For a few moments she stood still and mute as a statue—and it seemed as if the large blue eyes that ROW gazed so vacantly upon his Royal Highness, | Were fixed for ever: but the instant that he began ‘© approach in order to sooth and tranquillise her, she gave a sudden start—burst from the dependants , who held her—and threw up her arms wildly. | The menials seized upon her again; her counte- ;Bance grew abruptly distorted with a frantic ex- ' pression—and a terrible laugh which pealed from her lips spoke out the appalling trath. Octavia Clarendon was a maniac! Gana fond clasp. We have already described their personal ap- pearance; and the reader is therefore aware that they possessed a beauty of no ordinary character. Complexions more dazzljngly fair—eyes more deli- ciously melting—charms more luxuriant and vo- luptuous, it would be impossible to conceive. They were the true types of the female portion of the fa- mily of Brunswick—precocious in the development of their forms—their countenances indicating the strength of the desires which warmed their bosoms --their lips especially evincing the sensuality of their temperament—and their eyes usually swim- ming in a soft Janguur, but susceptible of being lighted up with the fires of the most impassioned ardour. Of the two, the Princess Sophia was more essen. tially gross in her feelings and more thoroughly sensuous in her longings than the Princess Amelia. To the former, Love was a passion in which the appetite for gratification was stronger than the pure affection for the object : to the latter, it was a more sweet and agreeable emotion, though still volaz- tuous even in its refinement. But then the Princess Sophia had lost her chastity and had plunged head. long into the enjoyments of fruition— whereas the Princess Amelia was still in the possession of her virgin innocence, although her imagination was in- flamed even to pruriency. And they both loved: yes—these royal ladies experienced the influence of the tender passion as well as the meanest of mortalse but less happy, less fortunate than even the humblest, and lowest, and poorest of the sons and daughters of toil, they knew that their hands could never be bestowed where their hearts had already been given ! But let us listen to the discourse which is now taking place between them; and we shall acquire a deeper insight into the secrets which, in the con- fidence ofa true sisterly love, they were now re- vealing to each other, “IT am giad, my beloved Sophia,” said the Princess Amelia, who was a year younger than her sister,e—“ lam glad that some secret and unac- countable impulse prompted us to open our hearts to each other this morning.” “The impulse is not unaccountable,” observed the Princess Sophia, ina soft and subdued tone. “ The truth is, Amelia, we yearned to exchange a mutual confidence—we felt that it would relieve our minds of a weight were we to unbosom our. selves to each other—and we have acted in obedi- ence to the inspiration.” “Yes — you have properly defined the motive '| which led to all that has this morning passed be. CHAPTER XCV. THR LOVES OF THE PRINCESSES. | Warts this painful seene was occuring at Carlton House, a conversation of an interesting character Was taking place at Windsor Castle between two . Of the daughters of George III. | Ja a magnificently-furnished apartment, about Which were all the scattered evidences of female | tastes, the Princesses Sophia and Amelia were seated , together in a window recess. A shade of pensive- Ness was wpon the countenance of earh royal lady ; , aad im the amiable spirit of sisterly reliance and 9 one ~Um—er eet we * tween us,” returned the Princess Amelia. “ Alas! my poor Sophia, you are far more unhappy than I —for he whom you love is already your husband in the sight of heaven, and the father of your child ——” “ Hush, dearest Amelia!” murmured the elder sister: “for heaven’s sake subdue your voloe to the lowest possible whisper when you allude to that tremendous seeret. Oh! with burning cheeks— © In order to suit the purposes of our narrative, we have taken a slight liberty with the age of the Princess Amelia, by making her a Httle elder than she really was at the period (A.D. 1795) of which we are writing. Sas “Sa mr she@e 2 +4 2 oe = yw = _— —_ - co fe or = $35 COMNGLOO S COMM