The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 150: what you’re looking at

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

132 THE COURT OF LONDON stretched her helpless, deprived of speech, and with the light of the mind’s lamp extinguished within her.”’ ‘“ Heavens! what do I hear?” exclaimed Mrs. Owen. “But where does she dwell? Who tends upon her? In what circumstances is she placed? What has become of Melissa’s children? ”’ ““Qne is with her,’’ answered Lilian; ‘ the other is, I believe, in London, but I know not where or for what pur- pose.”’ “But where dwells our afflicted sister? Under what name? ”’ inquired Mrs. Owen, painfully exeited. ‘““ Under the name of Stanley — ”’ “Stanley! ’’ ejaculated Mrs. Owen, almost reeling with the amazement that now struck her. ‘‘ What, in a cottage somewhere in the suburbs — this way?” and she pointed in the proper direction. “Ah! you know it then? ”’ exclaimed Lilian, now equally struck with surprise. “T am going thither at this moment,’’ answered Mrs. Owen. ‘ They offered me a guide at the hotel, but I preferred proceeding thither alone, in order that I might compose my thoughts, or, rather, prepare them for an interview of a very, very painful character.” “Ah! I begin to understand,” cried Lilian. ‘I had heard that a Miss Owen was staying with Louisa Stanley, but it never once struck me that she was your daughter. And is it so? ”’ ‘Yes, it is so. But surely these young girls,’ added Mrs. Owen, in a musing tone, ‘‘ cannot have discovered that they are, as it were, related, that they would be cousins, if their births were legitimate. No, it is impossible.” ‘‘ And you are going, then, to the cottage? ”’ said Lilian, still gazing in amazement upon her sister, but not heeding her last remarks. | “Do you know what has happened, Lilian? ” asked Mrs. Owen, now bursting into tears. ‘‘ Are you aware of the dreadful things which have occurred on the Continent? ’”’ ‘“ At Geneva? Yes. I read it all in the newspapers, and I knew full well that those were your daughters. I re- membered the Christian names of the two eldest, Agatha and Emma, but the third, and this one that is now staying with Miss Stanley, were born after you and I ceased to see each CORDICLOOO (Cl)