The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 186: what you’re looking at

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

164 THE COURT OF LONDON correspondence to me. Draw back the window-curtain a little. There, that will do. And now go down, my dear child, and see about the breakfast. Come up to me again presently. But do not be alarmed, dear Louisa, at anything I may have said. I know that you are artless, ingenuous, and good. There is innocence in all your looks.” “Oh, tell me, my dear aunt,” exclaimed the young maiden, the tears gushing forth upon her long lashes, “ tell me whether you apprehend any harm relative to Clara; for I know not how it is, but your words have excited dreadful misgivings in my mind.” ‘‘ My dear girl, I dare not conceal from you the fact that there is some mystery which must be cleared up,” said her aunt, in a solemn voice. ‘ I am bewildered, I cannot under- stand it.” ‘“ But you said there were no such persons as Mr. and Mrs. Beckford? ”’ exclaimed Louisa, hurriedly. ‘‘ There was one who, for certain reasons, bore that name, but it was not his real one.’”’ Then after a few moments’ pause Miss Stanley asked, ‘‘ Has Clara ever mentioned to you in her letters a certain Sir Archibald Malvern? ”’ “Sir Archibald Malvern?’ echoed the young maiden. ‘No, Clara has never spoken of him, but I read in the newspaper, a day or two ago, — for I sometimes borrow a newspaper from the circulating library, especially since those dreadful things occurred at Geneva — ” ‘“ But what were you going to tell me?” interrupted the aunt, impatiently. ‘‘ You read in the newspaper — ”’ ‘“ That a certain Sir Archibald Malvern, whose mysterious disappearance had for more than a year past caused the greatest affliction to his son and to his numerous friends, had been found — ”’ ‘Alive? ” asked Miss Stanley, with almost a wild quickness. ‘No, his remains were discovered in some suburban villa, near London,”’ responded Louisa, ‘‘ and they were interred accordingly. The paragraph was very brief, and I have given you the substance of it.”’ ‘What you now tell me,” observed the aunt, “ increases the mystery relative to Clara. Ah! I see you are surprised at this intimation that the death of Sir Archibald Malvern, or even the bare mention of his name, can have aught to do with the matters of which we are speaking, but the CORDICLOOO (CO)