The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 390: what you’re looking at

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

364 THE COURT OF LONDON mother and sister, but, on the other hand, it was far more probable that they would, and were such the case, the treatment which Doctor Dupont was pursuing might be seriously interfered with. As a matter of course, Mrs. Owen and Mary had yielded to these representations, but, as we have already observed, day after day did they visit the asylum in the hope of receiving a favourable response. ‘“T have a presentiment,”’ said Mary to her mother, as they approached the establishment on the occasion to which we are now specially referring, ‘‘ that we are this day to behold my poor afflicted sisters,’ and as she gave utterance to these words the tears rained down her cheeks. ‘Do not give way to your affliction in this manner,” said Mrs. Owen, scarcely able to suppress her own convulsive sobs. ‘‘ You unnerve me, you distract me.”’ ‘“My dear mother, I cannot possibly control my grief,” answered Mary. ‘ Let us sit down for a few minutes upon this verdant bank, and endeavour to compose our feelings ere we proceed any farther.”’ The mother and daughter accordingly seated themselves beneath the shade of a wide-spreading tree, and there they gave free vent to that bitter affliction which was rending their hearts. It was by the side of the main road leading toward Dijon that they were thus seated, and so absorbed were they in their affliction that neither of them heard the sounds of approaching wheels until a post-chaise, coming from the direction of the French frontier and proceeding toward Geneva, was almost close up to the spot where they were seated. The occupant of the chaise was a young gentleman of genteel appearance and tolerably good-looking. He was, moreover, an Englishman, and as he happened to be gazing out of the window nearest to the two ladies at the time, he was immediately struck by observing them thus giving way to a grief which was evidently of no ordinary bitterness. He called out to the postilion to stop, and now Mrs. Owen and Mary sprang to their feet, hastily dried their tears, and were hurrying onward to escape the observation which they had thus so disagreeably attracted, when the traveller, leap- ing out of the chaise, accosted them with a salutation so courteous and words so polite as well as sympathetic that comicloooks C@ im