The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 73: what you’re looking at

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

On LE er er mr a 58 THE MYSTERIES. order to weary his fair antagonist—both of them nighly enjoying the sport, while the Prince of Wales was equally amused as aspectator. At last, the humourous Meagles put an end to the fun by sud- denly dealing Lady Letitia a blow on the forehead, which knocked her flat down upon her back; but she rose laughing heartily, and throwing aside the gloves, declared that she had had enough of boxing for the present occasion. “ Now we'll take alittle drop of brandy, my brave Amazonian friend,” exclaimed Meagles; and filling a couple of wine-glasses, he handed one to Lady Letitia, who tossed off the contents without wink- ing. “By the bye, I quite forgot you, my dear Prince,” observed Tim, turning towards his Royal Highness. ‘Shall I pour you out a thimblefull ?”’ “ No—not at present, Meagles,” was the reply. “T have had my hock and soda-water, and a dram to sink it—and I therefore think that I shall be able to manage very well until after breakfast. But now for my bath,” added the Prince, gathering his ample dressing- gown round his somewhat portly form, and descending from the dais. “Tenvy your Royal Highness the possession of a bathing-room contiguous to your sleeping-cham- ber,” said Lady Letitia, “I must positively make Sir John have one fitted up for me,” she added, ex- changing a rapid glance of intelligence with Meagles. “Have youever seen my bath-room?” inyuired the Prince. “ Only as I catcha glimpse of it now through the half-open door,” responded the Amazon. “ Your Royal Highness must recollect that this is the first time I have had the honour of being admitted to your private apartments.” “‘ And it need not be the last,” observed George, bending upon her a significant look: for although he had known the lady for two or three years, she had never struck him as being so handsome as she appeared on the present occasion. “There, now!” cried Meagles, who had been pre- tending to be very busy in examining the lock of one of the Prince’s rifles for the last two or three minutes ; “ I knew that your Royal Highness would not be displeased with me for bringing Lady Letitia hither this morning.” “Displeased!” ejaculated George: “I am de- lighted! But will you inspect my bath-room before T enter it?” he asked, turning again towards the lovely Amazon. “Before you enter it?” repeated the lady, as if she had not heard aright. “ Why should you stand upon any such ceremony with me? I cannot suec- ceed in persuading you to forget that my attire is unsuited to my sex.” “Tt becomes you admirably, at all events,” ob- served the Prince, advancing close up to the hun- tress, who was leaning negligently against the toilette-table: then, proffering her his hand, he said, “ Permit me to show you my bath-room.” “Oh! with much pleasure,” exclaimed Lady Letitia. “It will perhaps afford me a hint for the establishment of some humble imitation at my own town-residence.” Thus speaking, the Amazon accompanied the Prince into the adjacent chamber; and when he closed the door behind him, she affected not to perceive the incident. “Well, upon my word, your Royal Highness —~ possesses a perfect oriental bathing-room,” she ob- served, throwing herself on one of the voluptuous ottomans and surveying the place in a leisurely and altogether unembarrassed manner: “it is really a delightful scene — exquisitely fitted up — and evincing in ev2ry detail that fine taste for which your Royal Highness is so justly celebrated.” “Tam pleased that you admire my bath-room,” said the Prince, seating himself by her side. “Can you not for the moment fancy that you are in some apartment attached to the harem of a Turkish palace ?” “ Never having been in the Mussulmans’ country, I cannot precisely make so free with my imagina- tion,” answered the huntress, in a lively tone. ‘ At the same time, from all I have read, I could, with- out a very large stretch of the fancy, conceive your Royal Highness to be a Sultan in deshabillée,” she added, with a significant glance at the Prince’s fi- gured silk dressing-gown and embroidered red morocco slippers. “T am perfectly willing that you should entertain such a belief, on condition that you permit me to exercise my fancy with regard to yourself,” ex- claimed George, his eyes wandering amorously over the voluptuous form of the huntress. “Oh! certainly—I cannot have the least objec- tion,” she cried,—“ especially after having com- pared you to the Grand Turk. And now tell me, pray, for what you are inclined to tale me ?” “For my Sultana of an hour,” responded the Prince, throwing his arms round Lady Letitia’s neck and imprinting a dozen kisses upon her lips. “ You are determined to make me feel that I am a woman, in spite of my male attire,” she mur- mured, the fires of a lascivious nature flashing in her eyes. “And that you may have nothing to sustain the delusion relative to your sex,” responded the Prince, “I will remove this invidious frock.” With these words, he began to unfasten the lady’s attire; and she, nothing Joth, permitted the royal voluptuary to have his own way. We must however leave the Prince and the huntress in the bath-room, and return to Mr. Meagies, who, at the moment when they were quitting the bed-chamber, was to all appearances very busily engaged in examining the miscellane- Ous articles strewed upon the central table. Nor did he desist from his occupation as soon as he found himself alone: for he thought it probable that the Prince might return to fetch something, or to give him instructions relative to the exclusion of any one who might seek admission to the bed- chamber. He accordingly remained at the table, and began to examine the indecent French prints, which he had not seen before, as they had only arrived on the previous day. They were not how- ever much to his taste; for Tim Meagles was too ardent and impassioned a votary at the shrine of Venus to need any stimulant of the kind for the purpose of exciting his imagination. Besides, he had a certain important object in view, and which engrossed his thoughts: he therefore turned the prints over in a listless manner, and very shortly passed from them to the inspection of the fire-arms. These he scrutinized with less abstraction of mind _for there were several new fowling-pieces and pistols which he had not seen before. But when about a quarter of an hour had elapsed, COLMA ebooks.conm