The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 145: what you’re looking at

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

130 THE MYSTERIES C¥ THE COURT. suffering the tortures of hope deferred, my slender : stances. There appeared to be a certain frankness means were rapidly disappearing. Thus nearly | about him which inspired me with confidence; and three years passed away; and at length I could no | moreover it was so necessary for me to hope—I who louger close my eyes to the conviction that I had | had been but a few minutes before environed by nothing to expect from the hand of the Royalty of | the darkness of despair! I explained to the Eng- France. I am now speaking of exactly five years | lishman my precise position, not even withholding ago, at which period the incident occurred to which | the fact that at the very instant I had encountered all that I have just been saying is but the necessary | him I was contemplating ——but of that no matter preface.” —I will not name the horrid thing again. Suffice it The Marquis of Villebelle paused in the sadness | to say that he listened with the deepest attention of the memories conjured up by his narrative; and | and interest to all I told him; and when he had Constance could not help experiencing the most done questioning me, I asked him who he was and tender interest on his behalf. She even ceased to | how he had happened to know me? He replied recollect for the moment the deception which he had _ that he had met me in company with my father practised towards her; and he felt that her hand some four or five years back in England, when I imparted a fond pressure to his own as he held itin was a youth; but though methought that his coun- bis clasp. | tenance was not wholly unfamiliar, yet I could not “Five years ago, then—at the period of which I | recollect where I had seen him before. He then am speaking,” continued the Marquis of Villebelle, | proceeded to tell me that if the proposition he was “T found myself utterly ruined—I may say even pen- | about to make suited my views, it would be neces- niless, houseless, and friendless. Alas! Constance, | sary for him to reveal his name, and also that of a humiliating as it is to a man of proud spirit and ' young lady of whom he would have to speak: but elevated notions to make such a confession, yet for | ere he mentioned those names he would have to the sake of truth am I bound to state that no pauper | exact from methe most solemn, sacred, and binding _grovelling upon the face of the earth was at that | oath that I would never reveal them in connexion moment more destitute than I. What was to | with the transaction he was about to submit to my become of me? My education had not fitted me | consideration. My case was too desperate to allow for business-habits; and therefore I knew before-'! me to offer any objection to whatever terms of hand that it was vain to seek the situation of a secrecy he might stipulate: and I bade him proceed. clerk. Should I become a private soldier? No: I He then addressed me as follows:—‘There is an could not bear the idea of serving with my sword English lady for whom I am anxious to find a hus- that monarch who had behaved so ungratefully to : band, who must be a foreigner, and not only of a good my father and so scornfully towards myself. Yetwas family, but possessed of a title of nobility. It is it absolutely necessary to do something; for I had ' not under any circumstances of dishonour in respect not even where to lay my head, nor the smallest | to the lady herself that the necessity for at once coin in my pocket. Suicide——Ah! you may well | marrying her thus exists. She is pure and spotless, start, my beloved Constance !—but that appeared | so far as it is possible for any one to judge of the to be the only alternative! It was between nine | character of a woman or become a guarantee for her and ten o’clock in the evening, in the month of | chastity. Therefore it is to cover no fault that this June, exactly five years ago, that after rambling | speedy matrimonial alliance is sought for. What about Paris the whole day in a state of mind more | the circumstances are which render it necessary, easily imagined than depicted, I was bending my | cannot be explained. She is exceedingly handsome: way towards one of the bridges—I will not repeat | but her beauty will matter little to him who becomes with what intention— when I suddenly heard myself | her husband, inasmuch as the moment after the called by name. I looked up, and beheld before me, | ceremony they will be separated and will see each by the light streaming from a shop-window, a tall | other no more. You now understand me. If you geod-looking middle-aged gentloman, whom by his | think fit to bestow your name—for it will be naught very appearance it was easy to recognize as an| beyond the mere bestowal of a name—upon the Englishman. He said, ‘I presume that I am not | lady in question, you shall receive the sum of five wrong in addressing you as the Count de Villebelle ?’ | thousand pounds, speaking in English money, the —I replied that my father had for some time been | moment after the ceremony has taken place. Such dead, and that I was now the Marquis of Villebelle; | is my proposition. Take twelve, or even twenty- and in the bitterness of my spirit I added something | four hours to consider it, if you like: but at the to the effect that the empty title of Marquis was | expiration of that interval your answer must be everything I possessed in the world.—‘ Ah!’ ejacu- | given.’” lated the Englishman; ‘is it so? Iwas about to| The Marquis of Villebelle paused; and Constance solicit your advice on a certain point; but it may be | who had listened with a deep and absorbing in- that in this wrecked condition of your fortunes you | terest, now gave vent to an ejaculation of astonish- yourself will serve my purpose.’—These last words | ment. he had muttered in a musing tone, but audibly; “You may well be surprised, sweet girl,” said enough for me to catch them. There was something | the Marquis: “for I myself was astounded by the in them which appeared to shed a gleam of hope | strangeness of the Englishman’s proposition. And on the desolate darkness of my mind; and as a drown- | yet I was scarcely displeased at it. Five thousand ing man grasps at a straw, did I clutch at what the | pounds—a hundred and twenty-five thousand francs Englisbman had just said. He invited me to follow | —to a man who was homeless, penniless, friendless, him into an adjacent wine-shop, where he ordered a | and starving! The temptation was too great; and private room and refreshments to be served up. | after all, what was the service to be rendered in We sat down together; and the Englishman ques- , order to procure such a sum P Merely the bestowa tioned me most minutely respecting my circum. | of a name and title so utterly worthless to me that a ECOMMICLOOOKS (€©)