The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 206: what you’re looking at

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

LL a —_—___ ae THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. a Lord Harold appeared to hesitate—and tuen said, ** Do you know where he is?” Again the answer was in the negative, accom- panied by the intimation that Lord Saxondale had been absent the whole day. “ Perhaps her ladyship knows ?” immediately re- joined Harold: “and she will tell me—for it is highly important that I should see my friend. Is her ladyship within P” “ Yes, my lord,” responded the porter. “And alone — disengaged P young ladies are with her ?” “ No, my lord: they are gone to a party, and her ladyship is alone.” The hall-porter, to whose ears certain flying ru- mours of the duel had been wafted, was at no loss to understand wherefore Staunton had come thus disguised, nor why his looks were wild and haggard. But he of course made no remark in allusion to the subject; and forthwith summoning a footman, de- sired him to escort Lord Harold to the room where Lady Saxondale was seated. This was accordingly done; and in a few moments the young nobleman found himself alone with her ladyship. “Perhaps you did not expect to see me here to- night ?” he said, throwing himself upon a seat near the sofa where Lady Saxondale was placed. “Indeed I did not,” she answered coldly; “and I am much surprised that you sheuld come at this hour and under such circumstances.” ‘*You are surprised ?” ejaculated Staunton, now gazing upon her with amazement the most un- feigned. “ Have I not fulfilled your injunctions? yes, even to the very letter!” “ My lord,” answered Lady Saxondale, haughtily, but still with some degree of astonishment, “I am at a loss to understand you. Reports of what hap- _ pened this morning have reached me, and I there- fore can come to no other conclusion than that your reason is affected.” “Lady Saxondale,” cried Staunton, starting up from his seat as if goaded almost to madness by this unlooked-for reception, “is it possible that you can treat me in such a manner? Now, do not think that though I may seem excited I have in any way compromised you with the servants: for 1 purposely asked after Edmund first, and appeared to wish to see you only as the result of a second thought and for the purpose of ascertaining where Edmund is.” “Compromise me with my servants!” said Lady Saxondale, slowly rising from the sofa; and draw- ing herself up to the full of her superb height, she bent her magnificent dark eyes with eagle look upon the astounded young nobleman: “I am at a loss, my lord, to understand such language. Think you that because your sister is engaged to become my son’s wife, that you possess the privilege of having the run of the house—to enter it at such an hour as this—foree your way into my presence No, my lord!” Harold had remained stupified while Lady Saxon- dale was thus speaking: but when she ceased, a sudden rage seized upon him, quick as the gust of the whirlwind sweeps over the ocean; and while his eyes flashed fire and his lips were white with rage, he said in a thick hoarse voice, “ Madam, your con- duct is abominable !” “This to me?” cried Lady Saxondale: and she reached her hand towards the bell-pull. a a S But perhaps the | 191i “ No!” ejaculated Staunton: “ you must not add this crowning ignominy—or I will killyou—by the eternal heaven, I will kill you !” Lady Saxondale seemed suddenly dismayed, and her countenance became pale: but speedily recover- ing herself, she said, ‘‘ It is but too evident that the calamity of this morning has turned your brain. I must not therefore be too hard upon you.” Thus speaking, she resumed her seat, with a slight relaxation from that cold dignity and freezing hau- teur which for the last few minutes she had main- tained. Lord Harold, still standing, fixed upon her the keenest scrutiny, as if to fathom what was really passing in her mind, and penetrate beneath the mask of studied reserve and repelling chillness which he fancied she had purposely put on. But at length resuming his own seat likewise, he said, “You have alluded to the calamity of this morning. Can you look me in the face and tell me that you really regard it as a calamity ?” “What!” cried Lady Saxondale: “to kill a per- son in a duel—is not this a calamity ?” “Stop!” said Lord Harold imperiously. “Does your ladyship know this?”—and he produced the diamond-clasp which he had worn on the front of his cap at the masquerade. ‘ No—certainly not,’ responded Lady Saxon- dale, just deigning to fling one glance upon the jewel. F “Nor this?’ continued Lord Harold Staunton, next producing the letter which made the appoint- ment for that self-same masquerade. “What a question!” cried Lady Saxondale with a contemptuous curl of the lip. “As if I knew aught of your correspondence!” “Then perhaps your ladyship is equally ignorant of this?”—and now he produced the letter which contained naught save a name—and that name was William Deveril ! “‘ My lord, I begin to grow very weary indeed of these follies. I.have put up with them for the last ten minutes out of compassion for your state of mind: but I must beg that they be not per- severed in.” “Lady Saxondale,” answered Lord Harold Staun- ton, with a strange and ominous outward caluness which rather denoted than concealed the pent-up fury of wrath and rage concentrated below: “ it suits your purpose to treat me thus—but you will not succeed! No: it shall not be permitted to any woman to make use of me as her blind instrument for a particular object, and when that object is ac- complished, cast me off. Nay, worse than cast me off—ignore my services and repudiate me altogether ! Madam, it was you who sent me that clasp—you who wrote that letter—yow also who penned that name inside the envelope, which moreover contained a certain sum of money.” Lord Harold, your friends will have to put you under restraint,” responded Lady Saxondale. “We shall see!” he rejoined drily. “ Now, madam, you are giving me proof of the most matchless effrontery that ever woman displayed or that the world saw. Can you possibly maintain that it was not you yourself who gave me the ap- pointment to be at the masquerade—you who en- joined me to remove your enemy from your path— you who wrote me the name of that enemy on this paper, that name being William Deveril? Madam. COMIC OOO© (CO)