The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 246: what you’re looking at

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

THE MYSTERTZS OF THE COURT. “Dear Frank,” she said, in a low quick whisper. as she caught him by the hand, “ what in heaven’s name has taken place?” But the unhappy youth, not daring to tell the object of his heart’s devotion—the proud patrician Juliana—what had transpired, flung upon her a _ glance of ineffable ancuish; and murmuring, “ No, no!” broke abruptly from her and rushed down stairs. Seizing his hat, which he had left in the hall, he juitted the house, and wandered rapidly away with- mut noticing the direction he was taking and with- yut any settled purpose in view. Juliana remained transfixed with astonishment upon the landing. Her first feeling was one of rage and indignation against her youthful lover, who she thought had perhaps been either persuaded or bought over by her mother to break off all future connexion with her: but as she recovered the power of calmer reflection, Juliana’s shrewd and “experienced mind told her that this was not the case ‘There had been too much anguish in the look which Francis had flung upon her—too bitter a lamentation in the accents of his voice as he mur- mured those words when breaking away from her— and too evident a despair in that frantic movement juscl, to warrant the belief that he had yielded to zither persuasion or gold in consenting to renounce her. “These are some devilisn arts of my mother,” said Juliana to herself: and she at once proceeded | into the drawing-room. But perceiving Mr. Mar- low there, she instantaneously composed her coun- tenance; and saying, “I beg your pardon: I did hot Peay that you were engaged ; ; she abruptly yuitted the apartment again. Lady Saxondale immediately came out after her, having requested Mr. Marlow to excuse her for a moment: and catching Juliana by the arm, she drew her into another room, saymg, “ You evidently | wish to speak to me?” “ Yes, mother —I do,” daughte her dark eyes, and an equally ominous expression appearing upon her countenance. “‘ J will not pretend to be ignorant of what is up- permost in your thoughts,” said Lady Saxondale, having carefully closed the door. “ You must have | seen Francis Paton quit the drawing-room in de- spair: you know perhaps that he has left the house | for ever,” responded the elder Juliana, with a singularly cold and resolute air. “Tien I also shall quit the house for ever :”—and she moved towards the door. “Do so,” said Lady Saxondale, assuming a de- meanour and a tone as glacial as her daughter’s. “ But you will perhaps do well to hear first why it is that Francis Paton has quitted the house.” “You need not tell me why,” answered Juliana, turning round and stopping to confront her mother. “J have learnt more of your character and more of _ your disposition within the last week or two, than during whole years I had learnt before; and one cf my experiences is that if you have a purpose to gain, you are unscrupulous in the means you em- ploy to reach it. Without precisely knowing what you have said or done to Francis Paton, I am at no es to conceive that your diabolic ingenuity has r, @ strange and sinister light burning in | 231 —= ‘invented something to banish him from the house: Perhaps you have worked upon his fears x “And perhaps,” interrupted Tady Saxondale, still coldly as before, “the circumstances of his own position have furnished but too just an opportunity for such a course. Listen, Juliana. Francis Paton has this afternoon met his sister A “ Well, I knew that he had a sister whom he had not seen nor heard of for four or five years.” “Tt may be so—or it may not,” resumed Lady Saxondale. ‘“‘ But certain it is that this sister is none other than the female highwayman who stopped Marlow and Malton—the famous Mrs. Chandos of the Dover adventure which you yourself have laughed at so heartily when bantering the attorneys at being so egregiously outwitted.” Juliana became pale as death, and even staggered visibly at this announcement: but making a des- perate effort to recover herself, and clutching at a straw of hope, she said in a hoarse voice, “This, mother, is some specious trickery of your’s.” ‘‘No, Juliana, the facts are against such a belief on your part, or such a proceeding on mine. The boy produced his sister’s card—and here it is. Behold the name of Mrs. Chandos! See also the address in the corner; it is the same place to which the lawyers were conducted by the female high- wayman in the first instance, and whence she es- caped by the window. Then Marlow gave the boy | this report from a provincial paper to read; and it | Was clear that he recognized but too well the de- | scription of his sister. If you still doubt me, go | Into the drawing-room and ask Marlow himself.” Juliana saw no necessity for doing this: it was | but too evident that her mother was retailing facts | and had the game in her own hand. Still she felt” cordingly said, “ The ace may be a bad woman: | but Frank himself is untainted by her evil courses.” noe Oh!” exclaimed Lady Saxondale, with an ironi- ‘cal smile and a contemptuous toss of her head; ‘“‘if you like to acknowled,e the brother of a highway- woman as your lover, be it so. I cannot restrain you. Our compact is not to interfere with each | other: but you cannot certainly be so unreasonable _as to expect I should keep the near relative of that female desperado a moment longer beneath this roof. Why, we should not be safe,” continued Lady | Saxondale, with an affectation of horror which, by appearing to include poor Frank in its apprehension, ‘|made every word she uttered a dagger to plunge “Ah! he has left the house for ever?” repeated | deép down into Juliana’s heart. “ Who knows what influence this dreadful woman—this highway- robber—this prowling thief—this midnight bandit of feminine sex but masculine raiment,—who knows, I ask, what influence she might sooner or lator obtain over him, even to be able to persuade him, if he remained beneath our roof, to admit herself and the gang with whom she is no doubt connected, into the house by night? We might all of us be mur- dered in our beds——” “Enough, mother!” said Juliana, in a voice which, as well as her look, showed the utter abase- ment of a proud spirit. ‘ You have succeeded in turning this strange discovery to your own pur- poses; you have triumphed over me for the present, But my turn may perhaps come,” “Your turn, Juliana? —what do you mean?” exclaimed Lady Saxondale, pretending to be astom —-—— CORRICLOO S (CO)