The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 299: what you’re looking at

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284 THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. heart to behold you thus. If you do not endeavour to rally your spirits, I shall myself sink into such deep despondency and gloom as to be utterly incom- petent for the final unravelling of this skein, so much of which is already disentangled.” “Elizabeth,” answered Frank, fixing his large hazel eyes in deep melancholy upon his sister, “ it grieves me—Oh! it grieves me, to be the cause of affliction to you. I am sure, when you think of the past, you must have already enough to make you sad——” “That is a bineath: Frank,” observed Lady Bess mildly but mournfully ; “and after all my candour in telling you everything without the slightest reserve, I think you might have spared it.” “Pardon me—forgive me, dearest Elizabeth!” cried Frank, flinging his arms round his sister’s neck and embracing her affeetionately. ‘“ I was in- deed wrong to say what I did. Oh, no—I would not reproach you! And now tell me—do you for- give me ?” “ It is not for you to ask pardon of me,” was his sister’s response. “You have never done anything to make you ashamed: whereas I——but I need not say more.” “‘ No, dear sister—we must not dwell upon this topic. That it has caused me pain—great pain— cannot be denied: but for your sake I will endea- vour to become cheerful.” ‘ One word more, ere we take leave of the topic,” said Lady Bess. ‘ Suppose that when you encoun- tered your sister so unexpectedly a few days back, you had discovered her a lost and abandoned crea- ture in the true sense of woman’s ruin, would you not have loathed her P—or if the natural affection of your generous heart had forbidden you to loathe her, yet would you not have been overwhelmed with even a greater amount of grief than you now ex- perience for what I have done? Could you now embrace me as you have just embraced me? would you not feel as if there were pollution in my touch ? And remember, Frank, that when woman’s virtue is lost, it never can be restored! She may repent : but her chastity is gone for ever. How different is my case! What I have done, can be atoned for. Because, as I have already assured you—although I have been guilty of crimes, yet I have never stooped to frailty. Ah! sometimes it is better to be criminal than frail—at least with woman! I have robbed upon the highway: but I have never plied a loathsome traffic in the public street. Nay, more—although I have been married—yet,”’ she added, while a blush suffused her cheeks and she bent down her looks in modest bashfulness, “ I am & pure virgin.” “Oh, yes:” exclaimed Frank, now with something like enthusiasm: in his tone, «T would sooner, my dearest sister, find that you have been what you have been, than that to which you allude. Yes— your misdeeds may be amply atoned for: but had you been the other, the loss of your honour would have been irreparable.” “And yet, my dear Frank, those were the only two alternatives between which I had to choose at the time,” continued Lady Bess, speaking in a low and tremulous voice. ‘“Ichose that evil career which had an issue of hope at the end, in preference to that other evil career which at its very threshold is marked by the abandonment of all hope. And LA SS eee — | now tell me, Frank—can you look upon me witb love and affection? or must you ever feel that you blush for your sister ?” ** No—after all you have said, I cannot blush for you,” replied Frank, warmly. “I may regret and deplore: but there is no need to be ashamed in the one sense in which a brother has to be ashamed of a sister! A thousand times do I rejoice that you chose the alternative of evil which may be remedied, instead of that other alternative which admits of no redemption.” Again did the youth embrace his sister affec- tionately: and then they sat for some minutes ip silence. Frank no longer wore Lady Saxondale’s livery. He was dressed in a genteel suit of plain clothes, and looked a perfect young gentleman. Indeed, it he and Lord Saxondale had stood side by side and a stranger had been asked which was the nobleman, Frank would have been pointed to. The paleness ot his looks—the traces of care—and the lingering evi- dences of indisposition, rendered his appearance even more interesting than it was naturally wont to be; and if Juliana could have seen him now, fervid and impassioned would no doubt have been her !onging to strain him to her bosom. “ Do you think that you are likely to receive any intelligence from Lord Everton’s man-servant to- day ?” asked Frank, after a pause, and for the pur- pose of reviving the conversation in another strain from that ere now pursued. “I hope so,” replied Elizabeth. “I know that he calls every morning at the Hornsey post-office to inquire if there be any letters for him: and he has doubtless by this time received the note I forwarded yesterday, telling him that he must lose no time in discovering Lady Everton’s abode.” *‘ And then, shall we all three proceed thither to- gether?” asked Frank. “Yes, my dear brother—without delay. Adolphus is naturally most anxious to embrace his mother: his heart yearns towards her;—and if we receive the desired intelligence to-day, we can set out to- morrow — supposing that h@ ladyship is really dwelling in some secluded part of Wales.” “Why not denominate her our mother?” asked Frank, perceiving that his sister spoke of the sub- ject of their discourse as her ladyship. “‘ Because we have not the positive certainty that it is so,” answered Lady Bess. ‘ And moreover, cuuse we have agreed together that we are for the present to say nothing on the sulject to Adolphus ; and therefore we must be cautious how we speak of Lady Everton, lest he should overhear us.” * But can there be any duubt ?” exclaimed Frank. * No—it is impossible !” “Tf I mistake not, this morning’s post,” observed Lady Bess, “will bring us a letter that will go far to confirm our belief in the one sense, or else show us that we have been cherishing a delusion.” “ From whom do you expect a letter ?” “Have you forgotten what occurred the day be- fore yesterday, in respect to the carrier-pigeons ?” “Oh!” exclaimed Frank: “it is then from Miss Marshall that you expect a letter?” “Yes,” replied Elizabeth. “ Being all but con- vinced that Sir John Marston had deeply wronged both you and me, and that our mother’s intentions had been flagrantly violated by him, I wrote those ee — COMIC IOS <S) (E(@)