The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 340: what you’re looking at

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

nn nen ee ee ee ee SS ied THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. 325 tone—I cannot hear you. Speak out, Emily. Are | gether of him, the better. What I shall get from not you and I old friends? Come, Saxondale will | Lady Saxondale for keeping her secret, will be more be returning—and do let us settle this little business | gained in a day than I should get out of Edmund at once. Fetch me down the dress, there’s a dear | for a year.” girl; and here is the little gift which I have taken| “Ah!” ejaculated Harold: “then your views in- the liberty to offer you.” deed séar high P” 7 “T thank you, my dear Lord Harold,” responded} “They are proportionate to the importance of the ballet-dancer, with mock affability, and affecting | the secret for the knowledge of which I am in- to bow very courteously: “but I think that the | debted to you :’—and Miss Archer gave an ironical secret I possess, and the truth of which is corro-| laugh. “ Yes,” she added, still in the same vein; borated by the masquerade-garb, is worth a little | “and my obligation is still greater to your lordship: more than five hundred guineas.” for you have taught me the importance of that “Nonsense, Emily! What does it prove, after | secret which I had all along regarded as being of all ?” no more value than any other piece of gossip or “It proves this,” returned the danseuse: “ that | scandal.” - there is a certain story come to my knowledge, in| “ Now, Emily, once for all listen to me,” said which the heroine is a lady who wore a particular | Harold, feeling that his position was an awkward dress at a particular ball. Now, suppose inquiries | one. “I have the command of some little money are instituted amongst the West End milliners— | at present; and if you will state your terms, I shall can it not be ascertained who made this dress ? and | perhaps be enabled to meet them—which will save can it not be proved that it was made for Lady! you a journey into Lincolnshire, besides the un- Saxondale? Thus, even if her son should refuse to | pleasantness of such a negotiation personally con- corroborate my averment that he found the dress | ducted.” ~ in a box belonging to his mother, the ownership of | ‘‘ You must indeed be very rich all of a sudden, that dress can be brought home all the same to her | my lord,” responded Emily, “if you can meet my ladyship.” terms, as you phrase it. Perhaps you have five “But is it possible, Emily, that your views have | thousand pounds at your banker’s ?” taken a mercenary turn?” cried the young noble-| “Am TI to understand, Miss Archer,” asked Lord man. Harold, almost aghast, “that you entertain such an “By what right, Lord Harold Staunton,” ex- | exorbitant notion ?”’ claimed Miss Archer, her spirit flaming up, “do| ‘“ Why all this trifling? wherefore exchange so you address me in such terms as these? Doubtless | many words?” cried the danseuse. ‘“ Have I not you have your own selfish interests in wishing to| given you to understand, as pointedly though as hush up an affair to which at the time you would | politely as I could, that I wished to be alone? But have scarcely hesitated to give the fullest publicity. | if you require a positive answer from me, I will Well, then, that secret is worth a fortune to me :’”’— | tell you at once that my terms are five thousand and she looked him full in the face, her large dark | pounds.” eyes expressing the firmest decision. “In three days you shall have the money, Emily,” “Name the sum that you require,” said Lord | answered Harold. ‘ Will you give me up the dress Harold, with difficulty concealing the bitter vexation | at once, if I present you with a thousand guineas and spite that he experienced at the turn the affair | now, and my note of hand payable at three days’ had taken; and he inwardly cursed his own folly | sight tor the remainder ?” fur having given it such an air of importance in the! ‘ No—assuredly not,” responded Emily: then first instance. with a look of malicious mockery, she said, “ Ah! “After all that has just taken place between us,” | my lord, I have over-reached you. I have made replied Emily, in a culd voice, ‘1 do not choose to ; you avow that the secret is worth five thousand negotiate with yuur lordslip.”—and as she thus | guineas; but I mean to have ten. Lady Saxondale spoke she rose from her seat, as much as to imply | will not hesitate to silence my lips with that that he could take his departure if he chose. “|amount. And now, my lord, I wish you good “Come, Emily—do not let us fall out upon the | evening.” subject,” said Staunton. “Idid not mean to give| As the danseuse thus spoke, she rang the bell; utterance to anything offensive—very far from it— | and Lord Haruld, perceiving how useless it was to I would not do such a thing. Do let us be friends remain arguing the point, and into what mon- “Do tell me what you are saying in this under- | and candidly that the sooner I can rid myself alto- again. Give me your hand, Emily.” strous blunders he had fallen from first to last, “No, my lord: everything is at an end between _ bowed distantly and withdrew. you and me. You have spoken insultingly to me—| He had his cabriolet waiting for him in front of and I resent it. As for the secret which is in my the house; and he was about to enter it, when he possession, I shail know how to negotiate at head- bethought himself of a plan which at the very first quarters.” | glance seeined feasible. In less than a miuute did “You mean that you will write to Lady Saxon- he revolve it in his mind: and the result was a dee dale ?” said Lord Harold, visibly perplexed. | termination to carry if out. He ordered his servant “TI shall not write to ler ladyship: I shall go to to drive away with the cabriolet, and wait for him her,” was the firm response. at the bottom of the ruad; and when the vehicle “But you will offeud Edmund—you will break had departed, Lord Harold posted himself at a little with him altogether : distance from the garden-zate of Evergreen Villa—- “What care 1?” ejaculated the danseuse, disdain- so that he could watch the premises without being fully. “I am alrealy more than disgusted with observed by any one who should arrive there. He him—I hate him. NordoI mind telling you frankly had not beep in his place of concealment many — meee ee ee ee eee ee ne CONnnICLMOokKS.GO