The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 56: what you’re looking at

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

— ‘the door of this vehicle; and in a few minutes a eee, ttt ee Cee ee $$ oo — THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. 3u trom tne house, several of: those hoary profligates | satisfactory view of her countenance through the and titled aspirants who had conceived designs , dark veil; but frum the partial glimpse which he relative to Angela Vivaldi, endeavoured to avail’; did gain, he felt assured that she was none other unemselves of the license, previously enjoyed by | than the one for whom he was watching. Besidea, them, of passing behind the scenes. But they ex- | her height—the graceful ease and elegant dignity nerienced a peremptory refusal. In vain did they | of her walk—and her entire appearance, so far as remonstrate: they were told that on the first night | he could judge of it muffled up as she was, left no of the Signora’s appearance, several persons had doubt in his mind that the fair one was Signora been thus admitted to that privileged region, but | Vivaldi. that their presence was distasteful to the fair| The gentleman who had escorted her to her car danseuse and she had stipulated against a repetition riage, assisted her to enter—closed the door him of what she had regarded as an annoyance. One | self—paused for a minute to say a few words to her or two noblemen threatened and blustered: but the | at the window—then shook hands with her, and stage-authorities were inexorable, and the claimants stopped for an instant on the curb-stone of the for admission behind the scenes were compelled to | colonnade to gaze after the little equipage as it retire in dudgeon and mortification. ' drove rapidly off. Alfred hastened up to a street Outside the theatre, however, the astute Alfred, cab, leapt on the box by the side of the driver Lord Harold Staunton’s valet, was keeping watch. and bade him follow the vehicle which had juss Handsomely dressed, and without appearing to rolled away from the stage-entrance. have any particular object in view, he was smoking , The neat little equipage, followed by the cat his cigar in the most finished style of indolent dandy- ' passed up the Haymarket—then threaded the ism, so that no one could have fancied that he was Quadrant—proceeded up Regent Street—continued any other than one of the rakish loungers who its way along Portland Place—and entered the infest the Opera-colonnades from seven in the even- Regent’s Park. Alfred thought to himself that the ing until past midnight. Pacing thus leisurely to fair danseuse probably lived in this salubrious and fro in the neighbourhood of the stage-door, he quarter of London: but he was deceived—for the presently beheld some of the minor performers and little equipage still continued rolling on, turning ballet-girls issuing forth, either singly or in twos out of the Regent’s Park into Camden Town, across and threes, and looking very different indeed in | which it cut towards Brecknock Hill, which at that their own habitual garb from what they were when | time, though now pretty nearly covered with build- bedecked in their stage-costumes. Anon, some _| ings, had scarcely a house upon it. Up the ascent underling rushed out to order a cab, into which one | of the hill the brougham went at a good pace, the of the superior performers or better paid actresses | cab still following; and Alfred thought that if the stepped; and away the vehicle rolled. A few) pursuit were to last much longer, the coachman’s minutes passed, and then a private carriage being | suspicions could not fail to be excited. Indeed, it summoned to the stage-door, Grisi, the Queen of | seemed as if something of this kind were already Song, was handed forth by some male companion, | the case; for on reaching the brow of the hill he with whom she took her departure in the splendid | drove down the descent on the other side at a equipage. Then several more street cabs were called | rattling pace, already beginning to distance the into requisition by the dispersing artistes: another | very inferior animal which was dragging the strect- private carriage or two likewise drew up, received | cab. The night however being very beautiful and their well-paid owners, and dashed away again. clear, Alfred and the cabman had no difficulty in All this time Alfred was lounging about with as | keeping in sight the equipage which they were much seeming listlessness as heretofore, but in| pursuing, and which was now entering the district reality keeping a keen watch upon every female | of Holloway. who issued from the stage-door, in the expectation} ‘We must not lose it after all this trouble,” said of recognizing the charming countenance of Signora | Alfred to the cabman. “Spare not the whip upon Vivaldi.. But when a long interval had elapsed | that miserable hack of your’s! Your reward shall and she did not make her appearance, he began to | be in proportion to the success that I experience.” tnink she must have taken her departure by some| The cabman whipped his horse, and it regained other means of egress from the theatre. Still how- | some of its lost ground as the neat little equipage ever he resolved to watch the stage-door until it in front, crossing the broad road of Holloway, closed; and presently a neat little equipage wae lashed into what was then a beautiful lane with a summoned from the adjacent street leading out o‘ zreen hedge on each side, and which bore, as it the Haymarket, by the theatrical underling before | indeed still bears, the name of the Seven Sisterg alluded to. This equipage consisted of alight and; Road. Ultimately the equipage stopped at a little unpretending carriage of the kind which has taken | villa some distance up this road, and standing in a its name from Lord Brougham; it was drawn by | somewhat lonely situation. Alfred made the cabman one horse, and was driven by a coachman neatly | drive past, so as to create the impression that his dressed in plain clothes. The stage underling opened | destination lay farther on; and he beheld the lady | emerge from the brougham and enter the villa. lady passed rapidly out of the theatre, with an | Having caused the cabman to drive on as far as he ample cloak flung negligently over her shoulders, | thought it necessary for the sake of appearances, She had on a simple straw bonnet, and a veil was | the valet bade him turn back; and at a late hour, drawn over her countenance. She was attended by or rather an early ono in the morning, he reached a middle-aged gentleman, whom Alfred knew to be his master’s lodgings in Jermyn Street. connected with the management of the Opera, and | Lord Harold Staunton and Lord Saxondale were Wio was now exhibiting a most respectful atteution sitting up, drinking punch and smoking cigars, in towards this lady. ‘ho valet could not obtain a expectation of the valet’s return; and the momen’ ECOMmiclboooks (CO)