The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 389: what you’re looking at

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

THE LAST MEETING 309 how can you bear up against the tremendous calamity that has overtaken us?” ‘‘T shall sink beneath its weight, Richard,’”’ answered the royal lady, ‘‘ for it is stronger than all the energies which I could possibly collect to counterbalance it. Day and night am I haunted by the most harrowing reflections; asleep or awake, the memory of the dread past pursues me, and points to a still more dreadful future. For, alas! I have no more hope of happiness in this world; my heart is breaking, all affections and feelings which constitute its vitality are withered, and the brief remnant of my existence will be - deluged in tears.” ‘“ Poor girl, too well can I appreciate the bitter, excruciat- ing truth of all you say,” returned the baronet, in a deeper despondency than before; ‘‘ and I feel that it would be a mere mockery of your illimitable woe to proffer the words of consolation. Indeed, I am myself so broken in spirit, all my moral energies are so completely crushed, and I have so profound a sense of my heart’s utter desolation, that I could not induce my lips to smile nor my tongue to articulate syllables of sympathy, — no, not even to cheer a being so beloved as thou art.” ‘‘ Earth has no balm for souls so deeply wounded as ours, Richard,” said the princess, in a voice that was scarcely audible in its low plaintiveness; ‘and the world has no sympathy that can soothe the spirit which is writhing in the tortures of crucifixion. Oh, if it were not cumulating crime upon crime,’ she exclaimed, in a sudden paroxysm of despair, ““ T would seek refuge in the grave of a suicide.”’ “‘ For Heaven’s sake talk not thus, Amelia!’’ exclaimed the baronet, alarmed and startled by her words and the impas- sioned energy of desperation with which they were uttered. “Come, give me your arm, and we will walk together for the last time. We must not say farewell until our souls are at least more tranquil and resigned.”’ ‘“‘Pardon me, Richard, if I said aught to terrify you,” observed the princess, in a tone of plaintive entreaty, as she took the baronet’s arm; ‘“ but you can understand how miserable — how very, very miserable I am,’ and her voice was lost in the sobs that almost choked her. “You ere now used the word crime, Amelia,’”’ said Sir Richard Stamford, “‘ and you were wrong. Yes, for you are COU Doo SS m