The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 183: what you’re looking at

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

YOUTHFUL LOVE 165 cated, until the age of fourteen, under her immediate super- vision; she would not send me to a boarding-school; she could not consent to separate even for a single day from the only joy of her heart. It was when I had obtained that age of fourteen that this fond and affectionate parent of mine was seized with an illness which speedily threatened to prove fatal. Ah, Christian! ’’ continued Isabella, in a voice so low and tremulous that it was scarcely audible, “ never, never can I forget the scene at my mother’s death-bed. It often steals upon me during the day, and comes back to me in dreams by night; methinks that I feel the last fond pressure of her arms now around my neck, the last kisses she im- printed upon my cheeks, and the tears too which bathed these cheeks of mine. Then it was that she told me her own past history, and amidst convulsing sobs informed me that I should be left in the world dependent upon an uncle whom I had never seen. But I must observe that when her indis- position had first threatened grave consequences, she had written to the Earl of Lascelles, imploring him to send her the assurance that ‘her daughter — so soon to become an orphan — would not be neglected. The earl wrote back to say he would look after my welfare, and thus my poor mother’s death-bed was not one of unmitigated affliction; she had still the hope that her brother’s promise would be fulfilled on behalf of myself. And while breathing this hope, and invoking Heaven’s choicest blessings upon my head, that dear mother of mine surrendered up her spirit into the hands of the Eterral.”’ Here Isabella again paused, and Christian gently said, “Do not continue your narrative now; it afflicts you too much.” “ Yes, I will complete it, Christian,’’ she answered, “‘ for it is a tale which must be some day told to your ears. You may well conceive that the task is a painful one, but being entered upon, it is better to achieve it than to be compelled to renew it at a future period.” Christian recognized the truth of the sweet maiden’s remarks, and she continued in the following manner: ‘“‘ I wrote to my uncle the Ear! of Lascelles, to inform him of my poor mother’s death; he remitted me money, and bade me, when the funeral was over, come up to London, where he had secured me a home beneath the roof of a highly ECORNICLOO@ S (CO) mM