The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 391: what you’re looking at

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

oe eee SAGOONAH 369 ever when describing her discourse. She was not quite so proficient in the English tongue as to speak it with that degree of accuracy which our mode of shaping her language would appear to represent. Therefore it was not astonishing that she should ask Christina if she succeeded in making herself understood. ‘‘ Yes, I comprehend you perfectly,” replied our heroine, “ but I deeply regret, Sagoonah, to learn that you abandon yourself to these superstitions.”’ “ Bear with me, my dear Miss Ashton,” returned the ayah, gravely; ‘‘ remember that from my very infancy I was brought up in this faith.” “And yet the Lady Indora has not the same supersti- tions,”’ observed Christina, mildly. “ True, Miss Ashton,” rejoined Sagoonah, ‘ but the Lady Indora may be as wrong in rejecting them as I may be in clinging to them.” ‘We will not discuss the argument itself,”’ replied Chris- tina, ‘‘ but you have yet to inform me — ”’ ‘‘ Why I entered the bedchamber of my mistress,” added the ayah. ‘‘ Can you not conjecture after all I have said? ” she continued, fixing her dark eyes upon our heroine; ‘“‘ can you not comprehend how, loving her as I do, I often and often feel anxious on her account? To-night I could not rest — ”’ ‘You had not sought your couch, Sagoonah,” interrupted Miss Ashton, glancing at the ayah’s attire. ““ No, because I knew full well that I could not sleep,” was the Hindu woman’s response; “ I had that feeling which told me how useless it would be to seek a bed on which I should only be tossing restlessly. I was full of vague terrors —I can scarcely explain them—TI cannot account for them. But certain it is that under their influence I sought the chamber of my mistress to assure myself that she was safe, that no evil spirits were haunting her couch nor working her a mischief — ““Sagoonah, Sagoonah,” exclaimed Miss Ashton, survey- ing the ayah with a painful suspicion, “ I know not what to think of this explanation of yours. It is hard to doubt you if the truth be issuing from your lips, and yet — and yet — ” “You do not believe me?” said the ayah, in a tone of plaintive distress. ‘“‘ Ah! this is indeed a source of sorrow CORNICL@O <S) (CE) im