The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 160: what you’re looking at

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146 ——e --—- “You can get a thousand guineas if you like,” | said her husband, ‘significantly, “before you are twenty-four hours older. “And in what manner?” she demanded, the blood instantaneously gushing to her countenance, and not only mantling to her forehead, but also descending to her neck and bosom which the morning wrapper, negligently thrown on, revealed in all the luxuriance of its voluptuous fulness. “You already seem amazed,” observed Brad- shaw, as he perceived that tell-tale glow. “ But what on earth should you be vexed for? You gave yourself up to a certain individual for love—you did the same to another in order to procure that document for me—and you may as well do it onee more, to a third person who will give you gold.” “ And this, then,” said the lady, the blush deep- ening upon her cheeks, her brow, and her neck, “is the scheme which you have devised to augment the amount at present in your hands ?” “JT don’t know any other way of procuring funds just at this moment,” returned Bradshaw, curtly: “unless I go out upon the highway—or else rob a chureh,” he added, with a brutal chuckle. «And pray, sir,” inquired the lady, still with an unnatural calmness, “how do you propose to re- plenish your purse when this amount has dis- appeared? Is it your intention always to live henceforth by the prostitution of your wife?” “By Jove! it was not I who first made you go astray,” exclaimed Bradshaw, hotly: “and since you did it for your own amusement, you ought not to be so squeamish when it is for our mutual profit. In plain terms,” he continued, perceiving that the storm was about to burst, and hastening to antici- pate its violence by getting up a counter-tempest on his own part,—‘“in plain terms, I ask you to do me this favour —it is the last time I will ever think of such a thing—and your compliance shall be the condition of eternal peace between us. If you refuse, then war—war to the knife—and I shall open the campaign by digging up the corpse——” “ Hush !—silence!—enough !” ejaculated Mrs. Bradshaw, hysterically: then covering her face with her hands, she threw herself back in the chair and remained for upwards of a minute buried in profound reflection. But her husband had no pitvy—no remorse—no shame: no—-not even when his look rested upon those fair white hands, with their long tapering fingers and their rosy pellucid nails—nor when he thought of the ravishing beauty of that face which those delicate hands now concealed—nor when his eyes wandered slowly over the fine proportions of that form whose luxuriant contours the negligent wrapper not only developed but partially exposed —nor when he beheld the exquisitely shaped foot that rested upon the ottoman, and the well-turned ankle which the drapery, slightly drawn up by his wife's attitude, left revealed. Her beauty moved him not: he was sated with it—and all he thought of, was how to render it amarketable commodity. Oh! the villany—-the atrocity—the infamy of that man ! Slowly, at the expiration of a minute, did Mrs. Bradshaw remove her hands from her countenance: and now the colour had all fled from her cheeks— and her face was as pale as marble. “ How came you to hear of anything in the form of what you have proposed to me?” she inquired, in a low deep voice. —— es ee ee ee = ee ee ee —< - = -<«\o — - et — THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. “{ will be candid with you,” returned Bradshaw: and he circumstantially related all the particulars of his interview with Mrs. Gale on the Saturday evening—embellishing his narrative so far, how- ever, by drawing upon his fancy for a most flatter- ing description of the gentleman by whom Mrs. Gale was employed, and whom he represented to be young, handsome as Apollo, rich as Croesus, aud generous as Timon ere this famous personage became a man-hater. Knowing full well the fervid temperament and sensual disposition of his wife, Bradshaw artfully drew a powerful deseription of the personal graces of the unknown gentleman— assuring her that Mrs. Gale had furnished him with all these particulars. Mrs. Bradshaw listened attentively: but she was too profoundly unhappy for her imagination to be excited by this appeal to her voluptuous passions. She listened, however—and with an increasing in- terest too: for the thought grew stronger and stronger in her mind that if this gentleman were so liberal in disposition, so fascinating in manners, so engaging in person, and so fortunate in his pecuniary circumstances, it would be far better to become his loved and cherished mistress than drag on a life of wretchedness, suffering, and constant tribulation as the consort of Bradshaw. She pic- tured to herself the possibility of playing off the artillery of her fascinations and the witchery of her seductiveness in such a manner as to enthral the heart of this young and susceptible unknown ; and she calculated that if she did thus succeed in her aim, a pension would readily compensate Mr. Bradshaw for her loss! All these things did she revolve in her mind as her husband proceeded with his glowing descrip- tion of the unknown gentleman: and when he had concluded, she said in a low voice, and with an ap- pearance as if it cost her an immense effort to give her consent, “ Be it as you desire: I will keep the appointment you have made for me!” Bradshaw was delighted—and, with the disgust- ingly sycophantic coaxing and wheedling of such a disposition as his, he lavished the kindest ex- pressions and the most tender promises upon his wife. But she paid little regard to him—and re- mained absorbed in her own reflections. The day passed, Bradshaw keeping in-doors and spending some of the time with his friend Mr. Jones, who kept entirely to his chamber. When dinner was served in the parlour, Bradshaw took him up a tray as he had done in the morning with the breakfast: and the same attention was re- peated at tea-time. Mrs. Bradshaw made no farther allusion to Mr. Jones: her thoughts were intent upon her hoped-for emancipation from her husband's tyranny;—and being sanguine in Carry- ing out her views, she ceased to trouble herself about his affairs. At length the hour drew near for the appoint- — ment with Mrs. Gale; and Mrs. Bradshaw, repair- ing to her chamber, took the utmost pains with her toilette. She was resolved to render herself as en- chanting—as fascinating—as seductive as possible : she accordingly arranged her hair in the most be- coming style, and chose a dress which displayed her charms to the greatest advantage. Although deriving but little succour from old Mrs. Under- down, who attended as her tire-woman, she d to get th h the details.of el is mavaged to get throug Ncom icbookst -_—- oe