The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 278: what you’re looking at

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

264 THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. “ Yes,” responded Leveson: “and relying upon the accuracy of your Excellency’s information, | have brought a certain person with me whom [ wish to become a spectatress of her beloved Juce- lyn in the arms of the seductive Julia.” “Ah!” ejaculated the Prefect: “is it possible that you have caused Miss Louisa Stanley to come all the way from England to view her lover’s infi- delity ,—supposing that such infidelity shall really take place.” “And wherefore not kill two birds with one stone?” said the Marquis, with a knowing look. “The opportunity was too good to be lost—and I accordingly avaiied myself of it.” “Tis an admirable stroke of policy !”’ exclaimed Jules Martignac. policy if your lordship be indeed anxious to breaks off the contemplated match between Louisa Stan- ley and this Jocelyn. And, by the bye, since I have ieard that this Louisa is so beautifal,’’ con- tinued the vain young Frenchman, with a self- sufficient air, “perhaps your lordship would afford me au opportunity of making myself agreeable to her: for L should really like to have aa English mistress.” “ft am sorry that I cannot gratify you in this respect,” returned the Marquis of Leveson, smniline: “but the fact is that Louisa Stanley is such a per- fect angel of beauty liutend to try my own for- tune with her first.” “But where is she?” inquired the Prefect. “On leaving the ambaysador’s just now,” re- sponded the Marquis, “I drove round to the | hotel where she is staying with me, and brought her hither in my carriage. She is now in the ante- roow———” “And Mary Owen, who was staying with her at Canterbury 2” said the Prefect. “Is still remaining there,’ answered Leveson, “jin order to take care of Louisa’s sick aunt during her absence. Mary is harmless enough while thus employed, and while thus buried in that seclusion. But let us now take a peep into Jocelyn’s chamber,” added the Marquis, turning his eyes upon the Pre- fect as he rose from his seat. “YT am at your service, my lord,” said that func- tionary, “Gentlemen, you must excuse us for a few minutes—we cannot take so large a party with us, especially as it appears there is a young lady to ac- company us.” The Marquis of Leveson and the Prefect, now quitting the saloon together, passed into the ante- room where Louisa Stanley was waiting. Her form ‘was enveloped in an ample cloak; anda large bon- net, of the Swiss shepherdess-hat style then in vogue, shaded her features. But at the first glance Which the Prefect threw upon her, he was indeed struck by the extraordinary beauty of her counte- nance—although the pallor of grief and the restless expression of acute suspense were upon every feature. Nor less was he enabled to remark that the very drapery which concealed her figure, also developed its matchless symmetry: and beau- tiful as the Prefect had fancied Julia Owen to be when he saw her on the day she was in- troduced to the Prefecture, he was now instan- taneously struck with the fact that her charms were thrown completely into the shade when eom- pared with the transcendent loveliness of Louisa stanley, The thought therefore traversed the “ Yes—-an admirable stroke of Prefect’s brain, that it would really after all be but a little matter of wonder, if the mere image of the pure-minded, innocent, and angelic Louisa should preserve Jocelyn’s fidelity immaculate and intact against all the seductive wiles and wantoa fascina- tions of Julia Owen. “This gentlemen, Miss Stanley,” said the Marquis of Leveson, intreducing the French official to the young lady, “is his Excellency the Prefect of Po- lice: and he will now explain to you—painful though the subject must be—that the individual whom you have known and unfortunately learnt to love as Jocelyn Loftus, has been invarcerated in the Prefecture on account of his grievous immo- ralities and wild excesses.” * Oh! heavens, if this be indeed true!” ex- claimed Louisa, clasping her hands and bursting into tears: but almost instantly wiping away those crystal drops of bitter, bitter anguish—and with a sudden resumption of an air of maiden dignity— she said, in a tone of forced calmness, “ But I am nerved to hear the worst, after all the terrible things that your lordship, with so much disin- terested aud indeed paternal kindness, has told me !” While giving utterance to this latter portion of her sentence, witha frank and artless confidence in what she believed to be the good feeling of the Marquis of Leveson, the maiden fixed her blue eyes inournfully upon him: and then she turned those plaintive regards upon the Prefect, with a look that seemed to implore him to state all he knew at once and with as much brevity as pos- sible. * Young lady,” said the Prefect, now also think- ing it right to play the paternal, and therefore assuming an air and a tone which seemed to imply that he was performing a very painful task and accomplishing a most disagreeable duty,—-“yonng | lady,” he repeated, “it is better that you should hear at once the real character of him who has | gained your affections, than that you should make | So important a discovery when it has become tvo | late to retreat from an unfortunate marriage. | The plain truth is, that you have been wooed and | your heart has been won by a mere adventurer | living under a feigned name, and pursuing a ca- | reer of reckless extravagance, deep dissipation, and inveterate profligacy.” | “OQ God! have mercy upon me,” murmured the unhappy Louisa: and then she compressed her lips forcibly to keep back the scream that rose up from her anguished heart to the very tip of her tongue. “But pray go on, sir—go on,” she | cried, with nervous trepidation, as she once more wrestled successfully against the harrowing poig- nancy of her feelings,—or rather fortified herself with the unnatural composure of despair. Yee “Tt is too true, then, Miss Stanley,” said the Prefect, encouraged by the significant signs and nods which the Marquis gave him, unperceived by the unfortunate girl whom the two wretches were thus basely torturing,—*it is too true that Jocelyn Loftus has conducted himself in such a manner since his arrival in Paris as to scandalize society : and the strong arm of the law has been compelled to interfere to punish him for his excesses. Not that he has committed any positive erime ; but his debaucheries, his seductions, and his moral offences | have brought dishonour on the name of English- GOMIGDOOKS (€()