The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 76: what you’re looking at

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

— Axe» nnn nn nn nn eee nn 62 THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT, eee a ‘“‘T can write no more. Ged bless and forgive you—yes, and change your hearts! I will not betray you—but I cannot become the accomplice in such black iniquity! ‘* The unhappy and almost distracted, sb MARY.” This letter, which was blotted with the traces of many tears, had been left upon the table ina chamber to which the young lady had retired; and the maid having found it, delivered it to Mrs. Owen, to whom it was addressed. But Mary—the unhappy Mary —had disappeared, to the mingled grief and anger of her mother and sisters. The vessel was however ready to sail; Agatha, Emma, and Julia accordingly took leave of Mrs. Owen and embarked—and the mother, having thus lost as it were all her daugh- ters, repaired to London in order to keep the appoint- ment which her letter had fixed with the Marquis of Leveson. Such were the particulars which the nobleman cleaned from Mrs. Owen, who likewise handed to him for his perusal the above note which the fugi- tive Mary had left upon the table at the hotel in Woolwich. “It is awkward—very awkward,” observed the Marquis. “ But she promises not to betray the one grand secret—and from the tenour of her letter it is clear that her mind is profoundly influenced by the affection which she entertains for yourself and her sisters. This influence will not only keep her lips sealed while absent, but will speedily bring her home to you again.” “Tf I thought so, I should be far less uneasy than Iam,” said Mrs. Owen. ‘ But she is young—inex- perienced—beautiful—and if some designing villain falls in with her, he may entice her to reveal all those secrets ——” * Let us not anticipate misfortunes nor meet calamities half-way,” cried the Marquis. ‘ Console yourself, my dear Anne—console yourself: and tell me what you wished to communicate—for your letter hinted that you had something to say to me.” “Oh! this cruel affliction has well nigh driven all other subjects from my mind,” exclaimed Mrs, Owen. “But the matter to which my note alluded is a pecuniary one. You are aware of the enormous expense to which the outfit of my daughter has put me. ‘Their dresses—their jewels ——” * T understand all that very well,” interrupted the Marquis. * But I thought that the Queen had pledged herself to pay every expense 2?” “ Her Majesty guaranteed me all my outlay to the extent of two thousand five hundred guineas,” answered Mrs. Owen. “ Five hundred her Majesty has paid me: but her letter of yesterday tells me that I must wait a short time for the remaining two thousand guineas, as she is somewhat embarrassed at the moment in respect to funds available for secret purposes. Now, my dear Leveson, you know her Majesty’s meanness as well as I do—and you must agree with me that she will endeavour to post- pone the payment of these two thousand guineas as long asshecan. The want of the money troubles me much. The jeweller’s bill is eight hundred guineas—each of the girls being obliged to have a complete set of diamonds, in addition to other costly articles. ‘Then there is the milliner’s bil), four hun- dred and fifty guineas ——” “My dear friend,” interrupted the Marquis of Leveson, “1 do not require you to enumerate all these details. Ican perfectly understaud that the bills are owing—and, what is more, that they must be paid. If you will give me a receipt for the amount, so that I may obtain it of Her Majesty the Queen, who will not be able to put me off with excuses so easily as she can you, I will at once write you a cheque for the two thousand guineas,” “This is precisely the favour which I was about to solicit,” said Mrs. Owen, “But do you know, my dear Leveson, I am so exhausted—so overcome —that I must beg you to ring for a glass of wine ——” “Or a drop of that precious cordial, Anne, which the Prince gave me some years ago, and which you have occasionally tasted?” suggested the Marquis. “I have a bottle left—but it is in my owu chamber—and Brockman shall fetch it.” Thus speakiug, the Marquis was about to ring the bell, when he recollected that his faithful valet must be up in his own room, according to the in- struction given him in the morning. ‘The noble. man therefore said something about Brockman’s being engaged, and volunteered to hasten and procure the cordial himself. Mrs. Owen thanked him forthe trouble which he thus took in her be- half; and his lordship hurried from the aparte ment. When he returned at the expiration of a few minutes, he found Mrs. Owen lying in apparently a very exhausted condition upon the sofa: but the racy liqueur which he had brought with him, soon effected a marvellous change in her condition. Her physical energies and her spirits both revived ; and it seemed as if she had been partaking of the elixir of life. “The resuscitating power of this cordial is truly marvellous,” observed Leveson, with a smile. * You feel better now 2” “IT feel as if a new existence were infused into my veins,” answered Mrs. Owen. “ My dear friend, I am deeply indebted to you for this kindness, The fatigues of travelling—the annoyance pro- duced by the Queen’s postponement of the pro- mised movey—and then the terrible affliction relative to Mary,—all these influences had com- pletely prostrated me. But now I am myself again —and I must return home to Richmond without delay.” She accordingly penned the receipt for the two thousand guineas ; and the Marquis sate down to write a cheque for that amount. But an ejacu- lation fell from his lips, as the ccincidence struck him that it was again, and for the fourth time,a sum of two thousand guineas which he was about to pay away: and yet the demand for that amount had not as yet been made upon him. Mrs. Owen looked at him in surprise as he gave utterance to that exclamation: but he made some excuse and proceeded to fill up the cheque. ‘The business was thus terminated—and Mrs. Owen took her leave. It was now nearly six o’clock in the evening: and the Marquis of Leveson began to be seriously alarmed lest the expected visitor with the pocket- book should not come at all. He was annoyed, in- asmuch as that pocket-book contained several billets-doux, the contents of which, if made public, would seriously compromise the reputation of two or three ladies of high rank: it likewise contained some private memoranda relative to the affair for which Mrs. Owen’s daughters had been destined —and also a few letters from the Prince Regeut, of a ES eee GOMIGIOOKS (E()