The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 289: what you’re looking at

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

a LL LDL LLL LL LLL OC LL LL CC LTC LL Tt CT Cn SS EEE EE ee eee eee eee eee THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. 283 which that beautecus English maiden was so willingly superintending ! And when Christina bestowed well-deserved praises upon her pupil, the superb dark eyes of the latter lighted up to an almost preternatural lustre, flashing with joy and triumph at the progress which she thus made. A few hours later the night has come; and Christina is alone in her own chamber at the Princess’s villa. Jt was half-past ten o’clock; and the maiden had not long retired thither. She sate down at the toilet-table, while combing out the masses of her raven hair: but gradually she fell into a profound reverie—her hands sank upon her knees—the comb dropped without her perceiv- ing it—and her hair remained floating all dis- hevelled upon her shoulders and down her back, lower than her waist. There were several topics which thus engaged Christina’s profound medita- tion. She thought of Zoe—the amiable, the in- teresting, the kind-hearted lady, who she feared had been making the most dreadful sacrifice of her own feelings rather than suffer her husband to perceive that she had fathomed the secret of the love which he entertained for another. Then Christina thought of this love which Lord Oc- tavian cherished towards herself: she strove to eonjure up a feeling which might satisfy her that she was annoyed and indignant at being the object of this love: but she could not thus far do violence to the tender sentiment which existed with a cer- tain degree of reciprocity in her own heart. Then she thought of her brother who a little while pre- viously had lost his situation with the Earl of Lascelles, and had not as yet obtained another ; and then her reflections turned, with mingled awe and horror, upon the mysterious death of that unfor- tunate nobleman. Christina’s reverie thus lasted for a long time ; and when she gradually aroused herself from it, and consulted her watch—which was a gift from the Princess Indora—she perceived that it was past eleven o’clock. She was hastening to continue her night-toilet; and in another quarter of an hour was ready to retire to rest. But just as she was about to extinguish her candle, she thought she heard the sounds of footsteps descending the stairs from the floor above that on which her own chamber was situated. They were steps so light and airy that only the keenest sense of hearing could have caught them; and Christina felt con- vinced that the tread was the stealthy one of a person not wishing to be overheard. A vague terror seized upon her: for she all in a moment remembered that warning letter which Mr, Red- liffe had sent to the Princess, and which her Highness had shown her about three weeks back. That letter, as the reader will remember, was to the effect that some evil-disposed persons might probably seek to inveigle Indora or the ayah Sagoonah into a snare; and as the pure-minded Christina was too unsophisticated and inexpe- rienced to be enabled to fathom the real signi- ficancy of Mr, Redcliffe’s allusion, her imagination naturally excited this vague terror which now seized upon her. She drew close towards the door—and listened with suspended breath. Again she caught the sounds of footsteps: they were now descending the lower flight—and in a few moments they “ceased, She endeavoured to calm herself with the idea that it might be Sagoonah, or one of the other female-servants, descending for some purpose: but if so, wherefore that evi- dently studied stealthiness of tread P—as it was not so very late that the fear of awakening the household need be entertained. Perhaps Christina was rendered somewhat nervous and apprehensive by having reflected on the mysterious murder of the Earl of Lascelles; and this impression being strong on her mind—together with the recollec- tion, so vividly conjured up, of Mr. Redcliffe’s warning letter—naturally filled her with vague misgivings and with a dread of some unknown danger. She opened the door gently—and again listened. All was now still. She thought of retiring to rest: but scarcely had she closed the door again, when that mysterious terror came back with re- newed force; and she felt that she could not pos- sibly sleep, nor even lie tranquilly in her couch, unless she were reassured in respect to the safety of the premises. She remained at the door to listen if the footsteps would return: but a quarter of an hour passed—and all continued quiet. She thought of going to the Princess’s chamber and telling her what she had heard: but then she re- flected that if her apprehensions should prove groundless, she would feel humiliated and look foolish at having given way to such terror. But she thought she might at all events ascend to the female-servants’ chambers to see if they were there: for the conviction was strong in her mind that she had heard footsteps descending, and that they had not ascended again. Envy eloping herself in a muslin wrapper, and taking the candle in her hand, she proceeded up-stairs with a tread as light as if she were a spirit gliding. On reaching the landing above, she saw that \ * Sagoonah's chamber-door stood open; and on entering, she found that Sagoonah herself was not there. They were therefore the ayah’s footsteps that she bad heard: but why was she thus long absent? The thought now struck Christina that Sagoonah must be ill; and she went down atairs——still with the same noiseless tread as before, in order not to dis- turb the Princess. A light was issuing from the boudoir, the door of which stood open. Christina advanced—and looking in, beheld Sagoonah bend- ing over one of the huge volumes of the Times newspaper, which were kept in that room. The Hindoo woman had her back towards the. door: the volume was spread open upon the table; and she was evidently so absorbed in its contents that she did not catch the rustling of Christina’s dress. The first thought which struck our artless young heroine, was that the ayah experienced such an ardent longing to render herself proficient in the English tongue, that she was even inclined to sacrifice a portion of her night’s rest to the prose- cution of her studies: but all of a sudden she was startled by the vehement manner in which Sagoonah gave- utterance to something in her own native tongue, and which was therefore incomprehensible to the maiden. At the same time Sagoonah stood up from her previously leaning posture ; and glancing around, so strange a light flashed from her eyes on behold- ing Christina, that the latter was absolutely ter- rified. There was an expression of rage too on the ayah’s countenance, where the rich red blood ————— ae S (C 0)(0)(O) co