The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 368: what you’re looking at

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

862 site side of the apartment. MHastily wiping away her tears, Indora perused the letter : it was a some- what lengthy one; and its contents engaged her for upwards of ten minutes. During this interval Christina occasionally glanced towards the two emissaries, whose pecu- liar costume she naturally had a certain curiosity to examine,—when it gradually occurred to her that the younger messenger was exhibiting a cer- tain feeling of uneasiness. At first he, as well as his comrade, had remained seated with statue-like immovability: but by degrees the younger one began to look around—to give slight starts—to seem even as if he were shuddering and trembling —to sniff the air with his nostrils—and then to fix his naturally piercing eyes upon some corner of the apartment with an additional and increasing keenness. It was evident also to Christina that he strove to surmount whatsoever feeling thus moved him, but that it was gradually growing stronger than himself. Even his companion, the Senior messenger, at length perceiyed it, and bent a reproving look upon his comrade: then the latter became motionless and rigid for another minute or two—but at the expiration thereof he again yielded to that sense of neryous uneasiness which though so visible, was yet utterly unaccountable to our wondering heroine, The Princess Indora finished the perusal of the letter; and for a few minutes she remained ab- sorbed in the reflections which a communication from her father might naturally be ‘supposed to engender in her mind. Then she addressed a few words to the senior emissary; and he responded at, some considerable length, as if he were giving explanations in answer to~a question put. , “These faithful emissaries,” said the Princess, addressing herself to Christina, ‘come, as you heard Sagoonah announce, from my royal father. They left Inderabad three months back ; and they have travelled by the overland route to this country. From Bombay they were accompanied by an Eng- lish interpreter, whose services they there pro- cured; and thus they have experienced no diffi- culty in the prosecution of their journey. hey only reached London this evening; and they beg me to excuse them for having come hither at so late an bour—but they judged that I should be only too well satisfied to receive the earliest tidings from my beloved father. He is well; but he misses me greatly. urges me to return to my native land with the least possible delay. such summons as this which brought me to England, is not as yet accom- plished! It cannot however be long,” continued Indora, in a musing strain rather than actually ad- dressing herself to Christina;—“ no, it cannot be long ere my object shall be worked out. has already aided in placing me on the right track ! The time, therefore, I feel confident is not far re- mote when I shall be enabled to obey my father’s summons; and it was this idea, Christina, which made me tell you yesterday that if I am soon com- pelled by circumstances to leave England, you should not find yourself unprovided for.” | Our heroine expressed her gratitude with a look fervently bent upon her high-born friend; and then the Princess resumed the conyersation with the senior emissary. But by this time the un. THE MYSTERIES 2 egies E L His letter is full of kindness—and he } | | OF THE COURT. easiness of the junior one had risen into a sore trouble and agitation: he gathered up his legs completely under him on the ottoman—his slender wiry form appeared to be convulsel with spas- modic writhings—his eyes vibrated with a visible terror—he sniffed the air—the perspiration stood upon his dark bronzed brow. Indora now observed the condition of the man; and stopping short in some remark which she was addressing to his companion, she gazed upon him with bewildered astonishment. He threw himself at her feet— looked shudderingly around—and then ejaculated something which had the instantaneous effect of making the Princess Indora herself start, as if abruptly smitten with the infection of the man’s own terror. But instantaneously recovering her self-possession, she smiled, and addressed him in words the tones of which were evidently fraught with encouragement, as Christina herself could not fail to comprehend. * You will be amazed, my dear friend,” said the Prinegess, addressing herself in English to our heroine, ‘‘ when I explain to you the reason of all this the more so too, that the coincidence is strange, after we ourselves have only this very day visited a certain place. Compose yourself, Chris- tina—because you know if is as impossible as I have just been endeavouring to persuade this mes- senger that if is but he expresses his belief — nay, even his conviction, that there is a serpent of deadly nature within these walls.” Christina had recoiled with sickness and loath- ing from the contemplation of the reptiles in the Zoological Gardens; and it was no affected sensa- tion on her part. But she was not a silly, frivo- lous, weak-minded girl to yield herself to terrors when her own sound and steady judgment gave her every reason to believe that there was no actual foundation for them, Shetherefore at once said, ‘* Yes, it is impossible, my lady; for we have no venomous reptiles in this country—except the viper and adder, whose bites are seldom if ever fatal; and at all events, I have never read nor heard of one instance of their introducing them- selyes into houses,” Meanwhile the trembling messenger had risen from his kneeling posture; and slowly but keenly were his looks being plunged into every corner of the room. The senior messenyecr had started up in consternation when his comrade had ejacu- latingly announced his conyiction of the presence. of a serpent within those walls: but he was some- I have been expecting some | what cheered and soothed by the assurances which and yet the purpose | the Princess had given, although he still looked doubtingly upon his Hindoo companion. “Tt is at least strange,” said the Princess, speaking more hastily than before to Christina: “for this individual” (alluding to the junior mes- Heaven | senger) “ was originally one of the most celebrated snake-charmerys in all India, until for a particular service rendered my royal father took him into his household and assigned him a confidential post. It is the peculiar instinct, if I may use the term, of some of these snake-charmers that they can actually tell when they are in the vicinage of that most deadly of reptiles, the cobra di capello. Perhaps it is an exhalation from their slimy forms which impregnates the atmosphere, and which though imperceptible to those unacquainted with the peculiarities of that species of serpent, 19 i SL Ls PONE I EI I I ST ELL ALI ATTN, im (€) 0)(0\0) (C S (C()