The Seamstress; or, The White Slave of England — page 111: what you’re looking at

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

[ > Bs NS ee ae a me er ee E — ~ - 104 THE SEAMSTESS. The moment they gained “the portals, the cry | the identity of “Mr. Osmond” with the Marquis of “Captain Lovel’s carriage!” was shouted up | of Arden, and that she had either called to demand the street; and in a few moments the elegant | money or in the hope of renewing her former inti- barouche and pair dashed up to the entrance of the macy with him. theatre. Down leapt the tiger—the door was; Now, as Charles knew that Miss Barnet was opened—the steps were lowered with the usual | quite capable of “getting up a scene” with him, if fracas—and Captain Lovel was about to assist she took it into her head, he congratulated himself his beauteous companion into the vehicle, when a! upon the circumstance of not being at home when ' rough hand was laid violently upon his shoulder. | she called ;—and retreating to a greater distance An ejaculation of surprise and curiosity burst | along that side of Grosvenor Square, he watched from the lips of those who were assembled on the | for the young lady to issue forth again. But as spot: and Julia, turning her head at the sound, | five minutes elapsed without her re-appearance, he was horror-stricken on beholding her lover the | was forced to come to the conclusion that she had Captain in the grasp of a couple of police-oflicers. | resolved to await his return home: and being no “There is some mistake in this,” she cried, | stranger to the fact that the disposition of the fair instantaneously recovering her presence of mind | one was sufficiently pertinacious to induce her to and flinging lightning-looks of indignation upon | remain until ten at night, he began to think that the constables. ‘“ Why don’t you tell them who|it would be better to face the danger at once, you are, Tom? Unhand him, fellows—it is Cap- | whatever it might be. The Marquis accordingly tain Lovel * hastened on to Belmont House; and the moment ““We know it, ma’am,” interrupted one of the | the porter opened the front door, he proceeded officers: “just the very gentleman we want!|to the waiting-room in thé full expectation of Sorry for your sake, ma’am — but the game’s all} finding Miss Barnet there. But instead of be- up, you see — the forgeries have come out at | holding any female in that apartment, he only saw last two men whose countenances were not altogether But poor Julia heard no more: a terrible con- | unfamiliar to him, but of which he had not more viction of the real truth had suddenly flashed in | than a vague and indefinite recollection. They rose unto her mind—and she fell senseless upon the | on his entrance, and bowed in a manner which pavement. showed that they knew him better than he remem- bered them: but anxious only to get rid of Miss — Barnet as soon as possible, and already trembling . lest she should have forced her way into the pre- CHAPTER XXXIII. sence of his father and his sisters, he rushed from ‘ the waiting-room back again into the hall. “ Whereis the young person who came just now in a hackney-vehicle?’’ he demanded of the hall- porter. “With his Grace, my lord,’ was the reply. “ With my father !” ejaculated Charles, in a tone of deep annoyance. “ Fool that I was to loiter at the end of the Square and thus afford her time But did she not ask for. me in the first instance P” he demanded abruptly. “No, my lord,” returned the porter. “She inquired for the Duke of Belmont; and when her name was taken in, his Grace immediately ordered her to be admitted to his presence.” “Indeed! Then what name did she give °” asked Charles. “ Mrs. Lovel,” was the reply. “ Lovel—Lovel,” said the Marquis, in a musing tone. “ Surely I have heard that name be- fore * “A certain Captain Lovel was arrested last night, my lord, on a charge of forgery,” remarked ' the hall-porter. “To be sure! I read the account this morning MYSTERY AND CURIOSITY. Ir was on the day following the arrest of Captain Lovel, and about three o’clock in the afternoon, that as the Marquis of Arden was returning home from one of his long rambles on foot, he saw a hackney-cab drive up to Belmont House, and Miss Barnet alight. He stopped short at a distance of twenty or thirty yards, under the impression that he must be mistaken: but the more attentive sur- vey which he now took of the handsome profile and the fine figure as the young woman ascended the steps of the ducal mansion, convinced him that it was indeed his late mistress. She was superbly dressed in a winter costume: but it struck Charles that her countenance wore an expression of grief which she vainly endeavoured to subdue—that her pace was agitated and uneven—and, in fine, that there was a general air of nervous excitement about her, as she rushed rather than walked from the cab up to the front door of Belmont House. She did not look either to the right or to the left as she thus hurriedly ascended the steps—and therefore she did not observe that the Marquis | at breakfast time,” exclaimed the young nobleman. was standing at a little distance. “T thought the name was not altogether unfami- Upwards of eighteen or nineteen months had | liar tome. And now that I recollect, the newspaper- elapsed since Charles had broken off his connexion | paragr aph said that Captain Lovel, when arrested, with Miss Barnet ;—and from that time until the | was coming out of a theatre with an elegant lady present moment he had neither seen nor heard of | of extraordinary beauty hanging upon his arm.’ her. In fact he knew not what had become of her: “ Still I should searcely think, my lord,’ ob- and his mind had been too deeply absorbed in his | served the porter, deferentially, “that the Mrs. hapless, unfortunate love for Virginia, to, allow him | Lovel of whom your lordship is speaking can be to bestow frequent thoughts upon his late mistress. | the same who is now with his Grace. <A forger’s Her sudden appearance, therefore,—especially in | wife or mistress could scarcely obtain such ready Nee ey NS the character of a visitress at Belmont House,— | access to the Duke of Belmont.” both startled and annoyed the young nobleman ; “It is strange—very strange,’ said Charles, in for it naturally struck him that she had discover ed! a low musing tone, ‘ That “Miss Barnet should 2 a. —— Ee GOMmIGchooks (E(0) im