The Young Duchess; or, Memoirs of a Lady of Quality — page 166: what you’re looking at

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

a os eae : -— 2 ,152 moreover walked at a quick pace; so that in her gait, her movements, and her gestures, there was a lightness as well as an ease and a flexibility which tended to maintain the illusion in geference to her age. In respect to her toilet, she invariably wore her dresses ascending to the throat, with long sleeves reaching to her wrists. There were no cosmetics nor aids by which she could conceal the hideous leanness of her breast if she half-bared it, or the skeleton-like thinness of her arms if she wore them nude. But she always dressed in a certain style which impressed the mind with an idea that there was a scrupulous modesty in those evening toilets where the bosom and the arms were covered as well as in the morning ones. Everybody fancied that the folds and plaits of those robes of silk, or satin, or moire antique, covered the contours of a well-developed bust, and that the sleeves enclosed plump and well-rounded arms. The reader now knows the reverse; and he has obtained a suffi- cient insight into the mysteries of Lady Lang- port’s toilet to be aware how she gave fulness to her skeleton shape and confectioned the appear- ance of that glorious embonpoint which might so well have belonged to a gay and buxom widow of five-and-thirty. Apart from the terrible wasting away of her ladyship’s form—apart, we mean, from that fearful atrophy which was in itself a cruel and hideous malady—she enjoyed excellent health. She was never seriously ill; and if occasionally indisposed, she knew how to act as. her own physician. Her appetite was voracious; and she was frequently compelled to smuggle food privately up into her chamber that she might thus -partake of it by stealth. Was it a tapeworm which de- voured all the nutriment that ought to have gone into her system, and that required for its own reptile-like existence the wholesome juices that ought to have passed into the circulation of this poor lady’s blood? We know not what it was that had reduced her to the sapless, withered, emaciated creature that she was. But if she ate voraciously, and by this fact might encourage the idea that she was possessed of a tapeworm, she was very careful in respect to drinking. She seldom or never drank wine unmixed with water —and then only in very moderate quantities. The truth was, the influence of alcoholic beverages very soon reached her head and obfuscated the brain; whereas there was no person on the face of the earth who had more need to keep the head clear and the brain collected. She was a living lie—a walking counterfeit—a breathing, moving cheat; and therefore she was ever compelled to be upon her guard! ‘The Icast inadvertence might raise suspicion, and ultimatcly lead to ex- posure in reference to the stupendous secret that was concealed beneath all those tosmetics and auxiliaries, those aids and those artificialities, those paddings and waddings, those nume- rous under-garments and countless layers of corset ! | Now, was vanity the sole cause which influenced Lady Langport in leading an existence alike strange and terrible, false and inconvenient ? Was this the sentiment that could alone account for so much self-martyrdom ?—those weary hours spent in the morning in making up a bejng whom it took almost as many hours to pull to pieces TIL YOUNG DUCIIESS; OR, MEMOIRS OF A LADY OF QUALITY. again at night! But if vanity were the motive power, of what use was it? Lady Langport did not seek to captivate a heart—to obtain a husband or a lover: it was obvious that she had done with all such tender sentiments as these. But if it were not vanity, what other motive could there be? Ethel could discern none. Almost every day did she ask herself the questions which we have just been putting; and she could find no other solution than this—‘‘It must assuredly be vanity !” If, then, it was vanity, of what a singular nature!—surpassing any other phase of that feminine weakness which had ever come within the cognizance of Ethel! That a woman of sixty might use all the advantages of the toilet to make herself look fifty, was naturel enough, and was indeed an every day occurrence: but ‘that a woman should be sufficiently bold to say to her toilet, ‘‘By your means I will strike off almost half my age!” this was the perplexing point for Ethel’s mind. Langport should endeavour to conceal as much as | possible her horrible emaciated condition, was likewise conceivable and natural enough: but that she should simulate the possession of buxom beauty, and an almost juvenile freshness of charms, was indeed sufficient to make Ethel marvel ! . One evening, when Mrs. Trevor had been about a fortnight at Hendon Court, she lounged into the large dining-room,—being partly impelled by a sentiment of curiosity to contemplate the. portraits which had so much attracted her atten- tion the first day she was beneath that roof. She had not seen them since that occasion, and she thought she should like to view once more that portrait which represented Lady Langport. Cur- tains had been suspended to gilt rods in order to be drawn over the portraits and protect them at such times when the dining-room was not in use. Ethel therefore drew aside those draperies, and began to contemplate the portraits which they re- vealed. ; : “‘ How long ago could they have been painted ?” she asked herself. ‘That Lord Langport was about forty years of age when his lineaments were transferred to the canvass, is evident enough. But how old was her ladyship? Eighteen or twenty, according to those appearances !” and Ethel fixed her eyes earnestly on the portrait. ‘Ah, but appearances are so deceitful! It is impossible to surmise !” At this moment Ethel heard footsteps approach- ing from behind; and glancing quickly round, she beheld Lady Langport. Colouring deeply, Ethel said, ‘I hope, my dear madam, I have been guilty of no indiserction 7 ‘Indiscretion, my dear friend?” cricd her ladyship. “Oh, no, no! Tow could you pos- sibly dream of such a thing? Have I not told you over and over again that you are to look upon this house just the same as if it were your own— to go whithersoever you will-——” “You are very kind,” said Ethel: and then, with an air of the most ingenuous frankness, she added, “I only was afraid you might think it impertinent curiosity on my part——” “Silly girl! silly girl!” interrupted her lady- ship gaily: ‘impertinent curiosity indeed! So now tell me, my dear, whether you wish to ask —_ ea COMO Or to go further,—that Lady. YN Wn) Colin