The Young Duchess; or, Memoirs of a Lady of Quality — page 368: what you’re looking at

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

i rt ee. 354 THE YOUNG DUCIJESS; OR, MEMOIRS OF A LADY OF QUALITY. dent of your past life which you have hitherto kept unrevealed until this moment, I have no reason to complain. It is only within the last few minutes that I had acquired any right to penetrate into your circumstances at all, And let me add, that I already know too much to your credit to be easily swayed in an opposite direc- tion.” “O Azaline! as amiable as you are beautiful | | I tremble at the idea of losing you—and yet I dare not deceive you!” “T like you all the better, Edward, for this honest assuratice. It is pethaps,” continued the young lady, ‘‘ some youthful error ” ‘Worse than an error, Azaline!” he ejaculated: | “it was a crime!” “You may call it a crime if you will,” she re- sponded, with unalarmed looks ; “but I cannot bring myself to believe that you were ever guilty of any cold-blooded deliberate wickedness proving your whole nature te be corrupt and your entire disposition to bé thoroughly debased and de- graded.” “‘ No—thank heaven, fio!” ctied Walpole. ‘It was animpulse of despetation’s Self—want goaded me td crime — destitution — thisery—aye, ahd shared too by another !” ‘Well, tell me all this, Edward,” interrupted Azaline. ‘You know that thei'e is no ridiculous | fastidiousness about me; and I am inelined to view offences precisely as they afe, aud not in the light in which society’s laws seéii to tidain that they shall be considered.” . Thus speaking, she resumed her seat upon the sofa: she motioned Walpole to place himself by her side; and calmly, and Without excitement, as also without too much encouragement on the one hand or any mistrust of the other, she said, ‘And now tell me your secret.” Then the young mah revealed to her that one fatal episode in his history: he narrated it in a. few words; and she listened with a countenance that remained unmoved in its expression, a3 Wwe have just described it. ‘‘idward,” she said, whefi he had finished, “iny good opinion is in no way changed concerning you. Tranquillize your feelings. Not for a single instant do I hesitate to declare my readiness to become your wife! But perhaps after all that has occurred, it would please you to leave your native country for a period—indeed I may say for years; so that you should never stand the chance of meet- ing any one who may have known you in less prosperous times ?”’ *‘ And do you mean me to separate myself from you until all recolléction of the past is, so to speak, blown over ?”—and it was with the anguish of indescribable suspense that the young man gazed upon the beautiful countenance of Azaline Osborne. ‘No :—such was not exactly my meaning,” she responded: and then, with one of those siniles so deliciously sweet, displaying the pearly teeth, she went on to remark, ‘‘There is perhaps such a thing as realising a certain dream which happened to come to your knowledge.” “Oh, I understand, Azaline!” cried Edward : “that wished-for journey to the East! — that abandonment of England’s barbarism in the midst of civilization, for the purposé of seeking a civil- ization in the midst of barbarism !” “So that the circumstance of your having listened at the casement, Edward,” rejoined Aza- line, with another smile of arch sweetness, ‘ shall have had its uses in more ways than one.” ‘Oh, blessed be that evening!” exclaimed the young man enthubdiastically: ‘“ blessed be the in- inspiration which led me to listen at that case- ment !—for to this-circumstance may be ascribed all the happiness which is now being enjoyed by a mother and daughter in the room above, and all the ineffable bliss which I am experiencing with you here !” “And thereforé, added Azaline, as she aban- doned her hand to lier lover, who pressed it with rapture to his lips, ‘‘the dream of oriental travel in which I indwkfed, was not a mere phantasy on my part; and there was also something prophetic in the wotds that Lady Airesbury spoke when she said that if I were t6 meet one with congenial sen- timents who Would becoiite the companion of my voyage, { should not go alone!” — CHAPTER LXVIL TIM GAFFNEY AND HIS FRIEND. Tan British public has had the assurance of no less a person than Mt. Thomas Gaffney that the Hoy in Armour, situated in Marylebone Lane, was a highly respectable publie-house: but perhaps the assertion might be dowbted from the simple fact that this worthy had taken to frequent it. We aie not however going to inflict so much tedioiisiiess poli Oar readers as would be involved in the discussion of the point; and therefore, with- out farther preface, We will proceed to state that oh a particular evenitig, some few days after the incidents we have just been felating, Mr. Gaffney ihight have been seeit occupied with his grog and his pipe ih the pafloat of the public-house afore- said. He was flashily dress6d, @3 6n a previous oecasion Wheii We saw hit: maittely, at Thombury Park in the adventite of Sir Abel Kingston and the water-tank; but his appearance was still more dissipated than ever, and his garments were some- what soiled with the liquors that had been spilt over them when he was in a state of intoxication. Every now and then he looked up at the clock; and then gave a slight gesture of impatience, as if he were expecting somé one who was behind his time. There were half-a-dozen other men present in the parlour of the public-house; and the con- versation chiefly turned upon horses, betting, sporting matters, and prizefighting—with all of which Mr. Gaffuey was exceedingly familiar. Presently the door opened; and an individual, still more flashily dressed, and looking more dissi- pated than himself, made his appearahce. Gaff- ney’s countenance brightened up, as he said, “Well, Jack—yot're come at last. I'd begun to give you up.” Mr. Peppercorn—for he was the néew-comer— called for sotnething to drink; and when he had thus refreshed himself, he obeyed a sign which was made by his friend to follow him. They bade the petsons in the parlour “ good night,” ag if about to leave tlie house; but instead of doing so, they ascended to a little back room on the first floot, where candles were lighted, and materials for -) COMIC AOOLRE COLMA