The Young Duchess; or, Memoirs of a Lady of Quality — page 380: what you’re looking at

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366 for it! But the atonement you have demanded shall be made. One more meeting—and then will we separate for ever! Strange mockery !— that next meeting shall be at the sacred shrine where indissoluble bonds are woven ; and yet ours shall be severed in a moment then and there! Poor girl! if I thought that one word of sym- pathy from my lips 2 THE YOUNG DUCHESS; OR, MEMOIRS OF A LADY OF QUALITY. the paternal habitation? perhaps she felt that she could more conveniently receive the visits of Ed- ward Walpole at the former place than at the latter—or at least for the present, until she should have communicated to her father and mother tha engagement which she had formed and obtain their assent ? But to continue the thread of our narrative, we Here Pamela bent upon her destroyer a look of | must repeat that it was on the forenoon of the indescribable misery and reproachfulness : her lips wavered for an instant as if shs would fain have spoken something that rose to the tip of her tongue; but whatever it were, it remained unsaid —and in another moment she disappeared from his view. ‘“Mr. Ponsford,” he said, approaching the father, “make all your arrangements for this ceremony—and fear not that I shall fail in my promise or that I shall be otherwise than punc- tual.” The Squire reflected for a few moments; and then he said, “To-morrow morning—here—at ten o’clock—I will procure a special license—and —and—all shall be concluded.” Ashborne bowed coldly, and issued from the house. The appointment was duly kept on the ensuing morning ; and this singular marriage took place. The minister of the Gospel came, accompanied by his clerk: an elderly female-servant, who had long been in the Squire’s family and who acted as housekeeper of the town-mansion, was present at the ceremony. The bridegroom and bride were both as pale as death: the clergyman and clerk could not fail to conjecture that there was some- thing strange, if not absolutely sinister and wrong, in this wedding so mysteriously conducted ; but all the legal requirements were fulfilled—their fees were liberally paid—and there was conse- quently no pretext for them to interfere. As for mere curiosity, the entire circumstances of the scene repelled the thought that it might pos- Sibly be gratified. And when the ceremony was over and the clergyman and his acolyte had withdrawn, Stephen Ashborne tarried not, but promptly took his own departure, having imprinted no kiss upon the cheek of his bride nor pressed the hand of her father ! CHAPTER LXIX. HESTER’S FATHER. In the forenoon of that same day Edward Wal- pole called at Charlton Villa; for Azaline still remained a visitress there. Hester had been re- moved to the maternal abode; and as she still continued very ill, her mother was filled with affliction—so that the restoration of her daughter, instead of proving of benefit to the mental condi- tion of her ladyship, seemed for the present to threaten to become the source of still greater grief. Thus the generous-hearted Azaline would not desert her friend Lady Amesbury in such an emergency; and she prolonged her visit to Charlton Villa instead of returning to Trentham Houso in Berkeley Square. But perhaps the beauteous Azaline had another motive for preferring the abode of her friend to meme ee eee ree same day on which the strange bridal ceremony took place, that Edward Walpole alighted from his ‘horse at the gate of Charlton Villa; and flinging the bridle to the man-servant who answered his summons, he passed into the dwelling. _ Not find- ing Azaline in the parlour which was usually occu- pied at that period of the day, he was about to seek her in another apartment, when encountering a female domestic, he learnt from her that Miss Osborne had gone a few minutes back into the garden. Idward went in search of her; and he presently caught sight of the well-known beauteous form, seated, or rather half reclining, upon the grass near a fountain in a secluded part of the grounds. Determined to surprise her, he approached stealthily from behind; and he soon discerned that she was turning the leaves of a large book, over which she was bending. At length Walpole had contrived to draw so near, without being over- heard, that he was enabled to peep at the contents of the book; and just at that instant Azaline gave audible utterance to the musings with which her mind was occupied. Little suspecting that he who was thus uppermost in her thoughts was so near, She ejaculated, ‘‘ How foolish he would deem me if he knew that I was really sincere in this oriental project of mine! But, Oh! this is assuredly the costume that I shall choose!” It was a large volume of plates referring en- tirely to oriental subjects, representing the most celebrated cities and scenes of the East, and giving delineations of national costumes in a most picturesque and attractive manner. At the instant when Edward Walpole, bending his head forward, peeped over at the volume, the plate which Azaline was contemplating represented a beautiful female figure, reclining upon a divan, holding a fan in one hand, and extending the other to receive the refreshment which it might be supposed a slave was at the instant offering. The costume was light, elegant, and admirably calculated to develop the symmetry of a fine figure. Such was the subject of the plate on which Azaline’s eyes were fixed. ‘Never shall | think you foolish, Azaline !”— and as the well-known voice fell upon her ears, she started, looked upward, and blushed deeply. But instantaneously regaining her self-posses- sion, sne proffered Walpole her hand, saying with one of her sweet smiles, ‘You are welcome, Ed- ward: but you stole upon me in a somewhat un- handsome manner, for which I have a very great mind to scold you severely ——” “Of that you are incapable, dear Azaline!” replied the happy youth, flinging himself by her side on the grass, and carrying to his lips the hand which she had given him. ‘After all,” she resumed, ‘‘that you should have intruded on the privacy of my thoughts, I can scarcely deplore: for you had a proof that my mind was occupied with your image while I deemed you away. But, once again tell me, YN Wn) COMO Colin