The Mysteries of London, Vol. IV — page 304: what you’re looking at

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

a a A RE WIE MYSTERIES oF ge ge gL CL TD of admirable qualities, that if he had only pos- sessed one-tenth of them, he must havo been a plenix of moral perfection and a prodigy of intel- lectual power, The first mecoting which took place between Leonard Mitchell and Ellen after tho tragedy just related, was of a painful description. Scarcely were thoy alono togother in the apartment which she had hired for theso guilty interviews, when, seizing him violontly by the wrist, and speaking in a low, thick tono-—whilo her eyes looked fixedly and searchingly into the depths of his own—she said, “ Leonard, is it possiblo that you have dono this?”—*“T told you that I wonld have vengeance,” ho replied, almost brutally, as he abruptly withdrew his arm froin her grasp; “and you have even encouraged mo in tho project. Do you mean to reproach mo now ??— “Oh ! my God, it scems so horrible to contemplate !” cried Ellen, sinking into a chair, and pressing her hands to hor throbbing brows: for, criminal—almost depraved, though she were, yet she was not so hardened as to be able to stifle the still small yoico which whispered in hor oars, “ Zhow art the com- panion of a murderer /”?—“ Horrible to contom- plate!” repeated Leonard, with a brutal laugh, “You are a fool to talk in that stylo, Ellen. But perhaps you will go and betray mo next ?’—" Good heavens! how have I merited such treatment ns this?” exclaimed tho wretched woman, now burst- ing into a flood of tears. ‘Havo I not sacrificed everything for you, Leonard?” sho demanded, her voice broken with agonising sobs: “and can yon find it-in your heart to insult me thus? Oh! con- sider my position, and havo mercy upon mo! Tor- mentod day and night by the suspicions and the in- creasing ill-humour of a husband whom I loathe and abhor—with tho groatost difficulty avoiding the snares which be sets to ontrap me, and to acquirc proof of that infidelity which ho even moro than Buspects—and subjected lattorly to the questions and remonstrances of my father, who has at length obtained asknowledge of my frequent and unac- counted-for absences from home,—think you not that { am sufliciontly unhappy, perplexed, and bo- wildored, without receiving insult and injury from you?”—" Then why do you provoko mo?” demanded Leonard. “Tor a year past I have been constantly telling you that F would have vengeanco; and, as I said just now, you have encouraged me in tho idea. But now that it is consummated, and that my mor- tal enemy sleops in a premature grave, you affect horror and disgust.’—“ Oh! Leonard,” ojaculated Ellen, throwing herself at his fect, “ pardon mo, and I will offend you no more! Iam well aware that tho provocation was immense, and that thoro are circum- stances in which human forboarance knows no limit —can acknowledge no restraint. Such was your position; and I was wrong to utter a word dopre- catory of your conduct.”’”—“ Well, well,” said Leonard, raising the infatuated woman from her suppliant posture, and placing her on the sofa by his sido: “let us talk no more of this little quarrol between us. For you must bo awaro that I should have been worse than the spaniel which licks the hand that, beats it, if I had not avenged mgself on that miscreant lordling, whom my hatred accom- panies eyon in his grave, And let me tell you, that in times of war, many and many an officer is picked off by somo soldior who has felt the iron hand of despotism press upon him, or who has suffered from the effects of individual porsecution, It may be LONDON, 299 called murder, if you choose: but I look upon it as a righteous retribution.’—Ellon gazed in minglee astonishment and horror, and with a ghastly pallor of countenance, upon her lover's face, as he enun- ciated this dreadful doctrine: then, perceiving that lio was again about to become angry, sho hastened to caress him. He returned thoamorous dalliance ; but Ellen could no longer abandon herself wholly and entirely to tho delights of illicit love. Though tho course of life which she had for some time adopted had rendered her insatiably sensual, she now experienced a fecling of loathing and disgust whon in contact with herlover. This feeling she strove hard to conquer, by conjuring up all tho voluptuous ideas that had ever existed in her soul: but, in spite of this straining against nature, a voico of blood seemed to ring in her ears, warning her that sho was inthe arms of amurdorer! She gazed upon his handsome countenance, in the hopo that its beauty would inspire hor with sentimonts of a purer affection;—out his eyes appeared to oeam with fiondish triumph and demoniac mailignity ;— and if sho pressed his hand to her lips, it seemed as if sho wero kissing flesh stained with human gore. Unable to enduro these torturing feclings, sho hastoned to prepare the supper-table, and bade him draw the cork of a champagne-bottle. Full readily did ho comply; and, having tossed off a2 bumper first, ho refilled the samo glass, saying, “ Now drink from this, to convince mo that you do not love me less on account of what has happened.’—The lady took the glass and placed it to her lips: but the words he aad just uttered, recalled so vividly to her mind those images which she had striven so forcibly to banish from her imagination, that an invincible feeling of disgust came over her—a blood-mist ap- peared to obscure her sight—and as she drank, it seemed as if a draught from a sanguino tide were pouring down her throat. Nevertheless, sho forced herself to drain tho glass; and as soon as tho ex- citing liquor began to circulate in her veins, these horrible images rapidly disappeared, and sho felt that she could now abandon horself to a voluptuous- ness of soul unmarred by disgust or loathing. Ellen, therefore, as well as Leonard, discovered that thore were charms in tho crystal cup filled with sparkling Wine; and sho drank tho exciting juico with the avidity of one who knows full well its efficacy in banishing care, Jseonard was both surprised and rejoiced to bohold tho influence which the nectar had upon her ; and for a long timo he had not ap- peared so tender and affectionate as he was during tho latter part of this interviow. And what was tho consequence of that cvening’s incidents? That Ellen took a liking to alcoholic liquor. Sho had discovered therein a panacea for disagreeablo thoughts; and her reflections in serious moments wero by no means of a pleasurablo nature, Thus was it that she, who was latcly so abstemious as scarcely to touch a drop of wino even after din- ner, and who had so deeply deplored the weaknoss of Leonard in yielding to tho insidious temptations of strong drink,—thus was it that she, tho elegant and lovely Ellen, gave way to that same fascination, and sought solace in tho sparkling glass. <At first she touched no wine until the dinner-hour: but sho soon found that all the morning and afternoon sho was a prey to low spirits, distrossing reficctions, and feclings of mingled loathing and fondness in respect to Leonard; and sho therefore made tho mid-day luncheon an excuse for taking her firys — oe eee = ee wei re eee ee wee (C(O) (C DOO SS (SO)