The Mysteries of the Court of London Vol. 7 — page 220: what you’re looking at

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The gate of the villa was now reached; and Captain Starley said, with a polite bow, “I will do myself the Jeasure of calling to-morrow. But you have not honoured me by saying for whom I am to inquire ?” “This {fs the Lady Indora’s ville,” answered Christina; “and I am Miss Ashton.” “ Good evening, Miss Ashton,” rejoined Captain Stanley; and springing upon his horsv, he rode away from the sfot. * Christina’s feelings had been suddenly and power- fully wrong by the incident in respect to Lord Octavian Meredith. She had no unmaidenly desire for the young nobleman to be convinced that she loved him: but on the other hand she was averse to the idea that he should suppose she had been favouring the euit of another. For she saw ct once that supposing it to be really the case that she had thus favoured another suit, and if it were indecd a reality that her heart or her hand was en- gaged elsewhere,—ahe ought at once ta have men- tioned the circumstance on the preveding evening at Tudor Houso as the beet means of silencing the allusions to his own love which were made by Lord Cotistan. She perceived that Ae, puttif, his own construction on the fact of her being w:th a hand- sume young gentleman, as Captai: Stanley was, would naturally conclyde that she had acted coquettishly, capriciously, and oven immodestly in not having told him om the previous night that her heart was engaged to another. Tho idea of all this was most repugnant to the pure notions and deli- cate feelings of our amiable heroine. On passing into the grounds attachod to the villu, Christina felt so annoyed and distressed that Bhe could not immediately enter the house. If she did, she would be courting questions on tho part of the Queen—questions which might turo upon a topic that sbe did not like to approach. Therefore, to comnpose her thoughts and collect her self-possession, Christina rambled through the gerden. I¢ is but the strictest justice to our hervi@e to declare most positively and unreservedly that sho had not the slightest anticipation of what was to follow: or else not for worlds would she have placed herself in a position to encountor it. Twice had she slowly made a tour of the garden— for the third timo was she taking the round, with the intention of entering the villa wheh this lust stroll was completed. She reached that extremity which joined the fleld—the point that waé remotest from the house, and was moét ehveloped in the ehade of the umbrageous trees—the spot, in a word, where Sagoonah’s interviews had been wont to take place with Madame Angelique —Christina had reached that spot, we say, when there was a sudden rustling amongst the evergreens, and Jiord Octavian Meredith efoad before her. . All in a moment our heroine's fullest self- possession came to her afd: all hor dignity was summoned up; and what she had last been think. ing of in connexion with the previous incident, was absorbed in that of wounded pridg, borderin on resentment, that the young nobloman should thus seek her after his sulemn promise at Tudor Lodge. He himeclf was ashy pale, but labouring under a deep concentrated inward excitement : his white lips were compressed—hie arms were folded across his breast—he stood cunfronting her with the air of vue who sought an cxplanation, el ae eee pen teen THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. was determined to have it, and fancied thet he had a verfect right to demand it. "We meet, Christina,” he said, * for the last time :”—and his voice sounded unnatural in its lowness and hollowness. “Our meeting of last night, my lord,” responded Christina firmly, “should have no séquence. member your pledge--and you Lave broken it !’" “Listen to me—listen to me but for an in- stant!” he said, with such concerftrated vohemence that he seemed as if scarcely able to restrain the outbreak of feelings tremendously agitated. “ Cir. cumstances wouid not permit me to depart until to-morrow ; and I could not resist the temptation of riding round into this neighbourbood—for acoi- dent mado me aware of the place c&your abode, which I never knew till this morning. I met Sir Frederick Lat!iam, and he spoke of you. That was how I learnt your place of residence. I did not mean to seok an interview with you—I respected my pledge—I intended to observe it—— knows,” he added bitterly “it is more than ever my intention to keep it soto, after what I heve seen |” “What you have seen, my lord?’ exclaimed Christina, indignantly: and then, the next mo- ment, she was half suffooated by the feclings which surged up into her throat: but shé held back the words to which they would have prompted her to give utterance, for she was suddenly emitton with the conviction that it would be more dangeruus and unmaidenly to vindicate herself by oxplana- tions than to allow Lord Octavian to romain under the impression which he had received from bis own construction of the recent incident on the road. “TI tell you, Christina,” he exclaimed, vehe- mently, “that I did not mean to seek an inter- view with you! I considered our parting of last night to be final——-and heaven knows the panz it cost me to breathe that word farewell! But 1 could not resist the comptativa of riding round here to catch a glimpse of your home—of the place where you dwell, Oh, if I had ferpseen——< But it is better thus! it is better thus!” he pas- sionately ejaculated: avd yot he made a movemont as if to stamp his’fuot with maddened rage. “ Yos, it is better thus, my lord,” said Christina, who in endeavouring to entrench herself with becoming femivine dignity, in reality became eur- rounded with ‘s reserve that was not merely culd, but even had the air of haughty deflance. At leas? eo Meredith thought; and the idea was natural in his own morbid state of feeling. He therefore said with a tone and look of bitterest re- proach, “ You feel that you have dealt ‘ungene- rou* 7 with me—heartlessly—coquottishly; and you take r.fuge within the circle of your owo haughty pride. You may tell me that I have no claim upon you-and you are right ; for I am another's! You may tell mo likewise that you are the mistress of your own actiops, and that you owe no account of them to me: and again you will be right! But, Ob! Obristina, had you for an instent been candid with me—bad you suffered me to know when last we met-——I do not mean last night— but the othor day when [ tescued you from the persons who wete carrying you off——bhad you told me thes that your heart was engaged to an- other——because 1¢ must have been #0 even éh —for this attachment of your’s caunut be mer..7 ‘1 ELOOO SS (CO) COLUM