The Mysteries of the Court of London Vol. 7 — page 351: what you’re looking at

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

_ SO en ER, ey eenedoep ——? . — ee 8 eee ee ee eee 338 peasant instantaneously secured her. Resistance on her part wae vain; for the man’s brawny arms being thrown arnund her, pinioned her lank arms to her side and held her powerless, Captain Stanley hastily accosted Ohristina, and learnt from the young lady's lips everything that had passed between herself and the woman, Aa Stanley listened, an idea fleshed to his mind. Who could the woman be but Barbara Smedley? She had for some time heen missing—Staniey had read the handbille offering a reward for her apprehension --he remembered the description given of her— end despite the change which misery and privation had wrought in the miurderess, there cwas still a sufficient remnatit of het former exit to justify the belief that che whe the tdentical one who had just been overpowerdd, des, there was nd other way of accoutiting fot the words thal sho had ted, to the effeet that shé Bad Sonttibuted materially to the success and t of the claints of the twins. . “Yes, it og be we I” exvlaimell tain me Monients’ reficotiot, hae women, Lady aritids, ic nome othe? than the wife of & mah WAG HAW evideng beford the Com. mittee of Pebeteuist mean Yas convicl Smed- ley,” 8 Our heroiup Peidine paler ‘thita she Was before on hearing ouncement;s a4 she said, “ Oh, Captain {how can £ siifficipatly thank you Wamaae thet (for stick & birt »” “Wo {mn approaching Barbare-for wht {aul " wee—" I know who you are. Teaver hus deed that the day of re- tribution should ative at last} “ Fool--{diot that I wad,” soreathed forth the wretched creaturd; * for uttating a Word that peuld betray me! Bab us well 4) upon the gallowd as perish by starvathbhh ! Add yeh,” phe dontinusd, now assuming a idok and, tons. of a “you might show mercy be mé, young Ma if J had not preserved papits whith vontained the mystery of your earlicet daye, avither you nor your brother would perhaps have atteeseded ——*” “Bilence {” exclaimed Stanley indignantly. “ Make no merit of what you did. Br purposes of extortion did you keep those papers !” Two or three other labouring men}whp were on the way to their work, now mado their appéarance upon the spot; and as the woman was eviden\ly of the most desperate character, Captaim Stanley considered that she could not have tooatrong an escort. He therefore ordered these mon to con- duct her to the village, and there consign her into the bands of a constable ; eo that a justice of the peace might take cognisance of the case in the course of the day. Bab Smedley poured forth a volley of the most terrible imprecations ; and Cap- tara Stanley, proffering Christina bis arm, hurried the yer. 4 sty off. This was the second time that he had renderea ¢ar heroine a most important ser- vices and she renewed <a suitable terms tho ex- pression of her pratitide. “Yas not this an oppor- tunity of which an admirer-would take advantage P ‘ore ani Obsiatina looked so eminently beautiful, with _ 4p flash of excitement now superseding the pale- of recent terror, that the young officer felt enamoured of her if pcasible than ever. She had- aiwepted- his arm; but it was natural under tho circumstances that she should bestow this & THE MYSTERIES OF THR COURT. degree of confiding friendship upon him who had delivered her from the violence of a desperate worat: His eyes were fixed admiringly upon hers and yet there was in his gage all that re. epecttultiets which associates itself with the love of an hottiourable man for a chaste and virtuous maiden. “Lady Christine,” he paid, in a low, gentle, but earnest tone, “ will you permit we to offer you the homage of that haart which has icarnt to appreciate all your excellent qualities? Ob, deem not the mo- ment inoppartune !—and think not for an instant that I am so ungenorous as to ordeavour to avail myself of the little sbrvive which has been deemed worthy of your thanks! Let me assure you that from the first indtant Wo ever met in the neigh- bourhood of London, [ have entertained for you the deepest intersat—the highest admiration—and permit me now,to add the slitcerest love. Tell me, Lady Christingd—may I venture to hope ?” We have al ould that the young maiden as hitherto totally uuaware of the sentiment with which she had inupired Roberts Stanley. When therefore he began to address her in those terms, she was filled with athotishment and confusions she could not give utterauve to a Word that might oheck him at thd outset, He felt her hand tremble as it delicately routed Upon nis arm; and his heart beat with joy ab the idea thut he was not an object of indifference to her, But when ho had ceased speaking, that hand wat withdrawn from his arm; and Christina’s aduntehatioen became deoply aerious, at the same time having an expression of pain and regret. “Captain Stanley,” ake replied, “I scarcely know in what terms t @ouch the anewer that [ am compelled to give you. Believe me, I am not Stensible of the flattering complimoct conveyed by such a proposals +=———But still I cannot accept gl” The young officer was as wtich aston ed as he « was grieved. He had nob foreseen a refusal: ho had not anticipated it. Without any undue vanity, he had bekeved in the certain success of his suit. The refusal iteelf was conveyed in language 60 reterved and ambiguous that i¢ corresponded not with the usual candour of Christina’s conduct and digpusition. That she was not engaged to another, he felt morally certain; for if such en- gagement existed, why should it be kept secrot P And again, if she loved another without as yt being formally engaged, would she hot in her frankness have proclaimed the fact in order to mitigate the mortification occasioned by this re- fusal? But to refuse without alleging a reason, was an act so differeat from the idea he had formed‘of her character, that he was astonished at the same time thatchis manly pride was necessarily wounded. “Your ladyship will at least pardon me,” he enid, a¢ last breaking silence, “for having ventured to address you in such terms——” “T think, Captain Stanloy,” she interrapted him, “that the Wway in which I answered you, must have sufficiently proven that I felt honoured and flattered by your preference ; and therefore [ could not be offended. Nol—believe mo, § am not! I feel—I know that I oyght to be more explicit: but——’ She stopped short, and the teata began tc trickle a etre TN COLUM LOAO© SS (CO)