The Mysteries of the Court of London Vol. 7 — page 69: what you’re looking at

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

uf rr eyes eee ones of a —=L_ a 2 xuew that there was a Monsieur Angelique—I always thought that Maedaine was either a widow —or at lenst passed as such. Tell me, my dear— ugh! ugh! ugh!—this cough will Be the death of mo—ugh! ugh!” * “ Madame Angelique is a widow,” gxplained Hylantine: “but nevertheless I have an uncle. I will tell you how it is. Madame Angelique’s sister married an English gentleman: I am the issue of that union. My parente are dead, as your lord- ship has already been tuld; and I was taken at their death into the care of a distant relative. She alev died; and then my aunt Angelique took care of me. My late father’s brother has for a long time been abrcad—first in the army—then holding a high situatien in the civil service of [ndia; and he is shortly to return home—even if he be not at this moment in England. That is the uncle, my dear lord,” added Eglantine, with a profound sigh, “ whom | dread so much.” “Is be a very stern man—ugh! ugh !—is he so very formidable P” asked Lord Wenham: and then he was seised with such a violent fit of coug}ing that it was a wonder he was not shaken into the next world. “I have not seen him since I was cbout ten or eleven years old,” repliod Eglantine, whea the fit uf coughing was over; “and then my uncle came on a year’s leave to England for the benefit of his health. Oh! I never can forget that countenance ot his—so stern—so threatening—so fierce! Do not, my dear lord, judge all the other members of my family by my aunt Angelique—nor by what | myself have become,” “ “Nonsense, nonsense, my dear!” ejaculated Werham: “don’t talk in this way of yourself. You seem to think—ugh! ugh!—that you have done something most dreadfully bad by living with me. Nothing of the sort—ugh! ugh! ugh! this cough—ugh ! ugh !—of mineJ It is not as if you hud been a wild giddy girl, with a number of lovers—or as if you had been one of the regular inmates of Madame Angelique’s establishment. But innocent—ugh! ughli--and virtuous—ugh |! ugh !—as you were———" “Ah! still, my lord,” said Eglantine, with another profound sigh, “I have fallen—I feel it—and how can I look my uncle in the face, should he find me out on his return to England P” ‘But why need he find you out?” inquired the oli nobleman: “ why—ugh! ugh !—should he dis- cover—ugh! ugh !—where you are ?” “How can it possibly be avuided?” asked Eglantine. “He will come to Londun—he is unmarried—childless—and I believe well off. He will ask for his young relative—he will not submit to the evasions and equivocations which my aunt Angelique is sure to use. tHe is terribly violent—resolutely determined:«-fierce almost to on as. He is persevering too; and if he do not extort from Madame Angelique‘a confession of all that has occurred, he will leave no stone un- turned in order to find me out.” “Ugh! ugh!—my dear—then we must hide you,” said the old nobleman: and as bis vvice abruptly rose from its wonted mumbling and stam- mering into a positive shriek, he yelled forth, “1 @ouldn’t part from you!l—they shan’6 tear you , from me! they shan’t tear you from me !” 1.” “Ob, how kind and good your lordship is!’ e THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. e vm murmured Eglantine, apparently melted to toares and starting from her seat, she threw her arms round the old dotard’s neck, lavishing caresses upon him. * You do love me a lesile bit P” said Wenham, lookthg up into her face with gloating eyes, and grinning like an Ancient goat. “Ah! until now I esteemed you,” responded Eglantine: “but at present I feelyes, I feel that I love you!”—-then gliding back to her seat, she flung upon her old protector a look that seemed to vibrate with mingled tenderness aud gratitude. “You are a good girl—ugh! ugh !—a very good girl,” said the nobleman; “and we will go out presently in the carriage to the splendid shawl- shop in Regent-street—where—ugh! ugh !—you shall chouse whatever you hike,” “ Ah, my dear lord,” exclaimed Eylantine, “now you will understand the impossibility of keeping myself concealed from this terrible uncle of mine, whenever he begins to search for me. How can I remain in-dours all day? how can I debar mysolf the pleasure of accompanying you in your drives P 1 care not for society or gaiety: with you 1 oan be happy :—but complete loneliness and seclusion [ can not endure! My uncle must sooner or later find me out ” At this moment the door opened; and a shriek pegled from Eglantind’s lips. Lord Wenham at first looked aghast: but on perceiving in which direction the eyes of his young tnistress wore bent, he turned himself round in his chair, aud beheld a formidablo-louking personage advancing into the room. We may save ourselves the trouble of much description, by declaring at once that the intruder was none other than Captain Cartwright: but on the present.occasion he was dressed in plain clothes. Scarcely less fierce however was his aspect than on the preceding day when he presented himself to the Hun. Augustus Softly and Madeimuisello Ar- mantine. His countenance was stern and impla- cable; and on advancing into the rouin, he banged the door with such terrific violence that it made the old lord shudder and quake from head to foot with a startled sensation that was immediutely tullowed by a fit of coughing which lasted for seversl minutes. Meanwhile Eglantine hud covered her tace with her hands: and Captain Oartwright, with arms folded across his chest, stood surveying her with the sternest severity. e And is it thus,” he said, “ that [ find my niece —the pensioned mistress of a nobleman! [ came to England for the purpose of giving you a happy home, and making you the heiress of my wealth: I had buoyed myself up with a thousand fund hopes, —hopes of happiness in my declining years, in the society of a niece who would be unto me as 8 daughter, aod for whom I should fiod an eligible husband. But all these hopes are destroyed—and my deceased brother’s daughter has dishonoured the neme of Cartwright—that name which never was dishonoured before |” “Spare me, dear uncle—spare me!” oxolaimed Eglantine, flinging herself with every appearance of the wildest grief at Captain Curtwright’s feet. “ His lordship is very kind to me——~" “ Kind to you, Eglantine ?” ejaculated the Oap- tain soornfully: “what means such kindncss ag this ?” © e LOAO© (C©) SS (CO)