The Mysteries of the Court of London Vol. 7 — page 88: what you’re looking at

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

ene” ea yen THE MYETBERIEG OF THE COURT. Linde, sobbing and wee kind and good to me!” “ You speak, my love, as if you had deceived me in aome way or another,” said the sevetimonious gentleman ; ang bis countenance grew considerably | elongated. “Pray be candid: letane know the worst, whatever it is—— yea, let me know the worst,” ° “It is trae,” continued Linde, now wringieg her hands, “4haé in one sense you have been de- ceived—-ewl mean that something has been kept back-——-"” ; “Woes? what?” asked Mr. White Choker, fidgeting very uneasily upon his seat. “ Madame Angelique tald me you had only been once astray —r—~" “Ah! ié wag not in this that you were deceived, my dese friend," replied the weeping Linda: “ for that was true enough, Oh! I never ean fell you !” “But you must, my dear—you mist let me know the entire truth,” ssid Mr. White Choker, “T can’t conceive what you mean—I can’t under- stand what it is you have got to tell, But pray be candid. You don’t know what a Adget this gn- certainty keeps mein: I am all over with a ¢emble, You don’t think Saufflenose suspects——~" “No, nothing of that sort,” responded Linda “T¢ is not any of your acquaintances—-r" “Then some of your own?” hastily aug, eested Mr. White Choker. “Oh! my dear, wow could you have been eo indiscreet? Don’t you know that I ama blessed saint, and that if the odour of my sanctity ence became tainted by the breath of seandal-——-Oh, dear me! cear we! what would they say of me at Excter Hall ?” “I am very, very unhappy,” sobbed Linda, whe appeared as if her heart would break: “and I sieh I had never aceepted your protcction—for I am afraid ——”’ “Afraid of what?” asked the saint, still ine feverish excitement. “That if my husband were only to dicover-—~=—” + Your husband ?”—and Mr, White Choker sud- Cenly put on such a look of blank despaix that his appearance was perfectly ludicrous. Seised with consternation, overcome with dis may, and picturing to himself actions for crim. cas, and all sorta of evils, the unfortunate gentleman rolled off the sofa and tumbled over his stout cotton umbrella and his byoad-brimmed hat. Then, as he afterwards expreased himself, he grqgned # spirit: and wished that he had rather kecome the com: panion of Esquimaux and white bears of the North Pole, or of benightod cgnnibals in the islands of the South Pacific, than have re- meincd in the more salubrious and eivilized revion of his birth to have fallen in with a married woman. Linda besought the saint to pick himself ; "ap: but as be exhibited no inclination to do any- thing of the sort, but only lay sprawling sadsyroan- ‘jag on the fleor, with his head erushing his hat and his nose rubbing againat bis ootten Gmbeells, | the considerate young lady thought she had Setter | try her own, hand at picking him up. The saint suffered himself to be over-pexsuaded; and prasaing Linda in his arme, he poyered her with kissea,~- groaning end whining most fearfully for no ices a périod ¢hen five minutes. “And gow tell me,” he said, in a voice as if it were @ schoolboy whimpering over a task thet he en you who are po, 76 could not work out,—-“ tell me all about this, my dear. How came you to be married ? where ig your husband? whoishe? Js hea godly map? hath he the fear of the Lord before his eyes ? But d-~n him, whoever he is!”—and Mr. White Choker gave utterance to this ejaculation with an unetion and which proved the sincerity with which this, host unapinjelike caledietion was expre ° ' “If you will listen to me,” anid Linds, who atill continued to eob and weep somewhat, “I will tell you ali about it. You know I am a native of Germany. My father and mother were genteel people, living 96 Manheim; and about three years, ago an English men stepping at the hotel exagtly our ence. Ho became acquainted with wa, and visited us frequently. He re ser tinhrea Captain in a Hussar regi- me Jinds sterted as if a voice from the dead had suddenly spoken in her ear: for Mr. White Choker gare & groan A a0 deep and hollow that it was really 90 @ young lady wes thus terrified. A qaptain of Husears f hegrene, that his ‘plapets should have possibly opencd the way to throy him in cpntget with auch a vessel of wrath, ae thea snint considered every military officor tobe! A eaptain of Hussars, Why, he would gooper face ell the Saufflencass in the werld—he would sooner bave « commitice of inquiry ap- pointed by bis Society ty investigate his character, with the certainty that gugh opmmittee abould con- eist Of all his swarm enemies—then stand tho chance of facing @ captain of Hussars! He would sooner ba thrice round Hyde Park than encounter eueh an individual! In a word, an hour in the pillory, and being pelted the while with rotten eggs, were # pleasant little pastime in comparison with the risk of being salled to an ao- count bya sapteis of Bluseara! «| “Pray, my. desresé friend, do nab make yourself so imisernble,” said Linde, plying all her little ertifices and miles, all hor wheedlings and coaxings, and all her oajolaries to appease him somewhat. “Iam vary sorryg——I was going to have told you the whole tath--———-buf the instant I saw you, I conceived such an affection for you that I wae afraid if you heard I wae married —” “Ah, wella-day! the mischief is done, my dear,” groaned ir. White Choker. “ Love is the forbidden fruit-—sind you are the Kva that tempted this wretched "and he alapped Lis breast —* to fall.” “Let me continue my narrative,” asid Linda, with one aym thrown round his neck. “This Captain—pray don’t groan so—thie Oaptain of Hussare——-What? another groan?—-—Well, I must call him, they, by the name of Cartwright. Though many years older than myself, he sought me as his beida I did not love him: I hated him frou the very inetent that I perceived his atten- tions began to grow marked. Qn the other hand my parents encouraged his t he boasted of his wealth--he lived in good abyle—aud they thought that such an alliance would be ensuring an expellens position for thejr daughter. It ig the old tale: she ehild was sactificed to the wishes of the parentaerand I became the bride of the Hagar Captain———-~I mean af, Cartwrighf,” Linda hastily added; for another sepuichra) groan same yp from LOAO© SS (CO)