The Mysteries of the Court of London Vol. 4 — page 15: what you’re looking at

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

wo mo cm a a <n i i i ci Tc I ca eT a gc in a a iN CT NT aT Rp PP 0 I I a a aie ae A A ra sR, glow—the toilette-table, the cheffouiers, aud the ‘chest of drawers all covered with elegant trifes Ce EE: il aevueqgeees == hee 328, ae oes oot es See Z Jocelyn Loftus and beseech him to pay «0 imme- diate visit to London, that she might hold a con- sultation with shim relative to the conspiracy then on foot against the Princess of Wales. Now the young Princess Charlotte hoped, with the sanguine fervour that was natural to her age, not only that her aunt’s letter would Gnd Jocelyn at Canterbury, but ‘that he would pz:, :mmediate attention to it by hurrying up to London, and that he would thence set off to Italy to warn the persecuted Princess Caroline of her danger. In this case Jocelyn might become the bearer ,of a letter from the young Princess Charlotte to her injured mother—not a mere letter which she would be ae ei ease, SE £ ?;9n “are.o ae rea Jak EE, er == FP blew ae ee » Go Gee oe f THE MYETERICS OF THR’ COURT. poh ceerenecenenas eer pe,” became attenuated as thus she pondered, or that it should have thus been imbued with superstitious tendencies, so that whon she looked around that sumptuously-furnished room, she beheld not the superb draperies and the brilliant ornaments, but fancied that there was blood upon the walls, and that the stains of murder met her looks on every side ! Naturally of a strong and decisive character, the young Princess endeavoured to cast off this super- stitious <eeling which was gining upon her. But she cuuld not. Recent experience, together with the dark mysterious hints thut in various ways and at different times met her ears, head made her compelled to write guardedly and in such 2 manner | aware that the royal personages of the present as to exempt it from the chance of suppression, but a letter wherein she mignt give free vent to 21] the filial fondness that she experienced towards the oeing who gave her birth. The compositior of this letter occupied the Princess upwards of an hour: and as she laid down her pen the time-piece on ‘the maatel chimed eleven. The night was tempestuous: gusts of wind swept round the old towers of the palatial castle; and the rain was from time to time driven forcibly against the window-panes. The young Princess glance... -~ound the spacious bed-chamiver in which she was seated; and as the thought slowly crept into her mind that many and many a horrar —Itany a2 ctuel deed—and many an &trocity had been perpetrated within the walls of Windsor Castle, she wondered whether that particular room had ever been the scene of bloodshed. As this idea stole into her brain, she shuddered with a deep involuntary tremer: and azain did her glance sweep rapidly around ‘the apartment. ‘But 4al- though it was furnished in the most sumptuous manner,—with gorgevus draperics drawn over,the sindows — goldeu-fringed hangiugs surrounding the gilt couch—the wails papered with a cheerful pattern and adorded with several splendid paint- ings—the cornices all elaborately carved and edged with gilding—the mantel-piece covered with ornamente—tho maguificen3 mirrors reflecting tho light of several wax-tapera, aud thus enhancing the lustre that flooded the room with its yellow and brilliaut uick-nacks,—in a word, although nothing could exceed the gay and gorgeous aspect of that apartment, yet did it this night seem in the eyes of the Princess to be even more sombre and gloomy than any old tapestried chamber, filled with mouldering furniture and moth-caten hang- ings, in the haunted castle of romance. The truth is, the mind of the young Princess was in that morbid state which made her view every- thing in a melancholy light—or rather, through the omiuoug choud that thus hung upon her seul. She was unhappy: for many, many reasons was she un- happy—not only on account of het mother, but because she felt that she belonged toa famil y al- tnost every member of which was steeped tu the lips in vices, immoralities, and, treacheries, if not stained with downright crime. It seemed to her, then, as if abe were sprung from a doomed race— a race waose infamies had rendered it accursed in the sizht of heaven, aiid whose punishment had to some extent—in the pers+. of the lunatic Kikg— eommencetl _ommencell Upon earth. No wonder that her mind ' earth. No wonder that her mind age were fully capable of abhorrent perfidies, base conspiracies, and most probably of flayrant ¢rimes. and if such were the case at the begiuning of the nineteenth century.and in an age of civilization, of what horrors and’ f what atrocities might for- mer royal families have been guilty, in earlier pe- riods and in darker times* Oh! had not the walls of Windsor Castle been witnesses of scenes where- of u0 memory remained and no record was kept, save in the eternal registers of heaven’s chancery ? —and was it not probable that every room, avery chamber, every nook, and every corner of that castellated abodi of England's Kings had been the theatre of some retorsciess deed or foul madnight murder ? ‘These were the ideas that came trooping through the brain of the P:-ncess, producing upon her the syme effect as if a piacession of shrouded spectres passed before her view; end unable to endure the awful nature of her thoughts. she rose“frem her seat and advanced towards the fire-place. But as her eyes fell upon the mirror above the mantel, it struck her that some horrible countenance was looking over her shoulder. A shriek rose to her very lips as she turned abruptly round with a strong recoil; bug the scream died instantaneously away ere it foun vent—for there was naught near her—nothing pa pable to alarm her; and she saw that she was tk, prey of a fevered fancy. Tei, or however parched her tongue and made her throat teel as dry as if she had swallowed ashes; and advancing towards a table, she filled a glass with water and conveyed it to her ips) But at that moment a gust of wind swept with such violence against the window that the Case- ment rattled as if some intruder were trying tofurce anentry; aid the splendid draperics waved back. ward and forward with the draught as if some one were conccaled behind and Yurposely shaking them. The fears of the Princess now arose to an in- tolerable height; and unable any longer to endure the solitude of her chanber, she was about toring the bell ta summon her !adies-in-waiting. But she suddenly recgll~cted that as she had dismissed them fox tte niznt, tuey had separated to their own apartments, and that if they were recalled she would have to explain the reason for, thus .e"ra- moning thein back to her presence; and her na- tural pride revolted from the idea of ounfessing that she was afraid to be left aloue during so tempestuous a nizht. She accordingly endeavoured to conquer her fears. But yhe could not. Thera seemed to be a «pel upon her miud—a mysterious giugem which she gould not shake of. It was hke gn ominous foreboding —vague and unknown—t19 é - = ep wpe) ae eae UPS a annnnn Te Ce aan ic nar nA i A a a i all ee email ast the less oppressive and paiofr!. Suddenly Gr CoOMmicloOokS.COmnn