The Mysteries of the Court of London Vol. 4 — page 159: what you’re looking at

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

|e | - THE MYSTERIES OF THE OCOURT. & as several wetks passed away, and she found (as ot i? that he had nothing to complain of, arid'n6 perils nor calamities to report, she grew | tranguillized as to his continued eojourn on the I French sou. At the same time; she frequently ' expresved her surprise at his protracted residence | in Lyons, when the English newspapers stated | that “a certain royal lady and her suite * were so- jourting elsewhere: but when the fair Louisa’s letters did contain an allusion of this kind, it was invariably followed by sume such observations as these :-—“ However, you are no doubt acting for the best; and I shall await your retarn in mach suspense to hear from your own lips all that you are duing. You assure me that you are in gaa nealth and that I need uot alarm myself @« to your safety: you likewise give me the most sfeo- tionate qsgurances of your unchanging love—aad therefore, what else oan I require ?” Most dear te Jocely:t were thease letters that he received‘from his betoyed Louisa. They were iu- deed hia whole and sole solace: for he knew not when bis captivity was likely to terminate. The governor had repeated to him those same pro- posals which were made by the Prefect in Paris: namely, that if he would align a solema bond pledving himeelf to future non-interference fn the affairs: of her Royal Highness the Prinogass of Wales, he should be immediately set at liberty: but to this condition, which our hero coneidered derovatory and dishonourable toa degree, he positively refused to subscribe. He therefore re- mainerl in prigon, wondering how long it would be ere circumatances might take such a turn as to give him his release. Thus weeks and months passed away; and at} p length, in the early part of March, the startling intelligenas Was ote torning conmauicated to Jocelyn's ears that Napoleon Bonaparte, having fied from hig Nigle sovercignty of Elba, had landed in France and was advancing with a handful of meu towards Gren. ble. Still thé governor main- tained bis authority in the prison; and shen the Emperor—for as such did he return to Pranes— entered Grenoble avfl was immediately joined by the gariison of the place, Jocelyn besought that his case might be represeuted to the imperial hero. | The governor however assured Jocelyn that his | inatructiqns were to the effect that the affair of his ‘imprisonment was to be kept altogether secfet, and that so long as the present Minister of the | Interior remained in power at Paris, he (the | governor) could know tio other authority. Thus Jocelyn'’s hopes of being enabled fo obiain his freedom through the intervention of Napoleon, wero for the inoment defeated. Towards the end of March the Emperor reached Paria—-Louis XVIII and hie Ministers all fiying | precipitately. A new Cabinct was of course in- stalled ;‘and sO s0un as the intelligence thereof | reached Gretioble, the governor cf the prison, who | was naturally a kind-hearted man, hastened to Loftus exclaiming, * Now at last. may I venture to weport your case to his Imperial Majesty the Em-° ' péror Napoleon.” ~ | Joselyn was at first overjoyed! at this apparent | ghange ia the circumstances of his position’: bat : his spirits were somewhat damped again when the governor observed that there was a rumour of * | general outbreak of hosftlities in consequence of Sey ase alee 29 ang { Manoer did he express bis gratitude fo the governor tto Lady Sackville, with the contents of which we Napoleon’s retarn, and that if this were true Jocelyn might still be retained in captivity as a prisoner of war. However, without beinggdismayed by this probability, and wasting no precivus time in gloomy forebod’ngs, Jocelyn drew up such a memorial as he thogght would appeal to the generosity of Bonaparte: and this was at ounce transmitted to Paris, along with acsorroburative report drawn up by the governor of the prison. It was uot to be expected that very prompt attention would Be paid thereto—for the Emperor was necessarily immersed in business: and neéariy a month accordingly passed ere a response was re- osived. At length it came, and, «as entirely favour- able to Jocelyn’s views. In an official document from the Minister of the Tuterior, it was methoui- cally set forth that “ the Freach aathorities had no right to constitute themselves polteemen or zaclers to sult the aims of a foreign prince; and that as for Jocelyn Loftus being detained on the ground of travelling with a.falee name, such 9 satisfactory explanation had been given in the memorial sent to his Imperial Majesty, that the immediate release of the aforesaid Jocelyn Loftus was ordained,” Thue was it that at the commencement of May aur hero recovered his freedom; and in the sincerest for such kind as he had experienced at his hands. He at anee took a post-chaise and pro- ceeded to Champbery in the Piedmontess dominions ; and here he leagaed that the Princess of Wales with her suite wae sesiding at a beautiful villa in the neighbourhood ef Geneva. Bat ere he purslied his journey, Jocelyn wrote a long letter to Louiaa, ex- laining to her every$hing that, had faken place~- how he had deed imprisoned at Grenoble, and the cirehmetancea uades which he hed penned all his correspondence with ber and had received her replies, He also ponved forth in an enthusiastic strala his declarasions af uaregying aflvation : for he falt that he could ney sive foe vent to his feelin.s ja that respect without the rigs of having his letters read by stranger eyes. He alee said that he was at present on hie way to Geneva to see the Princess ; and he hoped that ig a very short time he should be enabled to return to England and conduct his cbelgved Louisa to the altar. He also wrote a letter ee a i a are not however at this period of our narrative sup- posed to be acquainted. Having passed the night at Chambery, Jocelyn started at an early hour on the ensuing morning for Geneva; and as he wiis borne in the post-chaise along one of those splendid roads for which all the previnces af Savoy and Piedmont are famous, he weighed in bis mind the course that he ought to adopt in falfitiing the mission with which he had charged. Himself towards the injured wife of the Prince Regent. If she were still surrounded by the ‘spies and agents of the conapiratora, as he had every reason to' sua ‘it would perhaps be difficult for him to sbtatsr access to her; and if the three*Miases ‘Qyren still formed a part of her household, they would not merely do all they could to prevent her Royal Highness from granting him an addience, but might even have recdurse to repreemntations cal- culated to blacken his character, He knew how cpmpletely her Royal Highness bad been yader the supervision of the spies and enemies who eurtounde/ GOnniGooo cS) CO