The Mysteries of the Court of London Vol. 4 — page 21: what you’re looking at

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

7 | _ THE MYSTERIES OF THE, COURT. J Pr that took place between your Majesty and Mrs. | tragedy-queen in all/,ts reality: A truce, therefore, Owen yesterday. Hence that alteration in my | to these magnificen, expressions and Igfty com- looks whi?. ,ou have observed ——” plainings on your fart. If you are disobedient, 1 * Ab! then denial will be useless,” muttered the | shall kuow how to punish you, all princess and Queen between her false teeth; and drawing forth | lineal heiress to the throne though you may be! a, snuff-box from her bag, she took a huge pinch | For the present, if your life becomes one of prison- of the stimulating powder; then, as if it had in- | age and espionage, you have only yourself to spired her with the ipsolent spirit of one who | thank for it. No more journeys to Londoti unless boldly throws off thé mask when it becomes im- | accompanied by me! Your rides, tao, will be con- possible to wear it any longer, she said, “ You | fined to the environs of Windsor; and if you or- and I had better understand each other at once, | der your coachman to proceed elsewhere, you will Charlotte. In that letter,”—and she pointed to | only subject yourself to the pain of refusal. As for the one upon the table,—“ you inform your mother | this silly affair of enlisting Mr. Jocelyn Loftus in that you have accidentally discovered the atrocious | your projects,” added the Queen with a sneer, “ de- conspiracy which exists to ruin her, but that | pend upon it I shall find means to put a stop to through the kindness of your aun‘ Sopitia you ex- | any such ridiculous proceeding; and when yor pect to secure the services ufa ygung genticman | next meet your aunt Sophia, the best thing you whom you do not know otherwise than by name, | can do will be to remain silent on the subject. Now in order to help your mother to frustrate the dc- | you understand 14e—and I wish you good night.” signs of her encmies: and this letter you propose | The young Prinyss made no reply, but tyrned to transmit by your new friend Mr. Jocelyn Loftus, away with swelling heart: and as the door closed t aT, Dea me a EES TaD coils eee t > ee cae a NYAS ol A ager Wall aR aT ED | ie mgilie, provided you can in reality secure him as the | behind her grandmother, she threw herself into an champion of this cause! Now if, after reading | arm-chair and burst intoean agony of tears. that letter, I searched for you in all the adjacent | “ This, this indeed is slavery !” she murmured te rooms until'I found you in Mrs. Bredalbane’s ante- | herself. “1am as much enchained as any one of chamber, it was for the express purpose of létting | those poor and oppressed millions who are com- you know at_once that there is but one wil! in | pelled to obey the despot rule of royal sway! The England at tfis inoment which shall be paramouut | ouly difference getween us is that their chains are sand that is say will! You are not Queen yet: and | of iron undisguisad, while mine are gilt. Oh! my uckess you yield implicitly to my advige, you neverg} poor mother, am I indeed separated from thee by shall be. Your own father would help to disinherit | un impassable gulf!—may 4 ‘hot warn thee of the you in favour of-‘one of Ins brothers, if you were | perils which the machinations of thine enemies are to thwart his purposes. As for Sophia—the foolish | conjuring up around thee?—am 1 indeed a prisoner minx !—how dares she interfere in these matters?! Within these walls? But who will dare make me As if she herself were so very immacniate !’—and | so 2” o the words caine hissiug trom the Queen's. noth, Aud rising from her seat with & sudden assump- “What! would you asperse the character of | tion of that dignitied energy which so well became ' your own dauvhter ?” exclaimed the young Prin- | her, the Princess advanced towards the duor. To _ cess Charlotte, darting a look of winyied amaze- | her surprise the handle yielded to her touch: for ' ment and scorn upon her grandmother. she almost expected to find it locked. Then she “] only meant to say,’ observed the Qneen | paused, mistrustful a3 it were of being Icft thus far hurriedly—for she now repented of the remark | free: for she fancied either that the Queen was which she had let slip in her rage,—“I only meant | watching at the end of thu passage, or that she to say that Sophia has her faults as well as the rest | had set spies upon her. But again recuvering all of the world. But let us not bandy uuueccssary her presence of mind, ske issued forth from her words. As for your letter, this is the way I serve | room and + roceeded aloug the passage, but with- it "and seizing hold of the epistle, she crumpled ! out any definite aim. it up and tossed it into the fire. - Suddenly a thought struck her; and obeying the “Then am 1 debarred the privilege of writing @% ; impulse of the idea, she knocked at the door of Mrs. my own mother?” asked the Princess, her counte- | Bredalbane’s ante-chamber. The summons was ‘ nauce now becoming deadly pale and her lips | almost immediately answered by Lady Prescott, whu quivering with indijration. had not yet retired for the night, but was still keep- «You may write as much as you choose,” re- | ing her invalid friénd compgny. « And bere we may sponded the Queen, “solong as you mention naught | observe that her ladyship.was a young widow, six- contrary to my views. Au opposite course can | and-twenty years of age, and exceedingly good look- only bave the tendency of producing the suppres- | ing. Her beatity was of an oriental cast—her com- sion of your letters.” plexion was dark—her eyes wete very fine~and “Ahf then an English Princess is a slave,” | her teeth were like ivory. ‘Aa for her eyes—she cried Charlotte, with flashing eyes, dilating nos- | how opened <fltem wide with astonishment on be- trils, and swelling bust. holding the Princess Charlotte returning thither after “ Yes—a slave to the will that is paramount,” | the taunts and reproaches she bad received from t'e rephed the Queen, with the look of malignant tri- | Queer. as ae amph. “ I wish to speak to you particularly,” said the “ But I would sooner be abegrar in the streets | young Princess, passing into the ante-chamber aud enjoy freedom of action,” exclaimed the out- | “ fas Mrs. Bredalbane retired yet to rest?” raged Charlotte, “than continue a Prince-s to be} ‘* No, your Royal Highness,” said Lady Prescotts thus held in bondage !” and hastening tu dtaw aside the curtain in the door- “ We are not upon the stage df a theatre,” said | way, she thus afforded ingress for. the youthful acer Majesty: “aud upgain I may remind you that ; Charlette tothe inner room. - you have not yet the opportunity of playing the “ Now, laces,” said the Princess, coming to the & —_— eo Re ote ee | aq oe PE - = om “eras ee ee —— ee ewes wae = Oe @ee eee oe = on -_— = one -= —a - -_— = Oe, Se re ee, cee TE ES SS a NS A ey om wer mn Gen mw ome pee ee rn a ES IE eomney ree + oe Mn eee ely Se ee e+ = =~Ts a 12) ECOMICOOOlKS CO