The Mysteries of the Court of London Vol. 4 — page 213: what you’re looking at

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

- ~~ =— cee ce eg ere g C 2Uu ' THE MYSTERIES of the matter and propose a little annuity or some- thing of the sort.” “Or else find some needy young fellow,” ob- served Malpas, with a laugh, “who for a certain sum of money paid down will take the girl al- toyether off your hands and father the child when it is born.” “Well, perhaps I may do something in that way,” rejoined Curzon, carqleasly, “ But the worst of it is the girl is rather sentimentally inclined and not mercenary. She is one of those tender- hearted creatures who will persist in loving wheno they themselves are no loager luved, and who can- nut see or will not understand that they were taken for aught save the playthings of he moment.” But this heartless speech, so wel! worthy of an Bugliish aristucrat—who, by the bye, beats all the rest of humanity on the score of utter heartless- noss—was suddenly interrupted by the entrance of the waiter, who presented a note to the Earl of Curzou and then immediately retired. “A lady's hand ! a aweet beautiful hand!” ejacu- lated the nobleman, as he took up the billet. “From the Owens?” demanded the Colonel eagerly. “ No doubt of it,” was his lordship’sreply. “Who else could write to us in Geneva ?” Thus speaking, he broke the seal and ghanced his‘eyes over the note : then tossing it acrosa the table, he observed with a celf-satisfied air, * To be sure! did 1 not tell you how it would be” Malpas hastened to read the bullet, the laconic cuntents of which ran as follow :— ‘Emma and Julla, haviag maturoly considered the re- quest proffered by Colonel Malpas and the Ear! of Curzon, and deeming it right to give them an opportunity of ex- plaining their conduct, will meet them at hailf-paat nine o'clock precisely by the jetty on the border of the lake.” “Brief enough,” said Malpas; “ but explicit as brief, What ssy you ?—shall we atroll thitherward at once?” “ By all means,” answered Curzon. “I am anx- lous to get thé business over and my mission ful- filled as soon as possible. Depend upon it, I do not intend to dally for as mauy days as I did weeks on the previous occasion after wy fair Julie, I shall tell her my mind as plain as pussible, atcord- iug to my instructions, and have done with it.” “And I shall pursue the same course with re- ard to Einma,” said Malpas ; “ because I mean to travel into Italy and thence pase up the Mediter- ranean to Turkey-———” “Well, never mind your future plans,” inter- rupted the Karl; “let us go forth and attend to present occupations,” Having lighted their cigare, Lord Curzon and Colonel Malpas issued from the hotel and sauntered through the streets towards the lake, so regulating their walk according to the time, that they reached _ the jetty about five minutes to the half-hour. The night was beautiful. The sky was of a purply age, studded with many a twinkliug star: for the must comimon to that clime and spot after sunset, had only just begun to settle on the surface of the Jake and bad not sufficiently expanded to mar the | clear view of heaven above. The Earl and Malpas walked to and fro in the iminediate vicinity of the jetty, impregnating the air with the smoke of their cigars and speaking but ttle, They were not kept waiting beyond the time eqeentigqeiia®: com ae ee. ee wee Re ela ee ee ee es eee el = OF THE OOURT. mentioned in the note. for scarcely had the clock- towers chimed -the half-hour, when two female figures, closely veiled, passed suddenly round the massive wood-work forming the commencgment ef the pier, and accosted the two loungers. “Ab! this is indged kind of you,” said Curzon, as one of the ladies immediately took him by the arm and began to draw him away from his companion Malpas, on whose arm the other lady fastened her- self in a similar manner, Curzon took the hand which rested upon his arm, and pressed it tenderly, at the same time observing, * Will you not raise your veil? Am I not to be permitted one kiss, Julia—one single kise— after this absence? Or at all events may I not claim it as the reward for having come back to you? What! no answer? And yet methought that when you looked back at me for a single moment this evening, as you turned abruptly away with your sister Agatha, there was forgweness in those sweet eyes of thine. But I suppose,” continued the Karl, after having vainly paused for nearly a minute to see whether his fair one would vouchasfe a reply, “that you feel yourself go deeply offended that you must have an explanation before you confer the slightest favour. Is it so, Julia? Come~speak, speak |” While the Earl was thue addressing his female companion, who was both cloaked and veiled, she had led him.-ound the piles of the jetty so that they were now upon the opposite side from that where they had first met: or, to make the matter atill more intelligible to the reader, we may observe that Malpas and bis companion had remained on one side of the pier, while Curgzun and his fair one had gone round to the other. “Come now,” resumed the Earl, having a second time paused to see whether any answer would be voucthsafed; “ this silence is ridiculous —this affectation most absurd. I thought that ; I shoulafind you in a better mood, Julia: I did not thiok you could shut yourself up in a sullen- ness like this, Well, if you will uot answer mo I must endeavour to unseal those sweet lips of your’s. It is usually said that kisses seal woman's lips: but I must now ose if they will not have a coutrary effect.” ( Thus speaking, Curszon threw his arms round his companion and endeavoured to tear away ber veil; But all in a moment she started a pace back- ward—threw,up the veil of her own accord—and exclaimed, “ Behold me!” “ What! is it possible?” cried the Earl, stag- gering back in utter amazement, as by the pure moonlight he discovered the features of Lady Prescott. “ Yeu—'tis I—the plaything whom you tossed aside |” she instantaneously responded iu a hoarse voice. Then,-even as the last words were still issuing from her lips, she raised her arm—something gleamed in her hand— tte next moment there was a flash, accompanied by a report, and quickly ful- lowed by the ejaculation of “O God!” uttered in sudden agony. Then there was a splash as of a heavy body falling into the Jake—and all was atill on this side of the pier ! But on the ofker side the report of the pistol was echoed—not by,a mere reverberation, but by a like sound emanating from a similar weapon: aad there too was a momentary cry of death, | ee ee ar, — ee ee eee ae 8 ee rez CONNIE OOO cS) CO