The Mysteries of the Court of London Vol. 4 — page 389: what you’re looking at

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

Ted eel 370 THE MYSTERIES or THE COURR, | queen? coger, 2 2 eee aside her work, she rose from her chair, threw her arms round his neck, and kissed him tenderly. “You are a sweet dear girl,’ said Theodore, atraining her to her breast; “and it is on account of you that lam unhappy. I feel that my position is worse than precarious—it is almost hopeless: and then, in the moments of my deepest despon- dency, I ask myself again and again what is to be- come of you. Methinks I shall take another name —conceal the fact that I have beda unfortunate— ‘and thus endeavour to get a situation.” “No, no, dearest brother,” said Ariadne, who was now standing by his side with her hand upon his shoulder—and she seemed like an angel watch- ing over a denizen of earth,—* you must*practise no deception. Let us gut our faith in heaven— God will not desert us {” “Ah! but am I deserving of God's favour ?” suddenly exclaimed Theodore, conscience-stricken by the sense of the unmitigated virulence aud savage perseverance With witich he had hunted a fellow-creature to the scaffold. ° “Why do you speak thus?” asked his sister, now gazing down upon him gs he remained seated in his chair while she continued standing by his side: “why do you speak thus, 1 ask?”’—for the beautifol girl was totally ignorant of the course which her brother had adopted towards EZm- merson, * “My dear sister,” he immediately said, giving an evasive reply, “was I not criminal in wronging my employer even to the trifling amount ip which I was a defaulter and notwithstanding the peculiar circumstances of the case ?” ‘Theodore,’ she answered, the tears again streaming from her eyes, “it was on my account you did that. Oh! I was the authoress of all your sufferings !”’ “ Angel of purity that you are, accuse not your- self!” ejaculated Theodore, starting from his seat, and again e:nbracing her affectionately. ‘* Come, dry your eyes—I must not see you weep. You know how I love you.” t “ Yes—and it is because you are stich a dear kind brother to me that God will not desert you,” said Ariadne. ‘ « ‘ Again [ say dry your eyes—look cheerful— amile upon me—and we will not yield to despon- dency. Let usgo out for a walk together, I will de- vote the whole of this day to you; and to-morrow 1 will recommence my search after a situation. It is impossible but that I must sooner or later fall in with some generous minded man who will view my past misfortunes without prejudice. And now smile, Ariadne,” said Theodore, smiling himself in order to win back the wished-for radiance to his sister’s anrelic countenance. At this moment a knock was heard at the front door: it was a double knock, and a well known one too—for Theodore immediately exclaimed, “Here is Sir Duufglas !” The colour instantaneously mounted to Ariadrte's cheeks—her gentle bosom heaved — and something iike a sigh rose to her lips. But her brother ob- served not all this; for he had turned hastily round to meet, the Baronet whom the servant girl had ust admitted. “My dear Theodore, how are you?” said Sir Douglas. “ Miss Varian, I hope I find you well. But perhaps J am intruding at this moment ?” a eT “You intrude ?—nover!” exclaimed Theodore, warmly pressing the hand of his benefactor, while Ariadne’s looks unconsciously gave a similar as- surance. ‘ * Then, in that case I Wil? sit down,” said the Baronet; “not only because [ am somewhat fred ° —having walked all tile way hither from the t/Yest End; but likewise because I wish to speak to you, Theodore, on some little business. But I dare say you are astonished when I tell you that I have walked? The fact is, when I come to see you I do not like such formal ceremony as driving hither in my carriage or cabriolet: indeed, I should be very much pleased to settle down into a quiet un- ostentatious mode of life. However, it was not to hold corth upon my own likes og dislikes that I came hither now.” ~ The Baronet -had seated himself while thus speaking: Ariadne and Theodore had also re- sumed their chairs—and both waited with some degrge of suspense until Sir “Douglas should ex- plain the business to which he had alluded; for they alike thought and hoped it referred tu his promise to interest himself in obtaining the young man a situation. “ When I wis last here,” resumed Huntingdon, ‘‘] said something about a mercantile firm with which Tam acquainted. It is the head of the es- tablishment who is my friend; and I could not see him before this morning—alth6ugh I assure you I have called every day for that purpose. 1 dare swear you fancied I had forgotten it altogether ?” “T have received too mahy proofs of your gene- rosity,” answered Theodore, “to think that you would intentionally neglect your kind promise but I certainly feared that amid your engagements you had overlooked it.” “And did you think so also, Miss Varian ?” asked Sir Douglas, turning his eyes upon the young damsel : but he gazed not on her as he had been yont to gaze on others of her sex ;—there was alwi ys an expression of respectful admiration in his countenance when he Jooked upon that fair yorng creature around whom a halo of innocence seemed to dwell. “T feared as my brother did,’ She answered, in a soft tone ‘and with dcwncast eyes: “ for I am well aware that a gentleman in your sphere must have so many things to engage his attention.” “Aye, but perhaps I think more of my friends when absent from them than you give me credit for,” he said goog-humoaredly, “It is not because I remain away from them, that they are absent from my thoughts. However, to come to the point, I have seen Mr. Chapman, the wealthy mer- chant to whom I have alluded; and I fully and frankly explained to him everything. I must tell you that he has established two or thrée English agencies on the Continent; and it just happens that at this moment the manager of one of these agencies—L forget where he told me it was-- has written to him to say that he requires a confi- dential young man to be sent to him at once, to supply a vacuncy that has ocourred in the branch- establishment which he superintends. ‘The salary is a hundred and fifty pounds a-year, rising ac- ording to the merits of the individual; and as it is entirely for the English correspondence, a knowledge of foreign languages is not needed as a qualification. Thik situation, Theodore, is at your 4 CONNIE OOO cS) CO