The Mysteries of the Court of London Vol. 4 — page 392: what you’re looking at

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

SD cm cmieeg maps ETE gg SP copy gr IE SL TS a a a ee lll oe =_e—— am oe —— mine Gee ee ee ee oe Ae ee Ee oy EE ee ee ' men!’? caclaineed 'heodore, seizing the ee eee oe oe ee el oe ee ee ee an Do ‘es ee eee ee Cg ad would cheerfully resign her post. Now what do you think of that, Arindn@—Miss Varian, I mean ?” . “TY think,” responfled the damsol, in a voice thafgvas very low and very tremulous--and she @poke too without rdising her,hcad,— “that Mrs. Baines has acted in a most dis- interested manner; but only as I should have expected she would have done, from what I know of her.” “ And now tell mc, M&s Ariadne,” continued the Baronet, “woud you also advise me to marry ? You do nol auswer. Tinust adinib that It isu somewhat singular question—or it may appear 80 at Jenst, but do tell mo ifyou think that Tam capable of insuring the happivesg of guy youug lady &hom 1 may Jove ?” Yen—if you sincerly love hor,” repiied Ariadne: and now the stitches she was making were a thousand times worse than ever. ‘Edu love her—I have long laved her !"’ ex- elaimad the Baronet. “ And now I aim resolved to offer her uy hand and lay my fortune ot her fect! Ariadne, dearest Ariadine—you know Whom T mean! Will you be mine 2?” Again the work was dropped in the samo kind of confusion as before: byt this time neither of them stooped to pick it np—for the Baronct caught the blushing girl in his arms nnd strained her to his brenst. That she did not immediately disengavze herself was a suf- ficient proof thateshe accepted his love and Joved him in return. When the brother came back from the City, “he found the Baronet and Ariadne seated near the window shaded by the Venetian blind: and while there was the radianco of un honest joy upon the couutenance of the of the furmer, there was the tell-tale blush es a Virgin's happy love uponthe checks of the atter. *Theodore,”’ Sir Douglas Huntingdon im- mediately suid, “while you have been to the Cily to find a situation, | have found an angel 10 become my wife. Ariadne has listened go my boncuurable proposa ls; and unless you say nay, has consented to become Lady Hunting- 7% 1 ‘‘Woblest - hearted and most onee o be ronct’s hand an@ wring it with violence in the enthusiasm of his feelings: “ how can I ever express my gratitude for what you have done?r Ariadne, my beloved sister-—s<ncerely, oh, most sincerely do [ congratulate you upon having gained the affections of Sir Douglas Huntingdon! It is net a mere subordinate situation on the Continent Which he has procured me—it is the chicf management of that brancb-house which 1 fancied I was to enter as clerk: and it 18 na in- como not of a hnndred and fifty pounds a-yenr, but of four hundred a-year that | am to receive. Nor is this all. Our benofactor —your future husband, Ariudne—has given security on my behalf in thé amount of five thousand pounds to Mr. Chapman—— Ob! never was generosity more rople than this!” Ariadne could not give utierance to a word: she was well-nigh overpowered by hor feelings : —but taking Sir Douglag Huntingdon's hand, she pressed it to her lips—-and thal, action on her part was ten thousand times inore eloquent than all the powers of speech could huve beens Ti was u happy little purty of three that sut down that ufternoon to the dinner-t@blo in the purlour of the cottage at Yslingion; and Sir Gta ae ey eee ee eee \ ote oe LE e THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. me Gn Oe ee ee a ee Sb 6° age of Oe Sop a Ge ere owes oe e 879 | Douglas Huntingdon perhaps never enjoyed & bliss more roal, more sincere, or more satise factory in all his life. recuived from Ariadne’s lips her assent that the bridal should be celobrated at the expiration of three weeks, so that her brother, who was compelled to leave England shortly, might be present at it. CHAPTER CCVII. BE. DUPONT’S ESTABLISHMENT. Av a distanco of about to miles from Geneve, {here stood a lurge white building upon the slope of an eminence, situated in the midst of spicious pleasure-grounds, and commanding a beautiful view of Lake Jeman. Those pleavure grounds weve surrounded by a very high wall; ang the iron gates at the entrance- lodge were always kept carefully shut, open- ing only for the purpose of egress or ingress. The mansion had evidently been enlarged at diffcrent times, and seemed far too extensive for the private residence of even a family possessing cnormous Wealth. In short, this establishment of which we are speaking, was a private lunatic-asylum. , chambers which the In one of the many ostublishment contained, two young ladies were seated near the barred window, gazing vacantly forth upon the prospect without. They were well dressed; and the chamber itrelf was handsomely furnished. Vases of flowers made the air fragrant: fruits and decanters of crystal water wero upon the central table. There were musical instruments, books and pictures, scattergd about, bufin no unseemly isorder; and an alcove, or very large recess at ono extremity of the apartment, contained throa couches. Near the door an elderly fernnleo, stout in person and very strong! built, was seated. She was engaged in read- ing a book : but frem time to time she glanced towards the two yonng ladies at the window, evidently to observe what they were doing. The reader has doubtless glready guessed that the two young fadies roferred to were Agatha and Julia Qwen. Through the gene- rosity of the Princess of Walos,~—who had not merely studied, but likewjsc practised the divine maxim of “ Forget und forgive,” — they had been removed from the common madhouse in the Genevese prison to this private asylam, which was Kept by one of the most hnmane and enlightened physicians of the age. Dr. Dupont—a Frenchman by birth— was the proprietor of thie establishment; and having all his life studied psychological subjects, lichad adopted a regime of mild and in- dulyent treatment towards his patienta, instead of the old system of coercion and crue The consequence was that the strait-waisfcoat was seldom used within the of this asylum; aud as for blows or corporeal punishmont, sich atrocities were never dreamt of. ‘There were tio dopartments—one for males, and the other for females: and these were sub- divided into many chambers, to suit the various degrees of insanity by. which the patients were affected, aud also any other circumstances of their position. Thus, in the case of the two sisters, one chamber was assigned to them both; and their guardian—the stont woman reading near the door—wus ever in attendance Me. hint VEE Epepe 1 Pewee 7 [ee lee Reader, hé did not. take his departure that evening until he had eee ne O) ANICLOO© ( cS) CO