The Mysteries of the Court of London Vol. 4 — page 396: what you’re looking at

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

ee THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. a ens Oo ge @ back those fond catesses with an equal fond- ness. e “Come and sit down with usy’’ said Agatha, “and tell us where yon have been. [Lis so long sincrawe saw you!” * ¥¥s, come and sit downe with us,’ echoed Julia, “and tell us where you have beet. I+ is so long since wo sap you!’’ ® “ Dearest sisters,” answered Myry, almost blinded by her tears and suffovatod with her sobs; “here is our mogher come to sco you also.’’ ° “ Yes, my poor girls—-it is T, your mother—- your almost heartbroken wother!” exclaimed Mrs. Owen, rushing forward to embraco her two afflicted children. “What? you eur mothgr!” shriecked fo®th Agatha, her whole appearance changing with: an awful suddenness, as if the spirit of a fiend had in a moment entcrod her frame. “No, no—not you our mothcr! You arc a demoness —ua she-devil—an old witch—%S vile monstrous hag! I know you well! Avaunt! avaunt !’® ‘** No, no—you are not our mother!’ were the thrilling ochoes that now mang picrcingly from the frenzied Julia's lips: “ you are a demoness —a she-devil—a hideous hag. Avaunt! I know you well—avaunt !”’ ™ And then the two sisters, taking each otber's hand, stood side by side, ax if in the reliance of mutual protection against that mother whom they did not recognise, but whose prescuce lu thus so terribly excitod them. As for Mra. Owen herself, she covered her face with her hands—staggered back aginst the wall—and Robbed aloud; while poor Mary stood at a little distance, transfixed with horror and * dismay. ° ‘My dear young friends,” said Dr. Dupont, accosting Agatha and Julia, “ you have revog- nised your sister—are you not glad to see her ? And will you not believe me when I a<sure you that the other lady is your mother ?”’ he added very slowly, and earnestly watching the looks of bis patients. “ Our mother !—no, no!” again shricked frth Agatha, all the frenzy of rago blazing up again inamoment. “1 tell you she is not our mother! —she is the old demoness who hus made us do everything that js wrong” ‘Yos— the dengonesy who has made ns to everything that is wrobg !” were the terrible reverborations thrilling from Julia’a lips. ‘*() God, huve meicy upon me!” cried Mrs. Owen: and not observing the imporious signal which Dr. Dupont now suddenly made for her to withdraw, she sprang forward--threw lher- self upon her knees at the feet of lier two lost and runiod children—and with wild looks and outstretched arms, shricked forth, “ Par- don me, pardon ime, iy deeply injured daugh- ters !— forgive your miscrable, -misemuble mother !’’ Strange was the offect now suddciuly pro- duced upon Agathy and Julia: the expres- sion of frenzjcd horror slowly .faded away from their features—their eyes losl the ma- ninc fires which they had cre uow flashed forth—and the increasing plucidity ov. their looks indicated a slowly returning tranquillity of mind. Tho doctor, who had begn upon the point of ordoring Mrs. Owen torth from the room—or even gingeher thence .f she would uot leave of her own accord — now watched with the deepest interest and atten. tion this new phase in his two young pa‘ients conduct; while Mary looked ou with beighten- ing hope in her bosom. Nor was even the -_. (Weare * eee ee Se ew wee ws gg P-=e—m— -< stout femalo enstodian Indilterent eto “what was passing; and Mrs. Owen still remainod upon her knees—while her two deeplywronged daughters were looking down upon her with nw gradually increasing clearness aud Incidity of guze. There was something tonchingly poctic and beantifully statuesyue in the atti- tude which each of the two sisters took, as thus side by side and hand in hand, they stood with ther eyes bent down on their parent’s upturned countenance. And for morxo than a minute did this strange soene last, amidst a profonnd silénce. The attitudes and the looks of Agatha and Julia were identical— they were exactly the same: and it seemed as if it wer8 but one mind influencing the two animated forma. e At length Agatha slow)y raised her dison- gauged hand to her brow, to which she pressed it as if to collect or steady the thoughts that wero avitating confusedly in her brain: and precisely at the samo moment, and with the same slow S— did Julia raise also the hand which she ial disengage®, and place it in a like manner to her white forehead. Dr, Dupont flung a puck glance upon Mary and tho female keeper, as if to intimate that this was tho crisis tpon which everything depended. And a crisigindeed it was—but one the turn of which was little foreseen by any in@vidual present ! ‘“O God, it ia indeed oar mother !” seddenly shrieked forth the two sisters, both at the same instant, and in blendiny tones of the wildest frenzy. But the next instant Agatha staggered back, with a ghastly paleness suddenly seizing upon her, and fell heavily upon the carpot,—the blood flowing from her lips. “Great heaven, she is dying!’ shrioked tho horror-stricken Mary, rushing towards her eldest sister. “No, no—keep back, keep back !”’ scroamed Julia, forcibly pushing Mary away; and then eho threw herself upon tho panting, convulsing form of Agatha. All was now fhorror and distress on the part of Mfs. Owen and Mary: for it was but too clear that“the unfortunate Agatha had burst a bhloodvessel. ‘The @octor and the female keeper forcibly removed Julin from the dying sister to whom she clang: but, oh! more horror—imore distress--more terror and dis- gmay!--was the blood on Julia’s lips but the stain of that flowing from Agatha’s mouth P or was it hor own life-blood oozing forth from the fountains of a bursting heurt ? Tho two sisters were speedily placed each on der respective couch; and all that haman skill could de for them was performed by Dr. Dupont. Vain endeavour! The same excitement had produced in each the samo effect; aud both were dying. Mrs. Owen aud Mary wero well nigh frienmed with grief. ‘They first bent over one, then over the other, cf those loved beings on whom death was laying sits hand; and in_ tho physician's looks they beheld no hope. Nether Agatha nor Julia spoke another word: but about twenty minutes after the bursting of the blood-vessele which sent the stream of life pouring from their lips, they nade a movement, each upon her own couch, as if secking to clasp something in thoir arms. By this action they turned thdinselves towards each other; and with a last expiring effort they stretched out their arms to one an- other: then closing thoir eyes, they sank Ve ' ee ie til eee eee eee ee e ANICLOO© OL cS) CO