The Mysteries of the Court of London, Vol. 5 — page 143: what you’re looking at

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

ne ™ ee ca RN ae ~— ee ee ~<a —_ —— . ohne oo 130 suffering the tortures of hope deferred, my slendor means were rapidly disappearing. Thus nearly three vears passed away; and at length I could no Kiger clogs my eyes to the conviction that I had nothing to expect from the hand of the Royalty of | France. I am now speaking of exactly five years ayo, at which period the incident occurred to which all that I have just been saying is but the necessary preface.” | The Marquis of Villebelle paused in the sadness of the memories conjured up by his narrative; and Constance could not help experiencing the most tender intorcat en his behalf. She even ceased to recollect for the moment the deception which he had @ THE MYSTERIES C¥ THE COURT. Ss — a ee SC aes Ce. Se ee ee oe LQ eee eer 8 ah. stances. There appeated to be a certain frankness about him which inspired me with confidence; and moreover it was so necessary for me to hope—1 who { had been but a few minuteé before environéd by the darkness of despair! I explained to the Eng- lishmdn my pfocise position, net even withholding tho fact that at the very instant I had encountered him I was contemplating———but of that no matter —I will not nanfe the horrid thi again. Suflice it to say that he listened with the deepest attention and interest. to all Itold him; and when he had dome questioning me, I asked him who he was and how he had happened to know me? Te replied that he had met me in company w.th my father practised towards her; and he felé ¢hat her hand | some four or‘five years back in England, when I imparted a fond pressuse to Lis own as he held itin | was a youth; but though methought that his coun- his clasp, | | | tonance was not wholly unfamiliar, yet I could not ‘ Five years ago, then—-at the period of which I | recollect where I had seen hinf before. He then am speaking,” continued the Marquis of Villebelle, | proceeded to tell me fhat if the proposition he was “I found myself utterly ruined—] may say-even pen- | about f make suited my views, it would be neces- niless, housocless, and fridudless. Als! Constance, | sary for him to reveal his name, and algo that of a humiliating as it is toa man of prqud spirit and | young lady of whom he would have to spagk: but elevated notions to make such a confession, yet for | ere he mentioned those names he would have to the sake of truth am I bound to state that no pauper | exact from methe gost soledin, sacred, and binding grovelling upon the face of tho earth was at that | oath thut I would never reveal them in connexion motnent more destitute than I. What was to| with the transection he was about to submit to my become of me? Myseducation had not fitted me | consideration. My casé was too desperate to allow fur business-habits; and therefore I knew before- | me to offer any objection to whatever terms of hand that it was vain to seek the ¢tuation of a | secrecy he might stipulate: and I bade him prpceed. clerk. Should I become a private soldicr? No: Ij He then addressed mo as follows:—‘There is an could not bear the idea of serving with my sword | English lady for whom I am anxious to find a hus- that monarch who had behaved #0 upgratefully to | band, who must be a foreigner, and not only of a good my father and soscornfully towarde myself. Yet was | family, but possessed of a title of nobility. It 1s it absolutely necessary to do something; for I had | not under any circumstances of dishonour in respect not oven where to lay my head, nor the smallest | tothe lady herself that tho necessity for at once evin in my pocket. Suicide——Ah! you may well’| marrying her thus exists: She is pure and spotless, start, my beloved Constance |—but that. appeared to be the only alternative! It waa botween nine and ten .o’clock in the evening, in the month of June, exactly five years ago, that after rambling about Paris the whole day in a state of mind more ensily imagined than dopictod, I was bending my way towards one of the bridges—I will not repeat with what intontion— when [ suddenly heard myself called by name. I lonked up, and beheld before me, by the light streaming from a shop-window, « tall good-looking middle-aged gentleman, whom by his very appearance it was casy to recognize as an Knglishman. He said, ‘I presume that I am not wrong in addressing you as the Count de Villebelle ?” —I replied that my father had for some time beeg dead, and that I was now the Marquis of Villebelle ;. and in the bitterness of my spirit I added something to the effect that thi empty title of Marquis was everything I possessed in the world.—* Ah !’ ejacu- lated the Engtishman; ‘is it so? I was about to solicit your advice on a certcin pvint; but it may be that in this wrecked condition of your fortunes you yourself will serve my. purpose.’—Thesa ast words he had muttered in .&- musing tons, but audibly enough for me to cate&thom. There was totnething in them which appéared to shed a gleam 6f hope on the desolate darkness of my mind ; and as & drown- ing man graspa at a straw, did I clutch at-what the. Englisbmau bad just said. He invited me to follow him into an adjacent wine-shop, where he ordered a private room and refreshments to be served up. | We sat down together; and the Englishman ques- tioned mo most mimutely respecting my circum- so far as it is possible for any one to judge of the character of a woman or become a guarantee for her chastity, Thergfore it is to cover no fault that fhis speedy matrimonial allinnce is sought for. What the circumstances are which render it necessnry, cannot be explained. She is excecdingly handsome: but her beauty will matter little to him who becomes her husband, inismuch as the moment after the ceremony they will be separated ang will see each other no more, You now understand me. If you think fit to bestow your name—for it will be naught beyond the mere bestowal of a name—upon the lady in question, you shall receive the sum of fivo. thousand pounds, speaking in English money, tho moment after the ceremony has taken place. Such is my-proposition. Take twelve, or even twenty- four hours to consider it, if you like: hut at the expiration of that interval.your answer must be iven,’ a , e . | . The Marquis of -Villebelle paused; and Constance who had listened with a deep and ab g ine terest, now gave vent to an ejaculation of astonish- ment : es ee “You may well: be: surprised, -eweet girl,” said the Marquis: “for‘T-imyeelf was astounded by the strangeness of the Englishman's proposition. And yet I waa scarcely displogsed: at it. Five-thousand pounds—a hundred and twenty-five thousand francs —to a man. who was homeless, penniless, friendless, and starving! The-temptation wus too great; and after .all, ‘what was the service to be rendered in order to‘prochre spch a sum? Merely the bestowai of 4 name and title 60 atterly worthless to me thas eee ECOMRniclacae SS (CO)