The Mysteries of the Court of London, Vol. 5 — page 160: what you’re looking at

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

SE aaa Rr a I ce Re ER RS arr TT EI EET OS OO | gwhat price. eS AS Eee ee THE —s OF THE COURT. —_—s: ee experienced n no emotion of pleasure — —n0 ‘inward triumph—no feeling of satisfaction. N jeyertheless, such ~ man could not help bee coming famous to a certain extent—though he him- self sought not after fame. Asa physician he eminent ;' and he was diligent in the exercis Sarcise of his professional duties, not for the sake of reputation, but because he thereby acquired an But wherefore did this man, #0 frugal in so humble in his domestic economy, so completely | dissevered from every pursuit which the world calls pleasure, and with no family cares or claims te make him wish for riches,—wherefore, it will be "asked, did such & man covet much gold P Because he expended large sums in the prosecution of his favourite avocations. He thought no more of giving a thousand guineas for 4 mummy, than a wealthy aristocrat would in purchasing a a race-horse; and if he read in any foreign journal’ of some - nary object in natural history existing at suci# such a place, he would instantaneously despatch trusty agent to procure the sanie, no matter at Thus, for instance, he had in his museum the skeloton of“a Russian giant seven foot soven inches high, who had died a few yoars back in Siberis and whose remains the doetor had pur- chased of tho man’s relatives (through his trusty agent) for a considerable sum. He had also tha body af a German dwarf, only two fect six incHes high, and who had lived to a very advanced age: this corpse, which was preserved in spirits of wine, Dr. Ferncy had elso purchased of the deceased pigmy’s friends at the timo of his death. But it would be impossible to enumerate the various curiosities of this ghastly nature which Dr. Ferney had succseded in procuring. Enough has however been said to enable the reader to forma an idea of the perseveraricé with which he pursued the bent of his aste, and the large outlays which,were needed to gratify it. He‘was a man of about forty-five yoars of age; and from his earliest youth had given indications of this singularity of genius and disposition which with the lapse of years was destined to show such remarkable developments. Of middle stature— thin, pale, and with a countenance that in every line and lineament denoted deep thought and con- tinuous study—-Dr. Ferney was not.one of those men who are calculated to win the female heart. Without being at all repulsive, he still ‘was very far from prepossessing. He was ; and of all beings in the world, seemed thé. most Kkely to continue ao. Yet this man, of sich strange tastos, such profound devotion to thi mysteries of scionco, and of such misaxithropic habits, had not only loved, bué stilt choristiod in the- depths of his soul thest of her who many years pack made so indelible an impreséion on his mind. His love had wot been téciprocated : years and yoars had elapsed since he had seen, ita objéct—and yet the passion remained deep and. hable in his heart. No orie owt that ‘he had ‘thus loved, save and except the béing on whom that love bestowed: no oud. thought -him capable of loving—and to. this supposed apenity was the circumstance of his un\ pndition. . ¢ Yet in the solitude of his own study—in the escrocy at his laboratory—and even in the mfetic silence ano loneliness of his museum, the memory of been revenu0s. ‘nce vel eil was a countenance which he had deen b. had.| before and which had rerpained indelibly impressed —— 147 his love come stealing u on his ‘mind like a pers fumed cloud over Araby’s sandy dreariness; and the bright and beautiful image which had inspired the sentiment would riso up befuro his mental vision like a mihrage of enchanting delight amidst the tracklesg aands of the desert. His was a strange Heart: to chetish such a feeling: but it oxisted there a tam 2 ae we op neverthelgss—a rose blooming on. the side of barren rock ! Such was Dr. Ferney, tho eminent physician of Conduit Street. - It was about nine o'clock in the evening, and the doctor was seated in his study, poring over a volumo on some abstruse subjoct, when his footinan ontercd to aunounce that a lady roquested an immediate interview. The physician inquired her namo—for he was not accustomed to receive visits from females at that hour: but the domestic replied that tho lady had said her name was of no consequence, as she was a stranger to Dr..Ferney, but that she en- a | treated the favour of an audienco if it were only for a few minutes., The physician accordingly bade the servant introduce the lady to the study; and the laoquey quitted the room for the purpose. In a couple of minutes the man returned, eacort- ing a lady closely veiled. The. footman withdrc@, shutting the door behind hi®, and the doctor placed a chair for the lady's acoommodation. She was han dressed, but ina manner which | seemed to indicate a motive for disguise. The dark | weil was folded thickly over her features, and she | retained it with,one of her hands in such a way as to keep it in its proper ‘position, so a8 effectually te conceal her: face. She was tall and of a fincly do- veloped figure; and though from her manner she appeared somewhat agitated and nervous, yet therc was in her gait and gestures a certain dignity mingled with elegance that denoted the well-brod female. Dr. Ferney knew not how it was, but a stran ipo kind of trouble gradually stole over him—an in- atinctive feeling that thera waa some unknown link between himself and this lady who came so myste- Sah ee es eee oe, 2S 2 Ge | LS Cae ec TET a ~~ eee - ~ ee riously—a vaguo and undefined presentiment that - despite what she had said to his footman, she was . not entirely a strauger to him. So powerfully did | these feelings gain upon the physician, that ho found himself unable to put such questions as — heart. | might glicit the lady’s object: in visiting him ; and the clouds which enveloped his presentiment slow! y fading away, it seemed as if his comprehension clearer and that:a ray of light was dawning st bees bos upon his soul» He trembled—his d the mystic knowledge that behind tho Upon. his memory! “Dé shallow teasoner and the superficial observer gucls a pre such strange and unaccountable foreshadowings, such truthful but inexplicable rovealings; and the thoughtful portion of our readers will not dissent from $he assertion. Has it not happened—aye, and a to palpitate even wich violenco—and he may ridicule this idea of the physician entertaining : knowledge of who his, visitant — was, even before she had lifted her veil or given ut- terance to a word: but the fact is perfectly con- | sistant with the natural course of things. For | =— are such mystic promptings of the mind, | ——_ == LOAO© (C©) SS (CO)