The Mysteries of the Court of London, Vol. 5 — page 372: what you’re looking at

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THE MYSTERIES a oF mee eee eee ft ¢ho room, taking tho crown-pieco | he willingly Icft with him. “‘ Now, may dear girl,” said Mr. Gunthorpe, turn- ing to Henrietta, “I am going to devote my atten- | tion to your affairs: for you see I have constituted | myself your guardian, as it were—and therefore I , must attend to your interest. Now, don’t blush and look confused, Henrietta: there is nothing to be ashamed of in an honourable love—and nobody will be more delighted than myself to behold these bright prospects realized. «J presume, madam,” he continued, turning towards Mrs. Leyden, ‘‘ that you have not as yel”been to seo this young man who claims, tb be the heir of tho title and estates of Ey orton ¢ a “Tf you remeraber, Mr. Gunthorpo,” said Mrs. Leyden, “ you counselled mo go take no step in the mutter until you had timo tu look into i¢ yourself.” “True! Irecollect! Itewas*tho best course to be adopted. But 1 suppose, young Miss, theteyou have occasionally’ visited that cottage which you tell me is so picturesquely bituated at nagreat dis- tance hence e” ° “ Henrictta has called there throe or fouf times,” observed Mrs. Loyden. “I believe that you cone sented that she should do so?” ' “Qh! certainly: I saw no objection,” said Mr. Gunthorpe. “That Mrs. Chandos of whort Henri- ctta spoke, did her a great service in delivering hor from Beech-Tree Lodge. And by the bye, I am quito anxious to behold thig heroine. But I thougm@ you tuld me they were going off in such a vio- lent hurry into the countgy, somewhere down into Wales?—and that is a fortnight agd.” “Yes: but Adolphus—I mean the true Lord Everton,” said Jienrietta, hesitating and blushing, ‘has been so very unwell again, that they were compelled to postpono their journey—although it was with reat. reluctance: for they were most anxlous—— » Yea, natur ally 80,” interrupted Mr. thorpe. “It is Lady Everton in Ww ee observed Henri- etta, “ that they are poing,t “ Yes—naturually sd,” oaaiad the old gentleman ; and he looked abstracted: but quickly recovering himself, he said, “ And now tell me, Henrictta—tho more you seo of this young man——”’ “The more sho finds that she likes him,” replied Mrs. Leyden, speaking on behalf of her daughter, who again seemed full of confusion. 4 ‘‘ Well, that’s untural also,” cried Mr. Gun- thorpe. “But you tell me that he has been ill again ?” “ His intellects have completely recovored their healthy tone,” responded Ilenrietta: “but his phy- sical strength is not so fully restored. When the medieal marf was informed that he meditated this long journey, he forbade it for the present. Enough was told to the physician tg make him understand that it was a journey for an object likely to be at- tended with no ordinary degree of excitement ; and therofore he insisted upon Adolphus postponing it for two or threo wecks, that he might acquire phy- sical as well as mental strength sufficient for the occasion.” e “And he did wisely,” said Mr. Gunthérpe. « Mra. Chandos and her brothor are exceedingly kind to him—— Gun- 359 OF THE OOURT. mee 0 eS ee oe —e~~w ee =, eee SS wee «= “Nor brother P” said Mr. Gunthorpe. “I do not .; Tecollect your having befuro mentioned this brother. Who is he? whatis he? LI hope, for his own euke, that your Adolphus has fallen into good hande?” “Oh, yes! thero cannot be the slightest doubt of it!” exclaimed Henrietta. “Mrs. Chandos behaves to him as if sho wore a sister: and Francis Pa- ton——’* “Eh? what name did you say?” demanded Mr. Gunthorpe, with a sort of start, as if he had not caught the words from the young girl's lips. “Francis Paton,” she repeated. “He is quite a youth—not more than eightcen——~»” “Ah! And pray what age may his sister, this Mrs. reamed apr = 8 “ About twenty-six,” answered Henrietta. . Twenty-six? and hor brother eighteon?” said a Gunthorpe, in a musing tone. “ What is this ik par Paton? Nothing, I suppose. He is doubtless off P” “His sister Mrs. Chandos appears comfortably circumstanced: but her brother Frank,” continued Henrietta, “is totally dependent on her. For I believe that he has been a page in the service of Wady Saxondale——”’ “ What?” ojaculated Mr. Gunthorpe: “a page in the service of Lady Saxondale? But howover, [ shall go and seo these pers®us at once, Don’t think, Henrietta, my dear girl,” he added, in a kind vuice, and stopping short when about to leave the room with a,precipitation which he often manifested, and which would, havg helped to lead persons to sup- pose that he wgs of an impulsive character, --‘‘ do not think, I say, that Iam poing tv find out objec- tions and_raise imaginary Sostaclos j in the way of your happiness. No such thing! 1 hope most sin- eerely fur your sake, that all yuu have told me will turn out perfectly correct.” “Oh! my dear sir,” cried Miss Leyden, “I am incapable of telling you an untruth!” *T know it,” said Mr. Gunthorpe. “I did not mean that I was going to inquire whether you had told me the truth—but whether cverything is as you have been Ici to believe it—whether, in short, this young man’s lofty notions are real awi not visionary. I dare say, however, they’ are real enough: for I myself happon to know something of his unclo—or of him who he believes to be his uncle, whichever it may be: and what Ido know of that man, is not altoycther to his credit,” added Mr. Gunthorpe, with PF lepres of bitterness thut he was not often wont to display. ‘Many, :nany yoars have elapsed since he and I met. Ie was plain Mr.iverton thon. But perbaps you will be surprised, Henrfetta, when I tell you that I have sce your Adolphus—granting him to be the same—-——” ‘You have seen him P” cfaculated Henrietta. ‘“Yos: but i¢ was in his childhood, many years: ago. Ilo was thon a beautiful boy, with dark eyes and bair—-—” ‘He has dik eyos and hair!” said Henrietta, with a smile and a blush,—the smile being one of joy, for the innocent maiden thought that the iden. etity was thua cqmpletely established between her Adolphus and the one of whom Mr. Gunthorpe was speaking. “T think, " said the old gentleman, in a grave and solemn voice, “ that I shoiild recognize his Jinen- a gS ANICLOOO© ior SS (CO)