The Mysteries of the Court of London, Vol. 5 — page 76: what you’re looking at

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

; -@ THE MYSTERIES OF THE COUNE. “ee aimed mening wWm-= 45 now,” added Fitrina, taking*up the letter from | the table and glancing her eyes over it, “he says that his numerous occupations in the City and the &ttention wifich he has to devote to ‘cortain business-mattera, have compelled him to decide upon resigning for thé’ present the advan- tages he would otherwise have been delig®ted to. reap from Uncle Eagleden’s letters: of introduc- tion. » He dined with Harold the®other day,” added Florina, speaking hesitatingiy; eand I. do hope that my brother treated him with. *vivility.” | sg — “Mr. Gnothorpe appears to be a singular kind of person,” renirked Lady Masdonald. “ How- ever, he can act as he pleases. By tho bye, talking of Harold—is he to be at Saxondale House thiseevening ?” : e oO “I believe so,® responded Florina: “ but I e havo not seen him to-day.” . “And Edmund—has ke called?” gsked@ Lady Macdonald. “ Ho has not beon here since. Saturday, when ho came With Harold to take me to the Opera.” - “ What! and this im Tuesday evening ?” ex- claimed Lady Macdonald, iu a tone of vexation. “Three whole days without coming to pay his resprots to you '—that is rather ton bad——And yet,” she immediately adfled, “itis nothing in high life. The sphere..in which we move is in many reapecte different from the other grades of suciety in its usages and customs.” “Then I wish that I had been born in another sphere,” observed Florina, in the lowest and most melting accents of her. fluid voice. ‘Niece, I do not like remarks of this kind,” exclaimed Lady Macdonald, in a tone of remon-~ strance. ete | “ But my dear aunt,” replied the gentle girl, “surely the satisfaction of expressing my fanciful Wishewp is left to me, even though all other power of free-will be denied.” oe _ “What means this language, niece?” dentanded Lady Macdonald. “ Ab, I understand! It is one of those covert reproaches which you sometimes throw out against me, for having Studied your best possible interests by arranging with Lady Saxondale tlt her son was to become your accepted. guitor.. I hope that you will not prove ungratefyl——_" | : “ Unyrateful !—no, not to you, my dear @unt !” cried the young lady, epproaching her elderly relutive and looking sffectionately up into her countenazce, “To me you have supplied the place of a lost mothar; tnd I know that all you do is done for the best. * Still-——" __ - “Hush, my dear child!” exclaimed Lady Mac- donald, who really loved her uigcey “1 know what you Would say; You would tell me the old story—that you cannot loye Edmund: but in the sphere :in which we move,” fontinued. her ladyship, making use of a phrases which was a great favourite with.her, “love has very little to do with wiarriages, If,I had a fortane to leave you, my dear girl, it would be different: but as all I pogsess dies with mé; if was absolutely ,nocessary for me to think of settling you well if | life—and with all his faults, Lord Saxondale is a very eligible match. Bosifles, these faults of his are ouly the invariable frolica of youth ;'and it is better that he shuuld sow his wild oats when young, before he marries, ao thet aftér he docs marry hefnay settla down §nto a steady and quiet husband. | But while we are talking here the time is slipping\away, aud we inust be off,” ° Lady Maedonald and hor niece thereupon-de- scended to thé carriage that was waiting, and in which they were borne to Park Lane. On arriving atSaxondale House, they were conducted up-staire to the wiagnificont drawing-room; where Lady QE ep latent SSD Pe a = aweoe - 28 — a. « ‘ Sazofdale, with her two daughters, was waiting to receive her guests. Her Jadyship was sump- tnously apparelled, and looked as if investod with a perfectly imperial dignity. Juliana, the elder daughter, likewise shone in the glory of that proud and haughty beauty which sho inherited from her mother: while the delicate and intareat- ing lovoliness of ConRance appeared to greater ‘advantage by the contrast. “Whereis Edmund ?” asked Lady Macdonald, when the usual greetings had boen exchanged on all sides. | “Y expect him évery moment: I should hope | that he will not fail to make his appearance,” re- sponded Lady Saxondale, a cloud lowering upon her grandly handsome countenance, aa if she felt that it was too bad fof her son not to be thero already. “ He knows that there is a dinner-party this evening ——” | * Her ladyship’s sentence was infertupted by the opening of the door; and Lord’ Petersfield wus announcod. is was one of Edinund’s guar- diang, and was thorefore received with very great attention and extreme politeness by Lady Saxon- dale. He was & old man—=stout, buf not exactly corpulent—tall and stately—and dignified even to solemn pomposity both in his manner and specch. He was ao diplomatist, and had been ambassador to several of tho principal European Courts ; butefor certain political roasons which it ig not worth while to enter into here, heat present held no office although the party to which he belonged wae at the time in power. ‘The most common observer could not be five minutesin his company without didpvering him to be a diplo- masist, though previ~usly uninformed of the fact : for Lord Petersfield never spoke a word that was not duly measured, and scarcely ventured to per- form the most trivial action without appearing to *reflect whether it were @ wise one or, not. Ever invested with that solemn and indeed awful air of gravity which he had contracted during a long cater in diplomacy, Lord Petersfiold con- atantly looked as If the weight of the wholo world's affairs. were upon his shoulder, and that the slightest unguafded word would plunge them into ruin. Sometimes, if hé could not make up his mind what answer to give to even the most trivial question: put to him, he would remain scrupuloosly silent. ‘Thus, if &nybody observed that “the weatho? wa’ very fine,” and Lord ‘Petersfield on casting his eyes upwards belield the leaat cleud upon the heavens, he would prudently shut himself up in a solemn silence rather than stand the chance of: compromising his judgment by admitting that i¢.was fine when it wae just possible to rain. If his opinion were asked upon any passing event of ourrout topic, he was very seldom able to. bring bia mind to give an imme- diate response: he was not aware—he had not thought upon it—or it was a subject that required the de-pest consideration. If he wore met in the street broceeding to his Club cr to the House y° LOAO© COLUM SS (CO)