The Mysteries of the Court of London, Vol. 7 — page 104: what you’re looking at

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

H ire ut Never in the presence of Mary Wright, while | brother should want hread. He toagate she yet remeined alive, did Christina drop the | racked by the same thought on her ellis slightest allusion to her own position-—though it had daily been becoming worse and worse; and many and many an hour did she give to the dying young women, when, but for her, she would have heen roaming about from place to place, wher- ever there appeared a chance of procuring needle work. * Before continuing the narrative, we must re- mark, in addition te the above explanations, that during the time which had elapsed since the orphans quitted Mrs. Macaulay’s house, they had | gested seen nothing more of Lord Octavian Meredith. They had requested that Mre. Macaulay would not mention their new abode to that Mr. Percival who had once called, if he should happen to call The twins had their own little pride as well as other people; and they did not choose to be visited in their more humble lodging by one who was evidently moving in the best sphere of society. Besides, Christina herself hed felt that for other reasons, which her feminine delicacy na- “turally suggested, it would be better that such an acquaintance should be discontinued. Not, be it understood, that she knew or even suspected that under the name of Mr. Percival an aristocratic title was disguised: but a becoming sense of pro- priety made her comprehend that sttuated as she was, with no other protector than a brother of her Own age—a mere youth—it were imprudent to _ receive the visite of a fashionable young gentle- | man of whom she knew comparatively nothing. The reader will recollect that we glanced hur- riedly at the resources possessed by the orphans when they left Mrs. Macaulay's: we stated that in addition to a good etock of clothes, they had some fourteen or fifteen pounds in money, besides a few articles of jewellery of some value. The outlay on Mary Wright’s part hed made a certain inroad upon the pecuniary portion of those resources: their lodgings were ten shillinga a week—they had now occupied them exactly nine weeks—and there- fore it is easy to calculate that by this time their money was exhausted. They had lived with all possible frugality, allowing themselves mere neces- saries; and as day by day went by, beholding the gradual decrease of their money-stock, until the very last sixzpence was expended,—those same suc- cessive days bringing no brightening prospect in pect to the chances of obtaining empicyment,— the poor orphans naturally grew more and more dispirited. . ® And now at length the day came when they had no money left. What wasto be doneP To seek aserstance of Mra. Macaulay, was out of the ques- tion. They,did not altogether understand her mercenary disposition—they did not precisely ex- *nect a refusal, if they did address themselves to her: but they felt that they had no right to do so —that they had no claim upon her—and that even | if they had, they saw no chance of fixing a date for the refunding of any loan which she might advance. The orphans deliberated mournfully and tearfully.* They embraced each other—they en- deavoured to was all in vain—for they hed none to offer. Yet hing must be done! Christina's mind was up; she could suffer privations herself—but could not endure the idea that her beloved Ey impart, wutual consolation: But it] Ag % 4 ad t \e= we gs OOwaT ‘. ® S 4.’ h ty i 2 - % A he was about to propose that he should go snl that whiclf Christina herself had resolved | tis doing. It was in the afternoon of a chill Dade 3 ber day when this deliberation took place; mk |; Christina, on a certain pretext, got her brother ta | go off to some distance. She spoke of a plas]: where he had called a faw days back to ask ty | employment as a clerk: he had received no deci. sive anawer, though the evasive one was almost tantamount to a refusal ;—and his sister now sugs that he should go and apply once more, She knew--or at least she feared, that the walk would be an unavailing one; and it cut her to the quick to think that her poor brother's feelin were again to be woanded by a rebuff. But s she preferred that he should even endure this, than have to experience that still deeper humiliation which in the love she bore him she now purposed to take upon herself, | Christian set out; and when he was gone, Chris- tina unlocked her work-box, Mfted out the upper part, and drew forth « smal] packet tied round with tape. She unfastened the tape—ahe opened the packet—and tears trickled down her lovely pale cheeks, as gho contemplated the articles therein contained. One was a long trese of raven hair-—as tress that must have constituted part of a luxuriant mass which might have formed the glory of a queen—aye, or the envy of one. This tress the poor girl placed to her lips, and kissed it reverently, devoutly—and, Oh, how sadly !--while the tears trickled faster and faster down her ehecks. “Oh, my mother !” she murmured to herself; “you whom I never knew—you who were anatohed away from us long ere we had intelligence to *P- preciate your lossi—you who must be a saint heaven |—lock down and compassionate your poor orphans who have already commenesd their hard struggle with the world!” Christina's bosom was convulsed with sobs, as she thus mentally apostrophized the authoress of her being; and through the tears that dimmed her eyes, she gazed steadfastly upon that long dark trase which sho beld in her hand. It was one which usemed ag if it might have belonged.to her own heud—of such raven darkness was it, and of auch silky fineness. Sho replaced it in her work- box, ecarefully enveloped however in a piece of tissuce-paper;-and then she drow forth a watch from the packet which she had opened. It was a beautiful gold watch, of delicate fashion and exqui- site workmanship, and fitted for a lady. Many, many pounds might have been raised upon it—at least many, many pounds in the estimation of those who were penniless; and Christina was already calculating that the produce of this watch ‘would enable her brother and hersalf to subsist for many, many weeks—when # compunetious thought emote her, and she laid it down. Then she took up two rings; and these also she contemplated with a deep and mournful interest. One was & wedding-ring—the other, likewise « lady's, of no considerable value but of exquisite ain did the oumpunctious feeling strike the sensitive gifl; and as the tears now rained down her cheeka, she murmured, “No, mother! we will starve—we will perish, sooner than part with theses memorials which we possess of you {" CONMUC ghile | SET lin ty eietyinRiens Sheena weet siinhipgen Ss Ny se) ier (iia 86a or et 0: 'e- dvg' \ NOG SS CO