The Mysteries of the Court of London, Vol. 7 — page 195: what you’re looking at

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

et St ee S| = out a — See ee ee Nae Midterm TEER. Sen eer ER -seenanaas.ya4--maren de ng anaies ome see aibegewepen wees 4 en er ee) ee eer gs gue Cee lpgpesi—e De tad s ne panionship of another. Therefore, my young friend, we must pert again; and you must go forth into the world to pursue your*own career. That certifignth of character which you have ob- tained, together with your mashners, your appear- speedily to procure another, x which you have this . Nou will re. turn to London without delay; I know that you are anxious to see youy sister. Take a respectable lodging until you obtein fresh employment. Here | are ample funds fx your immediate wants. But do not think, , that in thus parting from you, I cease to be your friend or your well-wisher. No—I shal} ever be anxious concerning you. You must visit me prcasionally; and whenever you need the assistarice or the counsel of friendship, be sure to come fo me. . My purse shall always be open to you; for I am well aware that you will never abuse the license [ thus give you. And fail. not to acquaint me with the place of your abode at all times, on that if you pome not to me as often as I could wish, I may know whither to send an invitation.” Mr. ,Redeliffe placed s purse containing fifty guineas in Obristian’s hand; and the old man of the coftage, who had been sent to the porter’s lodge to fetch the trunk, having by this time re- turned, our hero took a grateful leave of Mr. Red. cliffe, and departed. He proceeded to « neigh- bouring village,—-the old man following with the trunk; and there he was presently taken up by a atago-coach proceeding to London. On arriving in the metropolis, Christian left his luggage at the coach-office and hastened away to see his sister, The meeting Between’ the twins was of charac- teristic wartnth and affection, although they had only been a week separated. Christian acquainted hie sister with all that had occurred at Oaklands ; and the pure artlese mind of the young girl was shocked at the infamous conduct of the Duke of Marchmont. Her brother however enjoined her not to repeat @ syllable of the tale to Lady Octa- vian Moredith; end after an agreeable hour or two spent together, he took bis departure. It was now late in the evenifig; and Christian detefmined to pase the night at an hotel and look out the next morning for a lodging,—bis purpose being to reside in eugh temporary quarters until he could obtain another situation through the medium of advertisements inserted in the daily Newepapers. Accordingly, after breakfast in the moruing, our young hero ixeved forth; and after’ wandering some little while amongst the-streete at the West End, he presently found himeelf thread. ing that one in which dwelt Mr. Chubb the parish clerk. Waa it accident that brought Christian thither P or was it scarcely domprobe and unacknowledged feeling of interest and of Jove on hehalf of the young creature of revialing beauty whom ten days back he had een for a few minutes at that house? The reader's imagination ean s0 easily solve the query which we have put, that it becomes unnecessary for us to éxplain it in act and formal terms. But on passing the house, | and casting a look wp at the windows, how sudden — he ee oe @ thrill galvanised our hero when Ke perceived a card announcing apartments to jet! Christian stopped short, aud looked et the card uguin, Yes--there were the words, in a bold | aren u - ~ your qualifications, witl enable you. t similar to that: we nvews Be - Pw ep eee =o, hie, THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. round schoolmaster’s hand, embellished with a! fhanner of flourishes and_caligraphic illustrations. Christian was more than half inclined to knock at the door: but a eudden sensation of timidity re- od him—and he passed slowly along the did not leave the street: no—he retenced his way towards the house, at the card again, and was again about to knock at the. door, when the thought struck him } might be if not exactly above above the sum which he was @ lodging; and that there- make an inquiry and then decline, $ down to impertinent curiosity or elec ne an excnse to obtain a gHapeo of the lovely Miss Vincent. This iatter refledtien, throngh Christian's mind, sent all the blood up roams aul an for he felt as bashful as the very young whose image was uppermost in his thoughts. Sp again he passed on—but thie time to the other extremity of the street: and yet be could not tear himself away from it. “ After all,” ho thought, “there is no harm in making the inquiry :"—and he retraced his way. At the same moment that bis vision was once mora turned upon the card in the ground-floor window, it encountered the vixenish eyes of Mrs. Chubb who was looking over it. He bowed: she did not seem to ise him, nor to comprehend whether the. aalutation were really meant for her- self or not. But aow, with a sudden access of in- trepidity, Christian’ ascended the steps and knocked boldly at the front door. Mrs. Chubb’s vixenish face disappeared from the window ; and ber lean gawky form instantaneously appeared at the door. She was dressed in a faded and dirty cotton gown, with an old shawl thrown over her shoulders, and a rusty black orape cap with dingy end crumpled red ribands upon her head. For a mo- ment she surveyed our hero with the air of one who strives to bring forth « reminiscence from dimness ead obscurity; and then suddenly recoliecting him, she said with « vary sour look, “Oh! you are the young gentleman who brought my hus- band home t’other night when ho was the wuss for liquor P I auppose you've come to call upon him: but he’s engaged in school.” “No,” responded Christian; “ I took the liberty of kmocking at your door in consequence of seeing that card in the window.” “ Ah! that’s different,” said Mre. Chubb: and her looks suddenly became different also. “If you're in want of decent and reapectable lodgings, sir, you can have ‘em hero—leastways if wo suit each other. It’s on’y a amall parlour and bed- room—-which is fifteen shillings a week with attend- ance.” Christian had fifty pounds in his pocket ; and he thought to himesif that in a week, or a fortnight at the outside, he might obtain another situation —so that i¢ would not be unreasonable on his pact to take Mre. Chubb’s lodging. He walked in, and she showed him the parlour of which she had spoken, and which was indeed small enough, it 4 \ as it swept . — = ate ome =» De a a es x 2 ee ee on — cee =e ~~ being a third room on the ground-floor,—the one ; little window of which ipoked into the yard, com. - manding a view of the water-butt and the dust:-, hole, a pail and a mop, together with two speci- mens of animated nature—one being in the shape f « cat that was sitting blinking on the wall, and t oe een? ggg ae ep an, oe = SS CO