The Mysteries of the Court of London, Vol. 7 — page 351: what you’re looking at

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

iOS Et gh i ETT EP tr ay aN An peti mem ~ le rT aS ae or yeti wd ao =a PF aww See BW weer wie Dene, sb) eb oe ew bd i ro - ee ee, = 340 orep - wibe = = ee es —_ om we as ns Oy mS ee -_-<s A ee rien ~~ =~ | - marriage with @ portioniess young lady, bad offended all his relatives—but none more so than his elder brother, who vowed that he would never spoak to him again; and that brother kepr his word. But when my father was dead, my uncle appeared somewhat to relent; and he sent an in- Vitation to me to visit bim during the few weeks that were tv elapse between the funeral aud the tiwe appointed fur me to join my regiment. Nuw thiy uncle of mine wae « bachelor—exaccedingly rich—with the eatates strictly entailed, so that I was lis heir presumptive. Of courso you under- etand that if he married and had male issue, I at once cessed to be his heir. But from certain cir- cumstances which I do not choose specially to touch ypon, he was not considered tu bo whut is callod @ marrying man. Perhaps therefore, re- garding mo as his heir, he wisbed to unbend to» wards me—to make himeulf acquainted with me— and to atune suncwhat for his long continued ob- duracy towards my poor tather. Be all this as it tony, he sent for me, as 1 tell you, to his town- mangon at the West End of London; and thon, at the age of a little past sixteen, I be- held this uncla of mine for the firet time. I could not holp it—but [ at once conceived to- wards him a feeling that bordered almost on aver- sion. Perhaps it wae the recollection of his con- duct towards my parents—perhaps qt was in consequence of certain Giscreditable rumours which had reached my ears poerbaps it was in a measure connected with hia unpropossessing looks: or it may bo that all these three reasons entered into that feeling of uvergion which I thus experienced. And he on Lis part conceived an equal antipathy towards me, which speedily manifested itself when he attempted to play the tyrant while affecting te give sound and useful advice. He authurita- tively warned ine uguuist ever contracting what he denominated such a mad and improper marriage as that which had alienated my father {rom all his relutives; and when I somowhat indignantly re- quested my uncle nut tu saperse the memories of the dead, and to bear in mind that the lady whom le contemptuously spuke of was my own mother, . he flew into a passion, ejaculating, ‘By heaven, yout have inherited all your father’s velf-will, ob- blinacy, and pérversenoss !’---From that day furth I raw that he disliked ma: my visit to his residence was ubridgod; aud when I was about to depart to reside elsewhere until the period urmved for jonmng my regiment, be soid, ‘1 shall allow you ono hundred a year for the present; and that in aidition tu your pay will keep you handsomely. Follow my advice in all things { and [ will increase your allowance in proportion as I have proots of your obedience : but disobey me iv any single par. _ toular, and [ withdraw the allowance altogether.’ — 1 did not cbovss to irritate hum more than I could help: bat he doubtless saw by my manner that my spirit rebelled aguinst this bars and tyrannioal treatment. ZT jomed my regiment; and for three years my conduct appeared to give satisfaction to my uncle—for at. the expiration of that time ho purchased me @ lieutenancy in anotherregiment, aud dyubled my origmal allowance: but he invited me u0 wore to visit him.” Here Edgar Beverley again paused: but he Ae ee 2-9 see ow AS ore y= ee a =_— « Baw Ar = THE MYETERIES OF THE COURT. 1 te Y ree Pee GAR ee Noe @ ise “ About six munthe ago a detachment of my repanent was ordered from Manclicster, where it had been previously quartered, to Brighton. : Not to render my tale longer than is absolutely neces- sary, | will at once procced to observe that I had not been many days at Brighton, when one evene ing at a public ball I was struck with the extraor- dinary beauty of a young Jady whom for the sake of distinctiou I shall call by the uame of Loutsa, At the mument my eyes first settled upan ber, she was dancing with # gontleman unknown tu me}; and when the quadrille was finished, he handed her to her seat next toa very old gentleman whom | supposed to be her father. I know not exactly how it was, but on that particular evening 1 could not obtain any infurmation concerning the young lady: for those who were acquainted with her, did not happen to fall in my way; and two or three whom I asked, bad now ecen her for the first time —as was the case with myself. Neither could I veuture to solicit her band fur a dance, inasmuch as when l apphed for the purpose to the Munster vf the Ceremonies, be at once assured we that it was useless, as to his certain knowledge she was engaged throughout the evening. Jle was then obliged to flit away to some other part of the room; and thus my curlosity still continued un- gratified. It wasno wonder that sho should thus bo engaged su deeply, and that her ivory tablets should be filled with the names of partners for oven more dancus than she was likely to figure im: for her beauty was of a most captivating nature—ani inetead of dancing myself, I watched her light sylphid form as it glided pracefully through the mazes of the quadriles. On returning tu my quarters, I could scarcely sleep for the remainder of the night,—so absorbed wero my thoughts with the image of the fuir one. On the following day, as I was ‘walking in the afternuon along the hing’s Road, [ beheld the young lady approaching from the opposite direction. She was leaning on the arm of that same old gentlemau who was with her at the ball on the previvus evoning; and as J eurveyed them both carneastly and attentively, yet without suffering them to perceive that I was thus marked In my gaze, I nutzeed that the young lady did not hang upon his arm with that sweet familiar confidence which a daughter exhibits towards a parent—but that there was a certain deyree of timid reserve and even distant bashfulness or con- stramt in hor demeanour tuwards him. As they passed, I heard him call her ‘ Louisa my dear girl ;’ and she, in answering his observation, addressed him as --—-what naine shall I use ?—we will call him ‘Mr. Maxwell; for you remember that in my narrative | am using fictitious names.” “T bear that fully in mind,” observed Christian, “Pray proceed.” “Well,” continued Lieutenant Beverley, “ I heard the young lady address the old ;eutleman as Mr. Maxwell; and a chill fell upon my heart— for it instantaneously struck me that he must either be her husband, or else that she was engaged to be married to him: or else, wherefore should be have addressed her so familiarly* I cannot explain to you the cruel feeling with which this thought inspired me. It was not that I was as yet completely infatuated with Louisa: it was shortly reaumed his matrative in the following | rather 9 eamtiment of profound compussion on be- stra \—_ . fhe . half of a lovely young creature whe I felt assured ees = Mee ees ae pmo fe Ra EES hays CONMUC ere. oS oe ie ae -wh —w eee aeat oF as i] | | | NOG SS CO