The Mysteries of the Court of London, Vol. 7 — page 353: what you’re looking at

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

oA w@L ae | ee _ =~ ees ee -é i ee Eas «awe iu awh oe wT, 2 > of $42 handsume wife, hastened to present me to the lady herscif. Conceive my astonishment, when, as my eyes fell upon her, I recognized the one whom i bad twice proviously encountered, and whose elo- quent looks of passion bad so unmistakably con- veyed those overtures which I had not thought fit to accept, It wna quite evident that Mra. Max- well had not previously auspected who tho mmvited guest would prove to be: indeed, as I presently learnt, abo had only returned from London just in time to dress for dipner— and I therefore esnvluded thera had been no leisure for much discourse he- tween hereclf, her hLusband, and hor sister. She started for an instaut on beholding me: Lut both of us recovered our self-posecssiun the noxt mo- meut—su quickly indeed, that thery was nothing in ther mannor of either sufficiently striking to catch tho observation of Mr. Maxwell and Louisa, Mre. Maxwell received me as a pertect atranger— as onv indeed whom she now bebeld fur the first time; and I uf ecurao treated her in a similar manner. Throughout the evening she was only coldly polite towards me; and hor behaviour eon- tinued formally reacrved until the very last--as if she morely tolerated me becuuse ber husband had happened to invite me, but that I was by no means a woleome guest. A woumau, my dear Mr, Ashton, never forgives the mortifying humiliation to which a rejected overture subjects ber; and Als. Max- wall was the very laat of the sex to be propitiated on guuh a point. Besides, she saw that my attontions wore devoted to ber beautiful aister Louisa; and thus, though berself a marricd woman, she experi- enced the raro of jealouay after having vainly sought to onsnare tno by bor own ebarms. I sew that she csercised the vomplotast empire over her old hus band, who was uxorious, aubmissive, and even ser- vila to a deyreo-—but fond, infatuated, and thus wearing the chains of a willing slavery, Mrs. Maxwell Leing several years older than her sister, wielded w species of aiaternal authority over that gister,—-Wwheo, as their parents had long been dead, naturally looked up to her nearest surviving relo- tive with an alimout filial respect. FE likewise per- ceived) that Louisa stuad muvhin awe of hers and -—_— me ws wee eee same ey Ae oe, 2S ee ee dee gE, er agpantin OTT res Scere PERE pa ageS wo? Cesege he eet eign eR ee ep oe aD SE Oe THE MYSTRRIES OF THE COURT. — converse with them: but they passed on—and | gaw that it was Mrs. Maxwell who wis the cause of “my being treated with s coldness amounting to actual discourtesy. Not coldncss nor discourtesy on sweet Louisa’s part!—for she gave me one motlest look of tenderness, in silent response to the quick glance of affection which I flung upon hor. Weeks passed away; and though I fre- quenitly—iodeed wearly every day met Louisa— ahe wus ulways accompanied by ber relatives; and they nover stopped: but there was a sccret voice within my soul, telling me that I was very far from being indifferent to the object of my own growing love; and I was continucusly racking wy brain for some opportunity of aceing her alone or of corresponding with her. <At length I managed to bribe a servant-maid in the Max- wells househuld; and sbe conveyed a letter to Louisa. It contained the avowal of my passion— that avowal which I had already so often made by @y looks, but wiach was now fur the first time re- vealed iu language. Through the medium of tho friendly domestic, I recoived an answer, couched in the most modest and delicate terma, but giving me to understand that my love waa reciprocated. Frequent letters wore now exchange betweon us; aot at length—also through the medium of the fnendly maii—a secret interview was arranged. This took place in the garden at the back of the hougo at an early hour in the morning, before Mr. and Mrs, Maxwell were up. Loursa, with lcara im her vyes, assured me that she bad auffored much ou my aceount—for that her sister was Always accusing her of oxchanging signifi- cant looks with me whenever we happened to pase. Dolicacy forbade me from explaining to Louisa the cause of Mrs. Maxwoll’s rancorous and unforgiving animosity against me: but I made the most solemn protestations of imperishable af- fection. In short, Mr. Ashton, 1 spoke as 1 be- heve all lovers do speak to the objects of their regard. 1 told her that I would write to my uncle and besrech his assent to our union—in which case she might ect im total independence of her sister's Wnpenvus authority : but Louisa, timid and bash- once or twice subaitted ty bo rebuked, for some ‘ful, gad trembling at the wea of flying openly in triflu ox another, without mauifesting the least rebellious spiri. fonud)s with that amiable and lwautilul creature , who wee but too evidently under the dominion of hey etster’s face, besuught me tu wait yet awhile, 1 therefore sympathised pro- | and trast tu a tavournable change in existing cir- fwostances. J] agsentad, en condition that she would suiler these meotings to be ronewed as ofter an imperious and ¢yrannically disposod miator, | a6 wus poussble; and 1 wrung from her a timuly Whoo I touk my leave a hith before cloven in the | exening, L£ received no mvitation ta repeat my viet; for as Mrs. Maxwell gave no such encour. aud tremblingly uttered pledge to this effect. Aynin did weeks pisa on; and we met frequently. Oh! the jov of thas meetings, when from two agement, her grovelling old husband dared pot of | fund hearts commingled the transfusing fechnage of his own accord—while delicacy as woll as terrorism forbade Louisa from doing that sbence ber relatives abstained.” Here Bdyar Beverley paused fog.a faw minutes, while Christian Ashton awnited with ap inercasing Impationee for tho continuation of the narrative. Ho longed to ask ono or two questions, on account of certam vague and strange suspicions which had gradually been engendered in his mind and which were now floating there: but he resigained! his eariusity——resolving ‘thus to curb ig until Kiger Bevoriey's tale should be completed. “The next Gine thal I beheld Louisa,” he re. suued, “she was walking with ber sister and Air. Maawell, Limade a rorement as if to stop and = Nm ee a mete aes vine idee See Cert ene Be mre eo SO purest, helicst lave!’ Edgar Beverley paused for upwards of a minute, and with a pensive air evidently dwelt upon the happiness of those interviews to which he had juat alluded—a bappiness the experience of which he no doubt foared must be regarded os belonging enly to the past, aud never to be resuscitated. ‘My narrative 16 drawing to a close,” he at length resumed. “But befure I proesed with it, T ought to inform you that on several occasions during thy months which had now flown by sinee [ waa first quartered in Brighton. I heard vague whis- pers to the prejadice of Mrs, Maxwell's character, It was stated thet previous to her marriage, which had taken place same few yoars back, her coondust Pp nate eet Be Paes wes CONMUC _ wwe eee eee veGew ee a QS Ee 8 ee hes gee — A or = —=eer ke wee — es cele eee le ~t ow —_—we ee Oe eee Oe Pn ee wR ger NOG SS CO