The Mysteries of the Court of London, Vol. 7 — page 359: what you’re looking at

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

(Ornpeeen G8 1 ga are Se i A ew eve ties age ree fone = mts - han eB —_—s ee ee eee - eae aE EN gi SRO atlas tie a pee ON AR LETTS EG gare Gye gt ee Qh eee ee ee eee eee | aqt , _ ap 5 @ 4 a ailinaes ET Fe tee fvbl woh 4A ve ¢y = lgvlignada ee ee ee eS 4 ‘ ~ - are ote pe few —- een ee — (a meow ae GF owe 348 THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. —— one of the wiudows:—and it was Wilh a forcign , alarm and indiguatiun. “ Your vilo,uaster soul accent that this woman spoke. . not keep me here !"—and she rushed to the dour. “ T insist upon being suffered to alight!’ said' “For heaven’s sake, Miss Ashton, compose Christina, with an another effort to lower the ' yourself!” said Jessie Giles, springing after her. winduw—in which however she wae baffled by the |“ You sre mistaken !—it is his lordship who woman seizing her violently by both her wrists. | rescued you--and his carriage is ordered to wait “The shaft is broken! what is to be done?’ ; to wonvey you bome, wherever it may be.” hastily said the man who was seated next to; Now another revulsion of feelings took place in Christina, and who was the same that had cap- : the busom of Christina; aad she comprehended in turad her in the garden. & mornent all the strength of tho insulting suspi- “The shaft broken?’ echood Madame An-(oivn to which she had given way é#owarde Lord gelique—for she indeed it was into whose power Octavian Meredith. She eank upon a svat; and our heroine had fallen, and who wore the veil to, pressing her hand to her brow, burst into another guard horself against future recognition. “Pray, fvod of teara, may dear Mise-———” i “Do pray compose yourself, Miss!" repeated “ Release moe !——I insiat upon being released!” Jossic. “You must know that you are in safoty screamed Christina: and the next instant one of here! But it is natural yoy should be frightened her fair hands was dashed thruugh the glase. i for from what little his lordship said tu us when Hor shriek thrilled forth: Madame Angelique | the carriage stopped at the front door, you have almost maddened by the dilemma in which she been outrageously treated. Indeed, it was very found herself placed by the collision of the two | fortunate our eoachman ‘Aad taken % drop tuo vehicles, and by the dread of exposure—eoised our | much and run against the cab—or elso you wight herving by the throat, muttering, ‘ Silence, girl! not have been delivered from the bands of those —or I will throttle you !” | people.” The mingled terror and pain which the poor; “I hope you will not repeat to his lordahrp,” girl expericnced, caused hor to awvon off unce eaid Christina earnestly, “the words which [ more; and when for the second time she recovered ' uttered-——I was half wild—I gave vent to uny- her consciousness, she found that she was being | thing which came into my head " lifted from a vehicle by a couple of fomalo ser-| “Here is his Jordship!” said Jessie: and she at vante. The Gret impression which vow seized onco withdrew from the apartmont, followed by upon her was that she was still in the power uf; her folluw-servant. her enemies ; and with a scream she released her-' It was eimply from motives of respect that tho self from the hold which was upon her. But this | women retired : for they had not the faintest idea hold was a friendly one: a voice which she recog- | that Christina would not fur worlds have thus uised, gave her a leind assurance: for the maid-! found herself alone with their master. She had servant who had thus spoken to her was the' not the power to stop those women: she waa daughter of that landlady who had originally re- | shocked at the thought of the insulting auapicion commended her as companion to Lady Octavian; to which she had abandoned herself, and which Meredith. Obristina experienced a sudden sanse | ountrasted so strikingly with the sense of gratitude of safety—but had no power of Jucid reoulluction. | which on the other baud she ought to have felt to- BStupified by all that had voccurred—and feeling as | wards her deliverer. She could not even rise from if hor senses wero again about to abandon her— | her seat as Meredith advanced towarda her, and in unable, ina word, tw bear up against the oeffecta | the gentlest touve of bis wusical voice inquired if of this series of incidents through which sho was! she felt better P Lt was a perfoct consternation of burried —-she hanically abandoned herself to | bewilderment that was upon her—a distrosing the care of the two servunt-maids, and was con-} sense éf confused thoughts, and with an utter un- ‘ducted into a -house which she had not been | certainty what she ought to say or how ehe ought enabléd to recognise on account of the dimmness ; to act. which came over bor vision. Such tuo whs the/ But one word of explanatiou ere we puraue the confusion of her thoughts, that though she had | thread of our narrative. Aferedith, who was re- ised the voice of Jussic (itlee, and knew it} turning home in his carringe when the cuilisiun to be a frivndly one, it did not af the instant! took place,—he having been dining at bis club,— strike her where she bad known the girl befure: | thrust bis head out of the window to put an end but when plaeed upon a sofa in a handsomely. ito the altercation by telling the cabman whv he furnished room—when wine-and-water was prof- | was and ordering bis coachman at ence to drive un. fered her, and the two dumestice were doing all | ‘Then was heard she sound of the crashing glass of they could to revive her from that listless condi- | the cab-window, instantaneously followed by a tlon whieh bordered so closely apon uoconscivus- | shriek; and Meredith, convinced there waa*some- nesa~a light suddenly flashed in to the mind of | thing wrong—though little expecting ta meet our heroine. She knew where she was!—the ‘Christina — sprang forth from tho carnage. = eo ead ee Cee eer Oe ees og eee -0y ree & 2 Fe, CR - ee s et WewARR aug Vee ee eee” lm a ere i ey pe eG eS pT -~ © oe ee gee ee eee ee eee ~~ = —_ ww -_ w= apariment was indeed familiar enough to her; it: Saveral perauna collected upon the spot; and - was one of the eleganily-furnished parlours of | Nadame Angelique told them from the winduw — Lord Octavian Meredith's rendence. Then ! that she was s tradeswoman of reapectability, and | naturally enough the idea smote her that it, that she was merely taking home a runaway ap- was he who had caused ber to be carried off ; end ' prentice. She thought the lie would eerve her, as shocked as well as hoarified by the belief of such ' Christina bad fainted and therefore could not con- tremendous périidy, she burst into tears. tradict it. But Meredith insisted on investigating ' ,™ Les me go hence! let mo depart!” she the ' the r further: he tore opea the cab-duer—he aext moment exclaimed, dashing away thoee tears, | recogn? td Christina—and an ejaculation of amase- and beoumimg violently excited with minglod | went burst from bis lips, To take her in his arme * Cn el ee ECONNIC I OOO© SS