The Mysteries of the Court of London, Vol. 7 — page 85: what you’re looking at

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

| gees ae (fs A= wo —_—mas ae 2 ee 2 ee ee But who was the occupant of this apartment at once so sumptuous and so elevant? whose form wae it that sate half-rechned upon thg crimson draperies of an ottoman? A female, the reader may be sssured: for naught save feminine taste could preside over the appointments of that charm- ing retreat. She was a lady of about thirty years of age; and though the duskiness of her complexion indicated her orientul origin, yet the warm languid clime vo which she belonged, bad not in any way marred or impaired the daszling grandeur of her beauty. Her costume was of extraordinary ri¢h- nese, and well fitted for the place in which wo find her. 1¢ was in some respects a fanolful dress: for those who are best acquainted with the appatel of different nations, could scarcely ascribe it to ang one in particular. Tho taste of the wearer had evidently studied to blend all those details of cos. tume which, belonging to different parts of the East, were most elegant and bucomfng in such combination, And that same trate, tov, had sd exquisitely presided over these arraugomenta, that thero was nuthing incongruous in tis general offect. A wort of cafiun, of purple velvot, jewetled and embroidered, forned the upper gurment ~coming up nearly to tho throat, and reaching down almost to the knees,—confincd at tie waist with a diamund.clasp of incalculable price, and again fas- toned by a similar though smaller brouch at the throat itself. The interval remaining upen, would have left the bosom almost complotely bare, were it not for an under-garment of enbroldered blue silk, which reached up to the thiddle of the bust, but still left revealed to the eyo no inconsiderable portion of those supetb cotitours. The arme were bare to the showlder; and they might have been thought somewhat too robust, wore ib not for their fuultipss aculptural modelling. They were circled with bracelots studded with gems, and of the most curious workmanship. The hands of this lady wero of extraordinary beauty in respect to their chisel- ling: the fIngere woro long and tapering—tho nails exquisitely almiorid-ahaped, and of & pellucid pink. But wo rust continue with tho costume. She wore satin trousers of a pale pink,‘covered with the richest lace. ‘They were full, in the oriental style, and were tied just below the swell of the lee,— bulging out so as to conceal the robust prupoflions of the limbs: but the admirablo s3 mmetry thereof might be judged by the faultless modellng of the aukles und the feot. Those ankles were bare—fur ehe wore no atookings; and the feet were thrust into delicate red morocco slippers, braided, and wnamented with pearls. The first giauce at this Jady, as she Jounged half-reolining against the flodulent maesiveness of the crimeon-coloured cushions, would show the most superficial observer that nto curse} imprisoned her, fine form. Hut then, no observer who had the good fortune to be admitted into her presence, cowld possibly be a superticial ones he would survey ter antil his eyes had erhbraced every fanciful peculiarity of her gari and every charm of ber persou. Ife would see, therefore, that if she were no corset,—neither did ehe require any. No artificial support was needed for those contours Which remained, in their rich- ness and firmnose, where neture had placed them, like thoae of a sculptured effigy, yot with the rising weEfte ee Se Lal *% Es = THE MYSTERIES teats ieee ens ad (Cl EOR A mare Ces, gee EG jn Ree OS | Rede tipreerretearers US pment 5 OF THE COURT. and sinking which deneted the animation of the living form. Neither did she need the accessories of art to eet off the rounded and flowing outlines of her figure: its own symmetrical proportions imparted the finest shapeliness to the dress, which in its turn so well became them and set them off to such advantage. She was not above the middie height of woman; and yet she appeared taller on account of her remarkably well modelled figure, and her apparel, as well as from the statutesque elegance and graceful majesty of Rer gait and car riage. Thus far have we described the occupant of that roorn of oriental lususy. But we must endeavour to render equal justibe, by means of minutest de- tail, to the gorgeous splendour of ,her personal chatms. We have already said that her com- lexidit waa of eastern duskiness: but yet it had Haught of gipsy swarthiness :-—-it might be better Hheried to that of the Spaniard or Italian when in itd darkest shade of bistre—yet with a skin per- fectly transparent, and the warm blood showing nod through as it mantlod with richest carnation tint | upon the cheeks. Perhaps the hue of her com- plexiow Would be even still better undetstvuod. if we desctibe it as a clear pale brown: for it had in it none of thé sallowness which blends with tho olive skins and the skin iteelf had all the fineness and polish of & youthful freshness still adhering to a mature atid voluyitkous womanhood. The reader may have expacted to learn that she wore an oriertal turban upon her hoad: But it was not so. A golden fetwork, curiously interwoven with dia- tionie ahd peatla—the entire ornament itself con- atituting a fortutie—resied lightly upon that head : but the hair was not gathered up beneath the not- work —{t was parted in the middle with a caroful exactitude, atid fliwed down in long heavy tresses upon her shotilders and her back. Dark ag night was that hulr—black as jet too. with no gloss upon it: yet was it telther harsh ior coarse, Fst as soft as silk—without wave or curl, save and except to- wards the ettremity of the luxuriant tresses, aun tlicro the curl was rich and natural. Her forehead was not bigh—but yet expansive onough to give dignity to the countenance: the nose was per- fectly atraight—the nostrils of the tint of the rose- leaf. The upper lip was short: and both lips appeared to have been cut by the sculptors chisel into their classical perfection: the shape of the niouth, when the whole faco was in a state vi repoao or of seriousness, was that of Cupid’a bow. Tue chin waa delieately rounded; and the coun- tcnance formed a complete oval. The eyes were large and dark—full of a languishing lustre—the orbs set in whites of that bluish tint which seems like mothor-of-pearl. The oyebrogs were mag- nificently arched ~-the lashes of exceeding length, and forming the richest fringes that ever shaded those orbs which are at once the mirror and the artillery of woman's soul, When the mouth, which was 80 exquisitely formed, parted its rich red lips, teeth were disclused which were whiter than ivory and faultlessly even. 1f the hand of this superb creature disturbed the luxuriant masses of hair on either side of her head, agemall well-fulded ear would be revealed; and thus in every respect was she a perfect model of oriental eplendour and love- liness, combined in that one femate form. 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