The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 107: what you’re looking at

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

04 The watch and the packet, w hich was folded up and carefully ; and the work-box was locked again. Christina went to her own trunk; and selecting her best dress and shawl, she enveloped them in a EE THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. / two rings were replaced in | towards Christina. g a, comprehended what he meant, and at once by explaining Then which they 1 done, and that the little memorials one dead mother had not been touched. They sat down to eat ; handkerchief and issued forth from the lodging- , but it was with no small degree of bitterness that house. The poor girl bent her way to the nearest they partook of the food obtained by money raised pawnbroker’s shop. It was now completely dusk ; from such a sodrce. —the gas was lighted inside—the plate and jewel- lery in the window shone with resplendence. for a few moments at the shop- courage to enter—and Again did the tears ids tressing position to which her brother and herself were reduced. Then she recollected that he would return presently, fatigued with his walk—hungry too, as he had gone forth; and that there was not a morsel of bread at the lodging for him to eat. She abruptly turned back—wiped the tears from her eyes—and mustering up all her courage, sped in the direction of the ‘pawnbroker’s shop. A loutish-looking boy was gazing in at the window, devouring all the fine things with his eyes: but as Miss Ashton approached the door, he suddenly looked round, and with a coarse grin said, “ Ah, young o’oman! it’s easier to take things there than to git ’em out agin.” It was not that the fellow ill-naturedly intended to wound the poor girl’s feelings: but his words arrow into her heart; for she was in that despond- ing, almost wretched state of mind, when any in- cident of this sort suddenly assumes the aspect of an ominous prediction to be fearfully fulfilled. With almost a preterhuman effort she kept back the tears that were again ready to start forth from her beauteous black eyes; and in a fit of despera- tion she rushed into the shop. The pawnbroker, with spectacles upon his nose and pen stuck behind his ear, bent a scrutinizing glance upon the young girl, 00 as to assure him- self, as far as such survey would, that she had not stolen the articles she came to pledge:—and then he examined them. She was ready to sink with shame during the process—and all the more so, as in the middie of it a couple of ill-looking -half-tipsy women came in, with brazen effrontery in their looks—for they were not humiliated at the thought of being seen in such a place. The pawnbroker asked her how much she required upon the articles: but she was so confused that she was unable to utter a word. The man’s in such matters at once enabled him to detect the difference between sbrinking bashfulness and con- scioas dishonesty : he therefore received the pledges —handed ber over thirty with a small ticket—and Christina hurried out of the shop, infinitely relieved at eecaping from the coarse looks and jeering whispers of the two women. She purchased provisions, and re-entered the lodging. When her brother returned from his unavailing errand, his eyes instanteneously glanced from the food which was spread upon the table, towards his sister—and he burst into tears. He in a moment the generosity of her purpose in sending him temporarily out of the way; and he embraced her fervently. Bat then a painful idea smote him; and through his tears he again glanced—but now with anxious inquiry— Christian rose very early on the following morn- ing, and told his sister that he should renew his inguiries after a place, notwithstanding the dis- replied that she also should go about to solicit work, and begged her brother to return in a few hours to escort her for the purpose. He promised that he would; and he sallied forth. Repairing to a neighbouring coffee-house, he carefully inspected the advertising columns of the newspapers; and his eyes settled upon an announcement to the effect that a young man of intelligence, and who wrote a gentlemanly hand, was required by a no- bleman as an amanuensis, or private secretary. Application was to be made at a particular address in Piccadilly. Off set Christian in that direction —we cannot exactly pay with hope in his heart, because he had already ¢ so many dis- appointments and rebuffs: but at least he was de- termined not to lose the opportunity for want of following it up. On arriving in Piccadilly and reaching the address indicated, he found that it was a jeweller’s shop. He thought there must be some mistake: but as the number of the house was precisely that specified in the newspaper advertisement, he resolved to inquire. Entering the shop, he addressed himself to one of the serving-men; and on naming his business, was at once informed that it was the proper place at which to apply in the first instance. Then the shopman gave Christian a card, and recommended him to go at once, as there had already been several applicants for the situation. The youth felt that the advice given was some- what cheering, inasmuch as it appeared to promise that he would not be two y for the employment which he sought. He looked at the card, and found that it was that of the Duke of Marchmont, whose residence was in SHelgrave Square. Christian had never, to his knowiedze, heard the name mentioned before; and he was stricken with timidity at the thought of appearing as the candidate for a situation with a nobleman of so lofty a rank: but he was not to be deterred by any such feeling from making the attempt—and he was eoon in Belgrave Square. The Duke of Marchmont was at home; and when Christian mentioned his business, one of the numerous pow- dered and liveried lacqueys who were lounging in the hall, conducted the youth to a sumptuously furnished apartment, where his Grace, enveloped in a splendid alk morning-gown, was lounging on a sofa, reading the newspapers—for it was yet early in the forencon. We must observe that Christian took great care of his clothes: he was neatly dressed—and from the description already given of him, we need scarcely add that he was-not merely respectable- looking, but of an unsurpassable gentility. The Duke, slowly turning his head without raising himself up,.and lazily depositing the newspaper by his aide, surveyed Christian attentively ; and COMMIC DOO Col