The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 241: what you’re looking at

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

THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. of utterance seemed suffocated. All that he coald do, was to raise ‘his clenched fist, and shake it in speechless, impotent rage :—then in total bewil- derment he turned from the room, not thinking of closing the door behind him, and scarcely knowing whether he was walking on his head or his feet. At that same instant Lord Osmond was stricken with dismay on catching a glimpse of his father’s form ere it disappeared by the doorway. The Countess beheld the change which suddenly came over the young nobleman’s countenance, and the abruptness too with which he retreated from her arms. She also was seized with consternation ; and a few burried words on Osmond’s s part con- firmed all her worst and wildest fears. Good heavens! what was to be done? This was the question they both with simultaneous rapidity put mentally, and which the next moment they orally asked each other. Ethel was sinking with affright : visions of fearful exposure, of infamy and disgrace, wore sweeping like vultures through her brain,— when Osmond, suddenly smitten with an idea, showed by the “quick brightening “uP of his coun- tenance that all was not quite lost. “What is it—what is it that you think of?” demanded Ethel, with the feverish haste of sus- pense. . “ My father will be straight off to Makepeace— and that fellow can alone save us. Fear not, dearest, dearest Ethel !” The lady etaggered half fainting away from the window, and sank upon an ottoman; while her paramour, darting from the casement in another direction, sped in quest of Fortu- nately he encountered the valet at an angie of the building ; and laying his hand upon his shoulder, he said in a quick excited tone, “Five hundred guineas if you will serve me!” Now, as was just the man to sell his soul to Saten for about half the sum, he was by no means the one likely to refuse such an offer as that which Lord Osmond thus made him. He accord- ingly returned an affirmative answer with the most sealous readiness; and Lord Osmond at once gave him the requisite explanations, vowing however that he was ioerely jeesngly w something in the ear of his youthful mother-in-law, and that thus though his lips might seem suspiciously near to her countenance, it was only in the playful mood he had described, and not for the purpose of either receiving or an illicit caress. This was of course said to save Ethel’s character in the -esti- mation of the valet,—tbough Osmond might have known that the attempted explanation was far too clumsy to impose upon so astute en individual as The most intelligent persons however often stultify themselves in such peculiar circum- stances. and hug the belief that the most trans- parent gloes thrown over particular incidents, serves | you as a successfully enshrouding veil. So was it with Lord Osmond on this occasion; and affected to receive the young nobleman’s explana- tions as the legitimate and veritable one. He bade Osmond be of good cheer, and hastened off to throw himself in the Karl’s way. He knew perfectly well that the old nobleman would on his own aide at once seek an opportunity of unbosoming his wrongs to him (Makepeace) ; and therefore he hurried up into the Karl's dressing. chamber,— where indeed at that hour in the morn- ing it was his duty to lock up m the drawers all epee year aetna ariirrinnmmery bale. rh so considerable a part in the nobleman’s toilet. On en the room, Makepeace found that the Karl was not as yet there: but he knew that he would come—consequently he did not go to search for him in any other of the mansion, but be- gan patting away the divers articles above referred to. Ina few minutes the door opened; and the Earl entering, flung himeelf upon a chair with a countenance so truly comical in its misery that it was difficult for Makepeace to suppress a smile. But with the air of one who seemed to fancy that nothing unusual had taken place, the valet went on with his work; while the old Earl sat literally gasping in continued bewilderment, as if still quite at a joss to persuade himself that what he had ecen had positively and actually taken p lace. “ Makepeace,” at length he ead, “I do verily believe that I am—a—a-——-” “I know that your lordship is the most enlight- ened nobleman of the age,” observed the valet, ' with an air of profound respect. “Yes, yea, Makepence—I am aware that the world does entertain such an opinion of me. But that does not prevent me, all the same, from being o—a—— nobleman, “The most modest and unassuming my lard, that could possibly be,” rejoined the “ Well, yee—I think that im this ” eaid the old Kail, “TI possess the qualities of all great minds. But still some of the men that ever lived have been what I fear I am now. I mean a~—-a-—” “ A little too diffident in respect to your lord- ship’s own powers,” inter} Makepeace, still with an air of respectful gravity the most com- plete and the most imperturbable. “ For instance, your lordship might have been Prime Minister if your lordship had thought fit to take advantage of the occasion when you made that wonderful b——”’ “Well, I think I was rather for at the time,” said the Earl: “but I did not like to be too hard upon the government, and oust them com- pletely. But I feel very queer, Makepeaco—very near | funny indeed. I could not have believed that such was the sensation when a man finds himself out to be a—a-——” “Pp eauthor—aes your lordship will as- suredly become,” said Makepeace. “It is already whispered abroad that your lordship has got a work in the press; and I know it is creating an immense sensation: for when I went to the cir- culating library yesterday to fetch your lordship Gulliver’s and Baron Munchausen’s Travels———” “Yea, yes—I just wanted to look at the books name, to see how the tremendous falsehoods those fellows have recorded, stand in sad contrast with the adventures, so startling so truthful, which I am chronicling. But I never thought, Makepeace, that I should have to wind up my book by writing myself down—not an ans, , a8 Dogberry did — but a— qa? “Traveller of the most le veracity,” rejoined the valet: and now there was really some- thing so exceedingly ludicrous in his master’s (SOL (C DOO Col