The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 296: what you’re looking at

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

THE MYSTERIZG OF THE COURT. which that beauteous English maiden was so willingly superintending! And when Christina bestowed well-deserved praises apon her pupil, the superb dark eyos of the latter lighted up to an almost preternatural lustre, flashing with joy and triumph at the progress which she thue made. A few hours later the night has come; and @hristina is alona in her own chambet at the Princees’s villa. It was half-past ten o'clock; | gad the maiden had not long retired thither. She sate down at the toilet-table, while combing out the masses of har raven hair: but gradually she fell into a profound reverie—her hands sank upon her knees—the eomb dropped without her peroeiv- ing it—and her hair remained floating all dis- hevelled upon her shoulders and down her baek, lower than her waist. There were several topics which thus engaged Christina's profound medita- tion. She thonght of Zoe—the amiable, the in- teresting, the kind-hearted lady, who she feared had been ing the most dreadful sacrifice of her own feelings rather than suffer her husband to perceive that she had fathomed the secret of the love which he entertained for another. Then Christina thought of this love which Tord Oe- tavian cherished towards herself: she strove to conjure up 8 feeling which might satisfy her that she was annoyed and indignant at being the object of this love: but she could not thus far do violence to the tender sentiment which existed with a eer- tain degree of reciprocity in her own heart. Then she thought of her brother who a little while pre- viously had lost his situation with the Hat of of Lascelles, and had not as yet obtained another ; and then her reflestions turned, with mingled awe and horror, upon the mysterious death of that unfor- tunate nobleman. Obristina’s reverie thus lasted for a long time; and when she gradually aroused herself from it, and consulted her watch--which was a gift from the Princess Indora—she perceived that it was past elevan o'clock. She was hastening to sontinue her night-toilet; and in anather quarter of an hour was ready to retire to rest. But just as she was about te extinguish her candle, she thought she heard the sounds of footsteps descending the stairs from the floor above that on which her own chamber was situated. They were steps so light and eiry that only the keenest sense of hearing eould have caught them; and Obristina felt con- vineed that the tread was the stealthy one of a person not wishing to be overheard. A vagus terror seized upon her: for she all in a moment remembered that warning letter which Mr. Red- liffe had sent to the Princes, and which her Highness had shown her about three weeks back. That letter, a¢ the veader will remember, was to the effect that some evil-disposed persons might probably seek to inveigle Indora or the ayah Sagoongh inte @ snare; and as the pure-minded Christina was too tnsophisticated and inexpe- rieneed ta be ensbled to fathom the real signi- ficancy of Mr. Redcliffe’s allusion, her imegination naturally excited this vague terror which now seized upon her. She drew close towards the door—apd listened with suspended breath. Again she eaught the sounds of footeteps: they were now descending the lower flight—and in a few moments they ceased. She endeavoured to calm herself with the idea that it might be Sagoonah, or one of the other female-seryants, descending for same purpose: but if so, wherefore that evi- dently studied stealthiness of tread cas it was not so very late that the fear af awak the household need be entertained. Perhaps Christina was rendered somewhat nervous end apprehensive by having reflected on the mysterious murder of the Karl of Lascelles; and this jmpression being strong on her mind—together with the recollec- tion, go vividly conjured up, of Mr. Redcliffe’s warning letter—naturally filled ber with vague misgivings and with a dread of some unknown danger. . She opened the door gently—and again listened. All was now still. She thought of retiring to reat: but scarcely had she glosed the door again, when that mysterious terror came back with ro- newed force; and she felt that she could not pos. etbig sleep, nor even lig tranquilly in her couch, unless sha werg reassured in respect to the safaty of the premises. She remained at the door ta listen if the footateps would return: but 4 quarter of an hour pasgsed—and all continued quiet. §he thought of going to the Princese’s chamber and telling her what she had heard : but then she re- to | flested that if her apprehensions should prove groundless, she would feel humiliated and look foolish at having given way to such terror. But she thought ehe might at all events ascend to the fomale-seryants’ chamberg to spe if they were there for the oanviction was atrpng in ber mind that she had heard footeteps descending, and that they had not ascended again. Enveloping herself in a muslin wrapper, and teking the candle in her hand, she proopeded up-steirs with a tread ag light as if she were a spirit gliding. On reaching the landing above, she saw that Sagoonah's chamber-door atood open; and on entering, she found that Sagoonah herself was not there. They were therefore the ayah’s footsteps that she bad heard: but why was she thus long qbsent? Tho thought now struck Christina that Sagoonah must be ill; and she went down stairs—still with the same noiseless tread ag before, in osder not to dis- turb the Princess. A light was issuing from the boudoir, the door of which stood open. Christina advanped—and looking in, beheld Sagoonah bend. ing aver one of the huge volumes of the Times newspeper, whieh were kept in that room. Tho Hindoo woman hed her back towards the door: the volume was spread open upon the table; and she was evidently so absorbed in its contents that aha did not cateh the rustling of Christina’s dress. The first thought which struck our artless young heroine, was that the ayah experienced such an ardent longing to render herself proficient in the English tongue, that sho was ayen inclined to pacriGce a portion of her night’s reat to the prose- cution of her studies: but ajl af a sudden she was startled by the vehement manner in which Sagooneh gave ene to ‘something in her own native tongue, and which was therefore incomprehensible to the maiden. the eame time stood up from her previously leaning posture ; and glancing around, . strange 9 light flashed from her eyes pn behold- ing Chrigtina, that the latter was sbeolutely ter- | ried. There was an expression of rage toa on the ayah’s countenance, where the rich red blood At. (GO) an (C DOO Col