The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 353: what you’re looking at

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$42 handsome wife, hastened to present me to the lady herself. Conceive my astonishment, when, as my eyes fell upon her, I recognized the one whom I had twice previously encountered, and whose elo- quent looks of had se unmistakably con- toyed those overtures which I had not thought &t to It was quite evident that Mrs. Max- well had not previoasly suspected who tho invited guest would prove to be: indeed, as I presently learnt, she had only returned from London just in time to dress for dinner—and I therefere concluded there had been no leisure for much discourse be- tween herself, her husband, and her sister. She started for an instant on beholding me: but both ef us recovered our self-possession the next mo- ment—so quickly indeed, that there was nothing in the manner of either sufficiently striking to eatch the observation of Mr. Maxwell and Louisa. Mrs. Maxwell received me as a perfect stranger— as one indeed whom she now beheld for the first time; and I of course treated her in a similey manner. Throughoat the evening she was only coldly polite towards me; and her bebaviour con- tinued formally reserved until the very last~as if she merely tolerated me because her husband had happened to invite me, but that I was by no means a weleome guest. A woman, my dear Mr. Ashton, never forgives the mortifying humiliation to which a rejected overture subjects her; and Mrs. Max- well was tho very last of the sex to be propitiated on such a pomt. Besides, sche saw that my attentions were devoted to her beautiful aister Louisa: and thas, ¢ herself a married woman, she experi- enced the rage of jealousy after having vainly sought te ensnare me by her own ebarmsa. I saw thas ahe emevtised the completest empire over her old hus band, whe was axoricus, submissive, and even ser- wile to a degree—but fond, infatuated, and thus wearing the chaine of 9 willing slavery. Mrs. Muxwell Leing several years older than her sister, wielded a species of maternal authority over that gister,—who, as their parents had long been dead, aaturally looked up to her nearest surviving rele- tive with an almost filial respect. I likewise per- evived that Louisa stood much in awe of hers and once or twice submitted to be rebuked, for eome trifle or another, without manifesting the least rebellious spirit. I therefore sympathieed pro- foundly with that amiable and beautiful creature who was but too evidently under the dominion of an imperious and tyrannically disposed siater. When I took my leave a little before eleven in the evening, I received no invitation to repeat my visit: foras Mrs. Maxwell gave no such eneour- agement, ber grovelling old husband dared not of his own aecotd—while delicacy as well as terrorism Mrbede Louias from doing that whence her relatives abstained.” Here Edgar Beverley paused for a few minutes, while Christian Ashton awaited with an. increasing impatience for the continuation of the narrative. He longed to ask one or two questions, on account of certaim vague and strange suspicions which had gradually been engendered in his mind and which ‘were now floating there: but he restseined his | eariosity—resolving thus to curb it until Edger | -Beverley’e tale should be eompleted. * The next time that I beheld Louisa,” he re- sumed, “she was walking with her sister and Mr. Maxwell. I made a movement &¢ if to stop and } ‘e THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. converse with them; but they passed on—and [ caw that it was Mre. Maxwell who was the cause of my being treated with a coldness amounting to actual] discourtesy. Not coldness nor discourtesy en sweet Louisa’s part!—for she gave me one modest look of tenderness, in silent response te the quick glance of affection which I flung upon her. Weeks passed away; and though J fre. quently—indeed nearly every day met Louisa— she was always accompanied by her relatives; and they never stopped: but there was a secret voice within my soul, telling me that I was very far from being indifferent to the object of my own growing love; and I was continuously racking my brain for some opportunity of seeing her alone or of corresponding with her, At length [ managed to bribe a servant-maid in the Max, wells’ household; and she conveyed a letter to Louisa. It contained the avowal of my pasion— that avowal which J had already so often made by my looks, but which was pow for the firat time re- yealed ia language. Through the medium of the friendly domestic, I received an answer, couched in the most modest and delicate terme, but giving me to understand that my love was reciprocated. Frequent letters were now exchanged between us; and at length—aleo through the medium of the friendly maid—a secret interview was This took place in the garden at the back of the house at an early hour in the morning, before Mr. and Mrs. Maxwell were up. Louisa, with tears in her cyes, assured me that she had suffered much on my eccount—for that her sister was always aceumng ber of exchanging signif- pant looks with me whenever we happened to pess. Delicacy forbade me from explsining te Toviss the cause of Mra. Maxwell’s rancorous and unforgiving animosity against me: but I mods the most sclemn protestations of imperishable af fection. In short, Mr. Ashton, I spoke as I be lieve all lovers do speak to the objects of their regard. I told ber that I would write to my uncle and beseech his assent to our union—in which case she migh¢ act in total independence of ber sister’s imperious authority : but Louisa, timid and bash- ful, and trembling at the idea of flying openly iz her sister's face, besought me to wait yet awhile, and trust to a favourable change in existing cir- cumatances. I aseonted, on condition that she would suffer these meetings ta be renewed as oftez as was possible; and J] wrung from her a timidly and tremblingly uttered pledge to this effect. Agein did weeks pass on; and we me} frequently. Oh! the jay of those meetings, whens from two fond hearte commingled the trensfusing feelings of purest, holiest love |” Kdger Beverley paused for upwards of a minute, and with a pensive air evidently dwelt upon the happiness of those interviews te which be had just alluded—a happiness the experience of which he ao doubt feared must be regarded es belonging only to the past, aid never to be resuscitated. “My narrative is drawipg to a close,” he at length rosumed. “But before I proceed with it, I aught to inform you that on several occasions during the months which had now flown by since I was first quartered in Brighton, I heard vague whis- pers te the prejudice of Mrs. Maxwell's character. It was stated that previous to her marriage, which had taken place some few years back, her conduct Pd COMMIC DOO Col