The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 359: what you’re looking at

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

oo wy amie ¢ weiter end-organ Ee ee eee a wwe ee ee eee es eee ee” - OD -. ee ee Ce —ww - =a = Dp oe = — oe Ei) a ee = —_ q 348 one of the windows:—and it was with a foreign accent that this woman spoke. “ I insist upon being suffered to alight!” said Christina, with an another effort to lower the window—in which however she was baffled by the woman seizing her violently by both her wrists. “The shaft is broken! what is to be done P” hastily said the man who was seated next to Christina, and who was the same that had cap- tured ber in the “The shaft broken ?’ echoed Madame An- gelique—for she indeed it was into whose power our heroine had fallen, and who wore the veil to guard herself against fature recognition. “ Pray, my dear Miss——” “ Release me!—I insist upon being released !” screamed Christina: and the next instant one of her fair hands was dashed through the glass. Her shriek thrilled forth: Madame Angelique THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. alarm and indignation. “ Your vile master shall not keep me here !""—and she rushed to the door. “For heaven’s sake, Miss Ashton, compose yourself !” said Jessie Giles, springing after her. “You are mistaken '—it is his lordship who rescued you—and bis carriage is ordered to wait to convey you home, wherever it may be.” Now another revulsion of feelings took place in the bosom of Christina; and she comprehended in a moment all the strength of the insulting suspi- cion to which she had given way towards Lord Octavian Meredith. She sank upon a seat; and pressing her hand to her brow, burst into another flood of tears. “Do pray compose yourself, Miss!” repeated Jessio. “You must know that you are in safety here! Bat it is natural you should be frightened —for from what little his lordship said to us when | the carriage stopped at the front door, you have almost maddened by the dilemma in which she | been outrageously treated. Indeed, it was very found herself placed by the collision of the two | fortunate our coachman dad taken a drop too vehicles, and by the dread of exposure —seized our | much and run against the cab—or else you might heroine by the throat, muttering, “ Silence, girl! | not have been delivered from the hands of those le.” —or I will throttle you !” The mingled terror and pain which the poor girl experienced, caused her to swoon off once more; and when for the second time she recovered her consciousness, she found that she was being lifted from a vehicle by a couple of female ser- vants. The first impression which now seized upon her was that she was atill in the power of her enemies ; and with a scream she released her- self from the hold which was upon her. But this hold was a friendly one: a voice which she recog- nised, gave her a kind assurance: for the maid- servant who had thus spoken to her was the daughter of that landlady who had originally re- commended her as companion to Lady Octavian Meredith. Christina experienced a sudden sense of safety—but had no power of lucid recollection. Stupified by all that had occurred—and feeling as if her senses were again about to abandon her— unable, in a word, to bear up against the effects of this series of incidents through which she was hurried—she mechanically abandoned herself to ‘the care of the two servant-maids, and was con- ducted into a house which she had not been enabled to recognise on account of the dimness which came over her vision. Such too wap-thp confusion of her thoughts, that though .abe had ised the voice of Jessie Giles, and knew it to be a friendly one, it did not at the instant strike her where she had known the girl before: but when placed upon a sofa in a handsomely- furnished room—when wine-and-water was prof- fered her, and the two domestics were doing all they could to revive her from that listless condi- tion which bordered so closely upon unconscigus- ness—a light suddenly flashed in to the mind of our heroine. She knew where she was ithe apartment was indeed familiar enough to her : was one of the elegantly-furnished parlours of Lord Octavian Meredith’s residence. Then naturally enough the idea smote her that it was he who had caused her to be carried off; and shocked as well as horrified by the belief of such tremendous perfidy, she burst into tears. “ Let me go hence! let me depart!” she the next moment exclaimed, dashing away those tears, and becoming violently excited with minglod peop “I bope you will not repeat to his lordship,” eaid Christina earnestly, “the words which I uttered———I_ was half wild—I gave vent to any- thing which came into my head " ‘‘ Here is his lordship !” said Jessie: and she at once withdrew from the apartment, followed by her fellow-servant. It was simply from motives of respect that the women retired: for they had not the faintest ides that Christina would not for worlds have thes found herself alone with their master. She had not the power to stop those women: she was shocked at the thought of the insulting suspicion to which she bad abandoned herself, and which contrasted so strikingly with the sense of grati which on the other hand she ought to have felt to- wards her deliverer. She could not even rise from her seat as Meredith advanced towards her, and iz the gentlest tones of his musical voice inquired if she felt better? It was a perfect consternation of bewilderment that was upon her—e sense of. confused thoughts, and with an utter un- certainty what she ought .to say or how she ought to act. But one word of explanation ere we pursue the thread of our narrative. Meredith, who was re- turning home in bis carriage when the collision took place,—he having been dining at his ciab,— thrust his head out of the window to pat an end to the altercation by telling the cabman who be was and ordering his coachman at once to drive os. Then was heard the sound of the giess of the cab-window, instantaneously followed by a shriek ; and Meredith, convinced there was some- thing wrong—though little expecting to meet Christina— sprang forth from the : Several persons collected upon the spot; Madame Angelique told them from the see that she was a tradeswoman of respectability, and that she was merely home a runaway ap- prentice. She thought the lie would serve her, es Christina had fainted and therefore could not cos- tradict it. But Meredith insisted on in the matter further: he tore open the cab-duor—hbe recognised Christina—and an ejaculation of amase- ment burst from his lips. To take her in his arms 0 aE a 2D a= COMMIC DOO Col