The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 361: what you’re looking at

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THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. a Bayswater in safety. There she acquainted the Princess, who had been very uneasy at her sudden disappearance, with the particulars of the outrage which had been perpe- trated against her; and all that she omitted from the tale, was that rapid but exciting scene with Lord Octavian Meredith which we have just been describing. Indora gathered enough from what Christina said, to convince her that the French- woman could be none other than Madame An- gelique: but she did not intimate that she had any knowledge of that disreputable person. Deeply indignant was the Princess at the treatment which her young friend had sustained: but she was to- totally at a loes to conceive what could be the motive of the abduction, unless it were to purvey some fresh victim to the luste of Madame An- gelique’s patrons. Christina retired at once to ber chamber,—where she was most kindly ministered unto by the Princess herself, who watched by her side until sleep at length closed the young maiden’s 6 ; "There was ope person beneath that roof who understood fali well what the outrage meant, and who inwardly deplored ite failure,—but who out- wardly testified sympathy on behalf of our heroine. This was Sagoonah. $50 and in a little less than an hour, reached the villa CHAPTER LUXVIL i THE 8@SUPPER-EATSE RR. THE scene now changes. On that same evening of which we are writing, a masked ball took place wt Buckingham Palace. The invitations, whieh were most numerous, had been issued to all the principal members of the aristocracy, male and female, and to the most distinguished persons of the fashionable world. As a matter of course all the preparations were of the most splendid and sumptuous description: for Royalty bas got no- thing to do but to dip ite hand into the public puree which hard-worked and severely-taxed In- dustry is forced to keep continuously filled, in urder to procure all imaginable pleasures for itself, and to enfertain its friends, its flatterers, and its hangers-on. . The greater portion of the company appeared in fancy-costume: but there were several—chiefly the highest personages, male and female, of the aristo- fracy—who were apparelled in their usual manner. Amongst those present was the Duke of Maxe- Stolburg-Quotha, who had again run over to Eng- land (at the public expense, be it well understood) Co visit his illustrious relative; and in order that this faithful chronicle of events may omit no detail galoulated to prove interesting to the reader, it must be added that his Royal Highness did actu- ally and veritably wear @ new uniform uron the occasion. Little did he suspect, while mingling in the gaictses of Buckingham Palace, that his late Groom of the Stole bad on that very same day Leen seen by hie late English secretary s0 indus- triously though somewhat ignominiously employed in beating a drum and running his lips along the tubes of a mouth-organ. There too, amidst that fompiny, was the Duke of Marchmunt, who was eRe “ewn o-o— we ew Qe we 6 we oo oo ee Eee oe | ee 7 are ee eee ° : ° glad to seek in any scene of excitement a relief from the vague but painful apprehensions which haunted him in respect to the Princess Indora. In respect to the Queen and Prince Albert, the news- papers of the following day assured their readers that her Majesty never appeared in better spirita, and that her illustrious consort was observed to be in the enjoyment of admirable health, —which piece of intelligence no doubt afforded the highest eatisfaction at all the breakfast tables where the journals aforesaid were perused on the morning after this grand entertainment. But for the masked bal] itself. All those who wore fancy-costume, were bound to maintain ther incognito until two o’clock in the morning, so thet there might be no relaxation of the merriment and gaiety until such time as all the wit and humour of the masked unknowns might be ex- hausted! Even this length of time that was thus prescribed, was founded on the calculation that the wit and humour of the aristocratic assemb would last for several hours: so that when the average dulness of the aristocratic intellect is taken into account, i¢ becomes quite clear that the patrician orders possess an enviable facility of amusing themselves. Now, it must be understood that the Grand Duke of Maxe-Stolburg-Quotha had come over to England with precisely the same retinue—the illustrious Raggidbak excepted —that he had | brought with him on the previous occasion: but upon some private understanding to which he had come with his relative the Prince, the Grand Duke had introduced none of his ious horde at the masked ball of which we ar writing. Therefore Count Wronki, the Lord Steward — the Chevalier Gumbinnen, the Chamberlain — General Himmelspinken, Master of the Horee— Herr Hombogh, Lord Privy Seal—the Chevalier Kadger, Chief Equerry—Count Frumpenhausen, the Gold Stick -~-and Baron Farthenless, the Privy Purse, had all been left at Mivart's Hotel to play at dominess for halfpence, or to rack their brains for the means of procuring some more substantial recres- tion. Deeply indignant were these men at what they conceived to be the slight pat upon them; and they presently took counsel together to eee whether they could possibly indemnify then- selves for their exclusion from the gilded saloons of British Royalty. All of a sudden a luminous ides struck the Chevalier Kadger: and having con- municated it to his worthy compeers, it was unani- mously voted that he should forthwith put it into execution. The Chevalier was about to set forth for the purpose, when he recollected that he should require a cab to take him io haste to Buckingham Palace, and bring bim back in to Mivart’s Hotel to communicate the resalt of his mission. Two ebillings at the least would be the required fare; and this amount, after some little delay, was ecraped together in halfpence from the pockets of those illustrious German noblemen and gentlemen. But when the Chevalisr Kadger had departed, strange misgivings sprang up in the breasts of those whom he had left behind, lest he ehould merely drop into the nearest public-house, driak and smoke out the large funds confided to him for a spcciitl purpose, and then come back to assure them with all the impudence in the world that be 2 “a — — ee ee eee ’ eens OUP ae ee aa ve i et eee OE 8 Oe owe e+ COMMIC DOO Col