The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 220: what you’re looking at

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LL LL pe pesespstasypausstuushstfsvusphapssenamnamenaeesneeenee THY MYSTERIES, 207 and openly told her that she was offensive | Prince at length. “ My father and the Ministers on that account, and that she could not fail to dis- | may compel me to marry this German creature— gust her future husband. Mrs Harcourt has indeed | but they. cannot force me to love her: they may seen portions of Lord Malmesbury’s Diary in which | drive me to the altar to accept her hand in mar- all these various conversations arc duly recorded | riage—but they cannot constrain me to give her | —doubtless to be one day published to the} my heart in return. No—nor in compelling me to world.” take a wife, can they force me to surrender up any _ “Oh! Frances, Frances, I am distressed beyond | one of my mistresses!” all power of description!” exclaimed his Royal| “Nothing, nothing should induce me to forget Highness, literally writhing with the mental an-|or abandon you, my own beloved Prince,” ex- guish which these shocking disclosures had natu- | claimed the Countess of Jersey, flinging her arms rally excited. “What am Ito do?—what course | about the neck of his Royal Highness and cover- can E adopt? If I refuse to receive the Princess | ing his countenance with kisses: then, throwing as my wife, the Ministers will refuse to pay my } herself back upon the sofa, and making him recline debts—and these at this moment amount to six handred thousand ‘pounds! O my God! I already loath—detest—abominate the German wretch that has been chosen as my bride.” And covering his face with his hands, the Prince yielded to no affected nor even moderate grief. It was the first time in his life—or at least for many @ year—that he had thus given way to such afilic- tlon; and its sting was fraught with an indescri- bable bitterness. And now the Cotntess of Jersey, having worked her royal lover up to this unspeakable pitch of wretchedness, and being perfectly satisfied in her own mind that she had thoroughly disgusted him with the unfortunate Caroline of Branswick,—no matter how different the Princess might really prove from the hideous picture thus delineated,—the Countess of Jersey, we say, began to console the heir-apparent to the best of her ability. “Weill, I must not be downcast,” exclaimed the night. I much fear these habits are irrecoverably rooted inher; she is naturally curious, and a gossip; she is quick and observing, and she hasa silly pride in finding out everything: she thinks herself particularly acute in discovering /ikings, and this leads her at times to the moet remarks and conversation!’ (Page 200.) “ Argument with the Princess about her toilette. She piques herself on dressing quick: I disapprove this. She maintains her point; I however desire Madame Busche to explain to her that the Prince is very delicate, and that he expects a long and very ceretal tallette, of which she has no idea. On the con » she neglects It sadly, and is offensive from this neglect. Madame Busche exe- cutes her commission well, and the Princess comes out the next day well washed allover.” (Pages 207 and 208.) © Princeas ont of humour. Very nonsensical confidence about Prince of Orange—cannot be committed to writ. ing—must recollect it, as well as my answer and advice.” (Page 208.) “After dinner long and serious conversation with the Princess, on her manner of calling women by their plain name—of saying ‘My dear, my love, &c.” (Page 209.) “also took frequent opportunities of speaking very seriously to the Prinases Caroline, on her hot showing due respect to the Duchess her mother, of her sneering and slighting her.” (Page 210.) “I had two conversations with the Princess Caroline. One on the toilette, on Cleanliness, and on delicacy of speaking. On these points I endeavoured, as far as was possible for 8 man, to inculcate the necessity of great and nice at- tention to every part of dreas, as well as to what was hid, asto what was teen. J knew shewore coarse potticoate, coarse shifts, and thread stockings, and that these never were well washed, or changed often enough! I observed that a long toilette was necessary, and gave her no cre- dit for boasting that her’s was a short one. What I could not say myself upon this point, I got said through woinen; through Madame Busche, and afterwards throngh Mrs. Harcourt. It is remarkable how amas. ingly on this point her education has been neglected.” (Pages®s1) and 213.) in her arms in such a manner that his head lay pilowed upon her bosom, she said, “ Repose thug with me for a few minutes, my George: it cannot be long ere the summons will arrive for you to re- pair to St. James’s Palace to greet your bride.” “'Would that the hateful ceremony were over” exclaimed the Prince. “But, thank heaven, when once the knot is tied, you will then become a resident beneath this roof, my dearest Frances— in your capacity of Lady of the Bedchamber to her Royal Highness——” : “And supposing that the Princess should be jealous ?” said the Countess, with a smile that re- vealed her pearly teeth. “You will be protected by me against her anger,” was the prompt reply of the royal lover. “But you have given me no details of the landing of the Princeas—of the reception which you experienced at her hands———” “ Ah! Thad forgotten,” interrupted the Countess. “But it may all be summed up in a few words. Obedient to your instructions, Lord Claremont, Mrs. Harvey Aston, and myself proceeded to Greenwich to meet the Princess. She was over- whelmingly polite to me—I know not wherefore— but such was the fact. Lord Malmesbury, me- thought, treated me with a proportionate degree of coldness. For this, however, I cared little. I sate next to the Princess at the luncheon given by the Governor of the Hospital; and her Royal Highness chattered a great deal to me and Mrs. Aston. Afterwards the Princess withdrew to an apartment prepared for her, and where she chose to be alone for a short time; and in the interval I gleaned from Mrs. Harcourt the various pieces of information which I have already given you. Mrs. Aston, Mrs. Harcourt, and 1 were then sum- moned to attend upon her Royal Highness. The earriages were then ordered: Mrs. Harcourt and I accompanied the Princess—Mrs. Aston rode in the same vehicle with Lords Malmesbury and Clare- mont. There were very few persons assembled to witness the landing and the subsequent departure: nor did the carriages atiract much observation along the road. In an hour from the moment that we left Greenwich Hospital, we alighted at St. James's Palace ;—and leaving the Princess to re- ceive such a welcome as the King, Queen, Princes, and Princesses, may think fit to give her, I pleaded indisposition and hurried away. But instead of proceeding homeward to lie down for a few hours,” added the Countess, laughing, “I came hither to hold this long discourse with you.” The Prince was about to make some observation in reply, when the door was opened slowly; and Germain, who had purposely fidgetted a moment en in (C DOO SS