The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 234: what you’re looking at

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

THE MYSTERIES, the Countess, “that Miss Plantagenct is either interested in the topics which I ventured to broach, or capable of repeating elsewhere auything that we may say confidentially here.” impute nothing whatever to your friend, Eleanor,” said the Marchioness, in a tone of deci- sion: “but surely the matters to which you alluded can have no possible interest for Miss Plantagenet—and therefore to discuss them, would be to exclude her from the conversation alto- er. “J yield to your wishes, Laura,” observed the Countess. “When did you come up to town?” inquired Lady Bellenden. “Last e ” was the response. “And on my arrival] in Berkeley Square I was much dis- tressed to learn that my friend Mrs. Fitzherbert was involved in the most cruel embarrassments. Indeed, to tell you the truth, she had been ar- rested for debt, and was in a dreadful place which is called a lock-up house. Accordingly, the first thing this morning I hastened to Devonshire House; and her Grace instantaneously consented to accompany me to Chancery Lane, where poor Mrs. Fitzherbert was imprisoned. On our arrival there, we found Miss Plantagenet and a cer- tain Lady Lade—a somewhat notorious cha- vacter whom I was not over well pleased to en- counter——" “J have already assured your ladyship that she is no friend of mine,” observed Miss Plantagenet, doubtless entertaining fears for her own reputation after having been found in such questionable society. “She was already at that place when I croased its threshold last night.” “ Ah! then you slept there, Miss Plantagenet ?” said the Marchioness of Bellenden, interrogatively. “Were you not alarmed at passing the night in a. species of prison?—for such must be the cha- racter of the house alluded to.” “ The three ladies were altogether in one room,” observed the Countess of Desborough; “and I suppose they considered themselves collective and mutual protection. At all events you were not disturbed in the night, I believe?” added Eleanor, turning towards Miss Plantagenet. “ Not in the slightest degree,” was the answer. “Perhaps Miss Plantagenet had a bed to herself and slept soundly,” said the Marchioness of Bel- Jenden. “Miss Plantagenet, on the contrary, was Mrs. Fitzherbert’s companion,” remarked the Countess of Desborough. “But really our conversation has turned upon the most trivial and ridiculous details: and I shall therefore hasten to inform you, Laura, ‘that having called at the lock-up house, I was frightened away by the sudden arrival of the Prince. Miss Plantagenet was as unwilling to meet his Royal Highness as I was ; and we therefore hurried off together. Then I proposed the visit to Bellen- den Priory—and now I have given a full and com- plete account of myself.” “You will remain and pass the day with me, Eleanor ?” said the Marchioness, who did not how- ever give the invitation with that cordiality which claimed a prompt acceptance and forbade a re- fasal. “Not on the present oocasion,” returned the Countess. “The Earl is in town—and I promised 221 to accompany him in the afternoon to pay several visits. Moreover, I am afraid that I have already disturbed you—or interfered with some arrange- ments—--~—” “Far from it,” interrupted the Marchioness. “You are unkind to make such an observation, Eleanor—since you know that I have not a dearer friend in the world than yourself. But you must come and see me again to-morrow—or next day— and then we will have a long discourse together.” “Be it so,” said the Countess. “By the way, what has become of that beautiful girl whom I saw here the last time I called ?” “She is still residing with me,” answered Lady Bellenden, with a rapid glance of uneasiness at Miss Plantagenet as she spoke. “A more amiable, virtuous, kind-hearted creature never breathed than my young protegée ; and were she my own daughter, I could not love her more devotedly than Ido. She has endured much sorrow—much per- secution likewise——” “ You told me the chief details of her narrative when I was last here,” observed the Countess of Desborough. “Poor girl! she is not the only one whom the Prince of Wales has sought to ensnare: but she is one of the very few who have had the courage to resist, and the happiness to escape him !” While the two ladies were thus discoursing, Miss Plantagenet indulged in a tolerably searching sur- vey of the Marchioness. Indeed, whenever Lady Bellenden was not looking towards her, Miss Plan- tagenet was devouring her with an ardour some- what remarkable in a modest and well-behaved young female. We have stated in a previous chapter that the Marchioness was now about thirty-seven years of age and that she was very handsome. The garb of widowhood which she wore, set off her dazzling complexion to the utmost advantage, and enhanced the soft. serenity of expression which usually sate upon her countenance. Her dark chesnut hair glossy as velvet, appeared in bands beneath the border of the snowy cap which seemed to become her as entirely and completely as if it were in sooth a coquettish appropriation of a peculiar article of vesture to a particular style of beauty. Between the vermilion freshness of the lips the teeth showed white as ivory: the hands were delicately fair and admirably modelled ;—and feet, long but narrow, peeped forth from the skirt of the mourning dra- pery- Although the high oorsage of the dress com- pletely concealed the bosom, and the arma were imprisoned in their long sleeves,—yet was it im- possible for even the most inert imagination to do otherwise than depict unto itself the contours of the bust and the symmetry of the arms. Nor less would the admirer of the fair sex have been forced to admit that this general concealment of her rich and glowing beauties only rendered the Mar- chioness of Bellenden more indescribably charming and enhanced ten thousand times the sensual and seductive power which so splendid a woman must under any circumstances have possessed. But while Miss Plantagenet was wondering within herself whether the Marchioness entertained any suspicion regarding her,—or whether the little ties in her behaviour were traceable only to a nutural prudence and reserve in speaking to» _— MlLGIOo SS