The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 237: what you’re looking at

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ee ee eS O24 THE MYSTERIES. touching proof of true feminine feelings, the Prince suffered—nay, even forced his imagination to seize upon the circumstance as a motive for self-annoy- ance. He reasoned within his own breast that Caro- line ought to be too happy, too proud, and too grateful at becoming his wife, to be enabled to shed a tear: and he looked on that pure tribute of an artless woman’s respect and love for the home and parents she had quitted, perhaps for ever,—he looked upon that diamond yielded up from a mine of feelings unfathomable to eyes whose powers of vision were restricled by the grossest worldly selfishness,—he looked upon that tear, we say, as an insult to him- self ! The torture which he thus chose to inflict upon his own soul, goaded him to the quick : and he sprang abruptly from his kneeling position. Ihe Arch- bishop stopped short in the midst of one of the most solemn and impressive portions of the ceremony — and all eyes were turned upon the Prince. A sicken- ing feeling seized on the Princess of Brunswick ; — a consternation fell on most of the others present: but an infernal delight sprang up in the hearts of the Queen, Lady Jersey, and Mrs. Harvey Aston. As for Lord Malmesbury—Ae was struck with dis- may; and all his notions of etiquette weie thrown into the most lamentable ' onfusion. But this scene was vu .y of a few moments’ dura- tion. For the Princ. of Wales, instantaneously atruck by the conviction that he must either be taken for a drumkani or a madman, mumbled an apology — murmured something about “ mistaking the proper time’ to ri.e”——and sank down on his knees again. ‘The sacred service the. proceeded without further interruption;— and the ly remaining incident worthy of note, relafive to the solemn ceremony, was that the Earl of Malmesbury, instead of saying Amen along with the rest at the conclusion, gave vent to the word which was uppermost in his mind at the moment—namely, Etiquette ! And now the cereinony was over—the ordeal was passed through—the solemn mockery was accom- plished—the sacrifice was coosummated—and Caro- line of Brunswick was now Princess of Wales! The bridal party quitted the chapel and repaired to the drawing-roome of the palace, where a bril- liant company was already assembled; and her Royal Highness, the newly-married lady, was naturally the “observed of all observers.” The quick eye of the sycophantic and servile aristocracy soon perceived, however—aye, in a very few mi- nutes—that the Prince regarded his bride with any- thing rather than fond affection ;—and thus the cue was received as to the opinions to be formed by those lickspittle lords and ladies on a subject conceming which they dared not adopt any sentiments of their own spontaneous initiation. “My dear Lady Brunel,” said the Dowager- Countess of Montgomery aside to her friend, “ what do you think of the Princess ?” “What does the Prince himself think of her ” inquired the cautious lady thus addressed. “Do you not perceive that he is restless—dis- satisfiei—and uneasy, in spite of all his endeavours to conceal the real state of his feelings with the gloss of his brilliant fascinations of look, language, and manner ?” “You are right, my dear Countess,” responded Lady Bruucl. “And moreover, his Royal High- ness is—flushed,” she added, In a scarcely audible whisper. “Yes: he has evidently been—ahem !—drinh- ing,” observed the Countess, in an equally guarded tone. “And I should say that he was pretty nearl y— tipsy,” rejoined Lady Brunel, now speaking so low that her voice was not more audible than her “Yes: quite tipsy,” echoed the Dowager- Countess Montgomery. “And now, my dear friend, what do you think of our new Princess ?” “That it is the coarsest, vulgarest, commonest importation from Germany with which our world of fashion has ever been afilicted,” was Lady Brunel’s prompt rejoinder. And then the two gossips set themselves indus- triously to work to tear the Princess of Wales to pieces in the most unmerciful style of that heart- less criticism which constitutes so important a feature in the occupation of ladies of fashion. In another corner of the principal drawing-room an Earl and a Marquiz had button-holed each other; and approaching their countenances with so much solemn mystery that the tips of their noses almost touched, they entered with awful caution and dread timidity upon the grand topic. “ Well, my dear friend, what does your lordship think of the bride?” asked the Earl, who was aman of about sixty-five years of age. “ Nay—rather let me hear what you think, my lord,” said the Marquis, who was about ten years younger. “You have more experience than I ina such matters. “But what do you fancy the Prince thinks of her?” inquired the old Earl, cunningly beating about the bush to glean an opinion before he would venture to express any sentiment of his own. “Does not yoar lordship perceive that at this very moment his Royal Highness is conversing with Lady Jersey, and that his back is actually turned towards his bride ?” said the Marquis, in a slow and deliberate tone, every syllable he uttered being fraught with significancy. “To be sure {” ejaculated the Earl: “itis pre- cisely as your lordship represents.” “ Well—and now what do you think of the Prin- cess?” demanded the Marguis. “ Ah! there’s only one opinion to be formed,” was the prompt reply; “and that is by no means flattering to her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales. I suppose, in fact, we must treat her with coldness, and pass the word to our wives and daughters that she is to be run down ?” “Just sol” exclaimed the Marquis approvingly, “ There can be no doubt as to that being the pro- per course for us to pursue.” The two nobles accordingly separated, each to find out his family in another part of the room and give them the truly Christian lesson which had just been agreed upon. Oh! the world has never seen and human nature has never been scandalised bys more cruel, remorseless, and cold-blooded set of persons than the English Aristocracy! Their ser- vility is vile beyond all despising, and their heart- lessness atrocious beyond all cursing. The two dialogues we have just given will afford the reader a specimen of the general nature of the conversation which was current in the royal drawe- ecomilcooolks