The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 265: what you’re looking at

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

252 TILE MYSTERIES tending her arms towards the three men, who were slowly advancing farther into the room, she cried, ‘* Avaunt, wretches! I know ye but too well! Ye are the myrmidons of the Prince—ye are the same who slew the young princes in the Tower centuries ago—ye are gifted with immortal life that ye may wreak immortal injury—ye are fiends in human shape. Avaunt! avaunt!” And while the colour mounted to her cheeks, through the intensity of excitement, and her eyes glared with appalling wildness, and her bosom rose and fell with rapid convulsive heavings—or rather, stifled sobs—she stood in the midst of that apart- ment, her fine form drawn up to its full height, and her armas still extended with the air of a Pythoness looking into a terrible futurity. * Octavia—my beloved Octavia—calm yourself, I implore you!” exclaimed Pauline, stricken with a frightful remorse at the unguarded expressions to which she had given utterance with respect to her sister's mental affliction. “It is for you to calm yourself likewise, dear young lady,” said Mr. Page, taking her by one hand, while Julia caught hold of her by the other. “Pray compose yourself—be t-anquil!’ continued the ex-bagman, with an officiousness in his attempt at consolation which would have at once excited the suspicions of Pauline had she enjoyed the use of her discriminative powers at the moment. “ 'Yes—for heaven's sake tranquillise yourself!” said Mrs. Page; and as she and her husband both persisted in holding Pauline by the arms, under the semblance of administering solace and bestow- ing friendly attentions upon her, she was in fact retained a prisoner in their grasp. This was no doubt the signal previously agreed upon between the treacherous couple and the mad- doctor's emissaries : for while Pauline was struggling to escape from the hold which they maintained upon her, the three men seized on Octavia and began dragging her from the room. “Let me go, I command you—let me go, I implore you!” exclaimed Pauline, with desperate efforts to escape from Page and his wife—while Octavia’s screams were suddenly hushed by one of the men placing his hand upon her mouth. “ You will do yourself an injury, dear young lady ~-pray be tranquil!” cried Page, forcing Pauline down into an arm-chair. The wretched girl beheld the ruffian gagging her unhappy sister as his two companions forced her out of the room, despite the tremendous efforts which she made to escape from their power: then a sudden dizziness came over Pauline —everythi disappeared from her view—every sound died away in her ears—and she fuinted ! When she awoke to consciousness once more, it seemed as if she were slowly recovering from the effects of a hideous night-mare: but as her ideas gradually arranged themselves in her mind, a gathering wildness, mingled with terror, appeared upon her countenance;—and when she cast her looks with an expression of hurried and anxious inquiry around, and saw Page and his wife bending over her—bat beheld nof the dear object whom those searching glances sought—all the heart- rending reality of the previous scene burst upon her comprehension! Then, witha wild shriek, she started up—but staggered immediately beneath the overwhelming weight of her dire affliction ;— c and, falling upon her knees, she extended her clasped hands towards Page, exclaiming, “Tell me, sir—tell me what they have done with my sister !” “Dear young lady, pray tranquillise yourself” said the .ex-bagman. “Look upon me and my wife—that is to say, Mrs. Page—as your sincere and devoted friends, who will see your sister's wrongs avenged——” “But what have they done with her?—where is she gone?” demanded Pauline, springing up from her suppliant posture, and speaking with a petu- lance indicative of the most cruel suspense and nervous impatience. “JT am as ignorant as yourself, my dear Mies Clarendon, upon those points,” replied the ex- . “Am I not, Mrs. P.?” “Oh! then Octavia is torn away from me—and I am alone—alone!” cried the wretched, wretched Pauline, cutting short the answer which Julia was just commencing: and, falling back into the arm- chair, she covered her face with her hands and burst into an agony of weeping. Mr. and Mrs. Page proffered their hypocritical consolations: but the blow which had stricken the young maiden so suddenly and so heavily, was not to be mitigated in its effects by any words or human solace, however sincere and however re- plete with sympathy that language might be. Therefore, although she suspected not for a single moment the treacherous part which her false friends had been playing, she refused all the consolatory suggestions which they pretended to offer her: she would not listen to their proposal that she should pass the night at their house—she was equally peremptory in declining the offer that Julia made to remain and take care of her ;—but hastening up to her own chamber, she locked the door—and, finging herself more than half distracted upon the bed, gave way to all the violence of a grief which human language has no power to describe. CHAPTER CLXXXVL AN EVENING AT CABLTON HOUSE. A monta had elapsed since the occurrences related in the preceding chapter; and it was now the middle of smiling, warm, and sunny May. Once more must we conduct our readers to the private apartment of the Prince of Wales,—that apartment which he had not ceased to render ser- viceable to his intrigues and voluptuous enjoyments, although a wife now slept beneath the roof ot Carlton House. But into that chamber so luxuriously fitted up, and having the advantage of the private staircase, —into that room embellished with equivocal pic- tures, we say, the footsteps of the Princess Caro- line had not yet penetrated. Their Royal Highnesses still ostensibly occupied the same bed-chamber: that is to say, the Prince was wont to pass the night with his wife when he was not too tipsy to seek her presence there, or when he was not more agreeably engaged in his own pri- vate apartment. But as these occurrences happened somewhat frequently, it may be taken upon an average that his Royal Highness honoured the Princess with his company about four nights out of el - a ng cg I aD: GOH GOO SS