The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 77: what you’re looking at

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If then, dear Florinel,’ she seplied, ‘ you consider conveyed to my lips with her own hand. Then she led me towards a couch—and is oe few misutes we were locked in eagh other's aro.” “Do you suppose that it was ber own homee, or some place which she had lured for the oecasieu ?” asked Lord Moutgomory, whosecnriesity was piqued in a most livaly manner. “It is imposetble to say,” roturned Fiorimel “J am narratiag te you everything jast as the adven- ture pccurred to me; and you ere ponitizely as capable of making your conjectures as J aos mye self At all events I may observe that the lady wae familiar enough with every noak, corner, and detail of the chamber to which she had thus conducted and laviehed apon me éke tenderest caresses ; end, 10- ebriated by the fleods of delight that were thus poured ia unto my senl, I vewed ia the most solemn manner to obey my fair unknewn in all thimga, s0 long as she suflesed me to enjoy the pleaswe of ber wen the natuse of the preamtiens to which she had alinded now became ake tied a silk handkerchief over my eyes before even the donnestic had tame te open the deer ef the vehicle. We thea alighted; and guided by her fair hand from whieh my own reecived a ne-easmcing pressure esery me- ment, I was led hastily ferward. A gateciosed be- hind ws—on we went-- and it ateuck me that we were threading the gravel-walk of a garden or similar en- cleeare. Ina couple of nunwtes we paused: aly companion let go mry hamd for a mement—I heard a key turn io a leck—a deer apened—my haad was again teken in the warm grasp that gave me a re-as- suring pressure—we entesed geome building — and ones mere did the lady pauses te abut and fasten the deor behind us. She then conducted me up a slair- case so thickly carpetted that even the clumaicet beets and the heaviest featatepe muat have passed naiselessly over it;—and finally I was escorted along @ passage into a chamber the atmosphere of which was warm and perfumed.” * And the handkerchief was removed from your eyes, doubtless,” exclaimed Lord Montgomery ; “and you beheld the charming herolve of yoor romantic adveptese 2?” “Oh ! bow erroneous are all your surmises, my deax friend!” ecied Lerd Florimel. “ What! do you suppose that all the precautions which had hitherte been adopted to steep this amour in the profoundest maystery, were suddenly to cease and even be osunteracted by allewing my eyes to yase apon that woman who had studied to draw se im penetrable a veil arpand her frailty and screen her eepsual enjoyments from the possibility of de- tection? No—ne: the adventure progressed nat ia the manner whieh xen hase gonjectared. The at- mosphere uf that chamber was warm : but the baat came from an invisible sonrae—for thene was neither fire nor lamp to thsow even the faintest glimmer upoa the pitehy daskoess whieh prevailed in that youdoir.of love and mystery. The handkerchiuf aas indeed semoved frem my eyes: but there was not so much as a streak of light to indicate the position of the windows. No—the shatters must have been well closed or the onrtains made of the thickest material: and yet the heat af the room Was not stifling nor the atmosphere stagnant. it was a wholesome air, thongh warm and perfumed ; and it seemed to breathe a soft sensucusnem which made me picture to myself all the luxury of a chamber devoted to the myateries of love. But I waa 822 alowed much leiaure for reflection or need- lees campepture: fer my companion ceadusted me to a som, ou which we reclined ourselves—aud ao f me; aad if it were not her own, it is very eostain that she must have offen visited it befure. It was jarge, and evidently furnished ia a luxarious man- ner : the table stood betwees the sofa and the bed ; —and nearthe head of the bed there was a large arm-chair, in whick I remember depositing my clothes. But it is usaless to enter inte these details, inasmuch as the whole adventure defies conjecture, and its mystery will most probably be never unra- velled. That some lady of rank experienced Caprice with regard to myself, and adopted those means of gratifying her transitory whim, is tolerably certain: but that [ shall ever learn who she is or discover the house te which I was conducted on that memorable night, I do mot imagise for s mo- ment. Her precautions were certuinly adopted with admirable effect; and so confident was ahe in their success, that she did not even seek to bind me by oaths or promises to secrecy in respect to the adventure iteelf. But the very nature of the precautions which she had taken, fully preved how imperious was the peeessity for adopting :hem; aud therefore we may safe'y suppose Saat it was some lady ef no ordimary standing in society, or whose reputation was iscaleulably dear.” “And yet others asast have been in her secrat,” exclaimed Lord Montgomery: “ for the ceachmaa who drove her carriage aad the footman im atten- dance upon it, could not have done otherwise than obey special instruetions;~aad then there was mest likely a lady’samnaid in her eonGidence alee——'’ “ Those ideas have suggested themselves to me mom than once,” intesrupted Losd Florimeal; “aud I con- fess that I have been lost in amazemeat and per- plexity when I have reflected upon the astounding fact that the anknown lady must bave risked expo- sure at the hands of her servants while adopudg such imamense precautions to scseen her identity from her lover! She could not put confidence in me: bat she placed hesaelf at the meroy of her dependants!" “ Strange inconaistency !” ejaculated Lord Mont- gomery. “ But do you not remember the livery which her servants wore ’—have you never singe seen the same carriage ?—could you obtain no informa- tion at Devonshire House whose equipage it was?” “Your questions remind me, my dear Eugene,” said Fiorimel, “that I have not yet made an end ef my nastative. You will remember I informed you that it was sbout two e’clock in the marning when I was precipiiated as it were into the midat of that re- mantic advegtuce, as 8 man may be suddenly hurled from a rock to be resaised upom a bed of sases in the abyss beneath. Well, our ride to the unkoown dwall- ing did pat eccupy more than twenty minutes at the outside; and therefore by half-past two J was com sdjacent table supplied wime, a goblot of which she | fortably located ia the voluptuous but dark boudeit DOO a A a aL aT fT ra Na rr = en ee SS co