The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 269: what you’re looking at

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258 date which had given the Duke of Marchmont his new mistrees, before he found that he was many thousand pounds out of pocket; and that if she went on in the same expensive manner, it would be productive of serious inconveniences, notwithstanding the magnitude of the income which he enjoyed. He had foreseen from the very first that her imperious temper was likely to cause him much annoyance; and a few little examples which she had given him of her domineering dis- position, had shown that his presage was by no means ill-founded. He bitterly cursed the unfur- tunate incident which had rendered him the slave of such a connexion; and he saw the necessity of asserting a will of his own if he would not have that imperious woman put heg foot completely upon his neck. Although ahe wag go oxceedingly handsome, and possessed a figure af gych perfectly THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. Mrs. Oxenden made her appearance, escorted by the shopman from below. As she entered the room, the glance which she ewept around, showed her that Colonel Tressilian was present. This was the officer whose mistress she had formerly been, —the same whom she had encountered at March- mont House in Belgrave Square, and who had threatened to expose her if she did not retire from the entertainment. Then she had felt ber- self to be in his power: soe she no longer dreaded exposure—she had accepted the position of a kept mistress—and ehe was prepared to arm herself with all the false pride and hauteur of a brazen hardihood. She affected no§ to perceive Colonel Tressilian ; and he was by no means likely to court a recogni- tion on her part; fora young and beautiful wife whom he had married about a year back, was modelled and voluptuous peat, yet did he)leaning upon hig arm. We should observe bow. take no pleasure in the possession of such @ mis- tress: there was something ip her character which t filled him with dread whenever he fopnd himself in her presence; and though of a tem- perament which burnt with’ ¢! sensuous passion, yet was aha deficient in those little blandishments and ¢ fog | fascinations he w a ab which constitute the real seductive powers of woman. A magnificent set of diamon at nearly eight thousand guiness, hed ct ae little tima been exhibited at the shop of @ fg hiongble jeweller in Bond Street. Numbers o Peron belonging to the higher order had been to inspect them ; and several offers were made for the purchaso of the set: but the jeweller would not abate ono shilling of the price which be hed originally put upon the the strongest fires of ever that it wag by no means generally known that Mrs. Oxenden was the Duke of Marchmont’s mistress—although, as a matter of course, there were whispers in certain quarters to that effect. Colonel and Mrs. Tressilian were amongst a group engaged in the inspection of the much- coveted dfamonde ; there was however space euffi- cient to afford Mrs. Oxenden room to take her place at the fable in the middle of which they stood beneath q glass globe. “Are they not beautiful?” she heard Mrs. Tressilign whisper to her husband. “Th tre truly magnificent, my dear,” re- sponded) he Colonel, in the same low tone. Mrs. ff den beard Mrs. Tressilian beave a profound g a which was full of longing covetous- ° ess, ag she ‘gontinued to gaze upon the dia- gems. Wives bad endeavoured to wheedle their , monds. husbands, and young ladies their papag, into the purchase of the diamonds—but withgut effect. Weeks had passed since their firat display; an there they remained. At length, one aftern Qzenden alighted entered the pop from her eplendid Ml: ) to make a few purchases. Bhe had been on $ previous day attracted by something ehe had seen in the windows; and hence this visit. It was tho first time she had patronised the particular esta- blishment in question; and she had not heard of the diamonds that were exhibited for sale in the show-room up-stairs. The shopman who served “You know, my dear,” continued the Colonel, still speaking fn ¢ whisper, which he supposed to be audible only to his wife’s ear, “nothing would afford me greater pleasure than to purchase those gems for you. I offered a cheque for seven thou- ae as you well know—but it was refused; and Pics sure you cannot wish me to go any higher ?” * No, certainly not!” rejoined his wife. “% But still’—and with another deep sigh she stopped short. ‘TI see that you are very anxious to have them,” proceeded the Colonel: “ and it is no wonder! I tell you what I will do, my love: I will offer seven her—fancying from her own distinguished appear- | thousand five hundred for them—and I dare ssy ance, and from the brilliant style of ber equipage, that she must be a person of some consequence — inquired whether ehe had seen tho diamonds P— | his wife. and on receiving a response in tho negative, he begged that she would condescend to inspect them. To the show-room Mrs. Oxenden accordingly the cheque to that amount will not be refused.” “Ob, how kind and good of you!” answered “ T already consider them to be mize! And to confess the truth, I had so completely set my heart upon them——” “ Now that you tell me this, I cannot possibly ascended. It was at that hour in the afternoon | suffer you to be disappointed,” interjected Colonel when fashionable loungers of both sexes are wont | Tressilian. “ Come —let us go and give the to drop in at such establishments, cither to while | jeweller his own price, whatever it may be.” away the time, or to see if there be anything new which may strike their fancies. The show-room en this occasion was more than ordinarily thronged ; and the diamonds were the centre of attraction. Several ladies of rank were present with their husbands or fathers ; and many a eajol- ing word was whisperingly spoken from beauteous bps, ia the hope that the diamonds would be won as the reward of the honied language. Bat the sum was too great; and thus the cajoling was useless. The eyes of the beautiful Mrs. Tressilian lighted up with ecstatic joy as she accompanied her hus- band from the show-room,—neither having the re- motest suspicion that any portion of their discourse had been overheard. Mrs. Oxenden beheld the door close behind them; and a fiendish expression of triumph flashed in the depths of her large dark orbs. “These diamonds are truly magnificent,” she said to the shopman who had conducted her to the show-room. COMME OOO SS} (CO