The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 281: what you’re looking at

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

THR MYSTERIES OF THE COURT OHAPTER CXXXVIT. THE TREACHEROUS HINDOO WOMAN. Wuern last we spoke of the ayah Sagoonah, it was to describe her lying in her couch at Queen In- dora’s villa, and making unconscious revelations respecting the past. During the night of the day which followed, a gleam of intelligence came back into Sagoonah’s mind: it faded away—presently it returned—it subsided again—and then it came beek with increasing power. She was altogether recovering her consciousness. Long before morning dawned on that night of which we are speaking, Sagoonah was in complete poseessian of her mental facultics ; and though she uttered not a word, she was now aware of her position and of the frightful calamity which had befallen her. Collecting her ideas, she settled them upon that memorable evening when disguised in the apparel of her mistress, and laden also with the treasure plundered frem the Queen, she had intended to eseape from the villa, but only to be stricken down by an assasein’s dagger ! By the bedside she perceived an elderly woman whom she had no difficalty in recognising as a nurse; and presently the Queen herself entered the chamber. Sagoonah closed her eyes; and appeared to be sleeping profoundly. The nurse quitted the room for some purpose: Indora bent over the ayah; aod entertaining not the slightest suspicion that the treacherous Hindoo was now in possession of her reasoning faculties, her Majesty gave audible expression to the thoughts that were uppermost in her mind. “OQ BSagoonah, Sagoonah!” she murmured ; “how could you have been so wicked—you whom I loved and trusted ?” ; No change upon the ayah’s countenance denoted that she heard or comprehended what was thus being said; and Indora, wiping away the tears which had trickled down her cheeks, retired to an ottoman at a little distance from the couch; and seating herself there, she fell into a profound re- verie. Shortly afterwards Christina Ashton entered the chamber; and having bent over the ayah, whom she believed to be still steeped in unconsciousness, she gased on her countenance for a few moments. Then, heaving a profound sigb, Obristina turned towards the Queen; and said in a half-hushed voice, “ Think you, dear lady, that Sagoonah will ever recover ?” “ Yes—-she will recover,” responded Indora; “she is evidently much better. This much I can tell by her countenance. But perhaps, my dear Christina, it were better for her own sake that she should sever recover!—for if she have any good feeling left, the remainder of her life must be spent amidst the agonies of remorse.” “Oh, yes, dear lady !” continued Christina ; “ 90 much wickedness is incomprehensible! There was such refinement in it that one is almost justified in fancying that the spirit of a fiend must have in- spired her for the time! The snake——-O heavens ! I shudder when I think of it!” “ And well may you shudder, dear Christina,” rejoined the Queen; “for it was terrible! Even while the reason of that wretched girl had lost its guiding power, yet was conscience at work, and in re her dreams did she make those revelations whieh have conveyed to our knowledge all the wickedness of her conduct. But she will recover, Chris- tine———”” “And if is you, lady,” answered our heraine, “who will have saved the life of her who sought to take your own |” | ‘*‘ Yes~—she will recover,’ continued the Queen, in a musing manner, yet speaking audibly; “and she will have leisure for repentance, if her heart be susceptible thereof !”’ “ Have you decided, dear lady,” asked Chris- tina, “ upon the course which you intend horeafter to adopt with regard to her?” * You know, Christina,” replied Indora, “ thas it is my hope and expectation to be in a short time enabled to return to my kingdom ; and if no fresh cireumstances transpire to alter my plan, I shall take Sagoonah with me. But never again can I give her my confidence—much less restore her the love which, all menial though she were, I was wont to bear towards her! The remainder of her life must be passed iu strioteet eeclusion at Inder- abad. If she be truly penitent she will not grow impatient of that compulssry retirement to whieh it is my purpose to evasign her: but if, on the other hand, her soul shall continue to cherish ran- corous thoughts, it will be all the. more that she should be deprived of the powee of doing mischiof.” “Ob! let us hope that she will be penitent !° ssid Christina ; “ let us hope it, chiefly for her own sake |” Here the conversation terminated : but not one single syllable thereof had been lost to Sagoensh. She now comprehended that all her iniquity was known; and that even the most terrific episode of her criminal proceedinge—namely, that of the cobra di capello—had ceased to be a mystery. She saw too that an eternal imprisonment in her own native land was to be ber doom—unless in- deed she herself should be enabled to frustrate the designs of the Queen. But that this imprisom- ment was intended to be associated with the most lenient cireumstances, 8 comprehended, not merely from the way in which her Majesty spoke, but likewise from her knowledge of that royal lady’s disposition. Nevertheless, the though of such compulsory seclusion was sufficient to fill the soul of the ayah with dread and consterne tion. We have seen how conscience had been actively at work when reason’s governing power was ab- sent ; but now that the intellect had recovered its balance, and that the mental facultice had resamed their empire onve again, the ovil passions of the ayah enabled her to stifle all those reproaches of the monitor within her bosom. Her crimes were known ; and never again could she look her mis- trese in the face! Besides, to become a prisoner for the rest of her dsys—this was intolerabie! And to know that Indora would enjoy happiness in the love of Clement Redeliffe—this likewise was more than the jealous Sagoonah could possibly make up her mind to contemplate! She loathed the very idea of the kindness which she must have been experiencing at the Queen’s hands since the evening when the cagger of the assassin struck her down ;—and thus her soul was in every sense filled with gall and bitterness. Penitence and re COMME OOO SS} (CO