The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 330: what you’re looking at

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

THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. long borne the title of Duchess of Marohmont. All vital tint seemed to have fied from that coun- tenance: even the very lips were of marble pale- ness. Its expression was 60 » © care-worn, so woe-begone, that even if she herself had been criminal it would have excited pity: but innocent in every respect as they knew her to be, it filled their hearte with anguish to look upon the face of that afflicted lady. The clergyman—a venerable man—bowed to the twins with the profoundest respect, and contemplated them with a mournful interest: for he had known their parente—and he wes indebted to their father for the incumbency which he held. The physician likewise saluted the young Duke of Marchmont and Lady Christina Vivian: but the dying nobleman covered bis face with his thin wan hands, and groaned audibly. Lavinia tried to speak—but she could not: her voice wae choked with the intensity of her foel- ings: yot her eyes eloquently procisimed the gratitude she experienced for this visit of pardon which they paid to her perishing husband. As for that man himeclf—he also tried to give utter- ance to some words; and he essayed likewise to raise himself up in the couch: bat tho power of speech seemed to beve gone from his palsied throat, and that of motion from his tranced limbs. Another attempt on Lavinia's part to say something to the g pair, proved ineffectual : for the first sounds of the syllables that wavered on her lips, died away in a spasm of intensest agony which exoruciated her whole frame. She burst into tears: and seizing the hand of each of the twins, she pressed them by turns to her lips. Christina threw her arms round Lavinia’s neck and -wept passionately upon her bosom: while Chris- tian tremulously murmured, “We are here to assure your husband of forgivenses |” “ Oh, thie is more than I could have expected !” moaned the dying nobleman, now finding utter- ance for a few broken sentences. “I who have been 80 wicked—so deeply stained with guilt —I who deprived your father of his life—Oh, Chris- tian !— Christina !--it is more than I ought to have hoped!—But, my God! even now that you are here, I cannot look you in the face !” And again did the wretehed man cover his countenance with his hands. “If your penitence be siocere-——ae I trast and hope and believe it is,” eaid Christian, in a soft voice, “receive the assurance of my pardon—end that of my sister !” “ Can you forgive me? is it possible that you ean forgive me?” asked the dying man. “Ob, what hearts do you both possess! It must be a paradise to bave such hearts as yours: but mine cannot understand them! Yee, Christian—my penitence is sincere. O God! with such remorse as thie, how can there be otherwise than con- trition ? My confession is made: you are Duke of Marchmont. I need not ask that you and your amiable sister will be kind to my poor wife———”’ “Think not of me, Hugh!” gasped forth the afflicted Lavinia. “I shall not long survive yoa. I fool it here /’~and with an expressiun of inef- fable anguish on her countenance, she pressed her hand uport her heart. “ Christian, you have forgiven me,” continued the dying nobleman, in a hollow voice; aad at the 319 same time his equally hollow eyes were tarned towards our hero; “and auch generosity on your part will experience its reward. The same with Christina. Oh, if I dared bless you--——Baut no, no! blessings from my lipe———” “ Remember,” said Christian, “that a Redeemer died to eave us from the vuences of our sins; and for our blessed Saviour’s sake the mercy of God is illimitable !” “Oh, these are words of solace, coming from your lips!” murmured the dying man: and he made a movement as if he would take the hand of our young hero. “Te is a sign of forgiveness which from my heart I afford you!” said Christian: and ho at once gave his hand to the perishing penitent. At the same moment a change came suddenly and visibly over the countenance of the latter: its paleness grew corpse-like—the eyes appeared to sink deeper into their sockete—some words to which he could not give audible utterance, wavered upon his lips: then came a low moan, followed by a gasp—~and next by a strong spasm, which seemed to thrill painfully through the penitent’s form— and then all was over! There was a profound and solemn silence for the space of several moments; but Lavinia appeared uncertain relative to the supreme fact. She gased with a dismay—balf wild, half awe-felt—upon the countenance of her husband: then she swept her looks around upon those who stood with her by the side of the couch; and she read in their faces the trath to which she had striven to close her convic- tions. A piercing cry buret from her lips; and whether she fell forward or threw herself upon the corpee, was not apparent: but there she lay, mo- tionless as he upon whose form her head rested. For several instante those who beheld the unfor- tunate Lavinia, fancied that she was abandoning herself to a profound and absorbing woe which had supervened on that sudden access of wild despair: but as she moved not, and ae not so much as even @ sob or a sigh was wafted to their ears, they grew alarmed. They raised her: there was a emall pool of blood on the counterpane at the spot where her mouth had rested; and the physician pronoanesd her to be a corpee. Deeply, deeply affected were the twins, as they suffered themeeives to be led forth from that cham- ber of death. They rejoined the Queen, to whom they communicated the details of the sad scene they had witnessed; and Indora mournfully re- marked that it were better for Lavinia to have died thus, than to have lived to deplore a husband who was unworthy of her lamentation. Her Majesty and the twins retired to their respective chambers to rest for a few hours: but sleep closed not the eyes of either of them. The man who had so long borne the title of the Duke of Marchmont, was now no more: he had passed thet sphere in which his crimes would beve rendered him amenable to human lawe—he had gone to that other world; in which he was to ap in the of a more dread tribunal. But bis wife, who had been an angel on earth, had gone at the same time to be an angel in heaven ; and it was a touching reflection, made by the twine to each other, thet the hapless Lavinia had taken that eternal flight at each 8 moment to intereede at the footetoo! of eternal grace for the (CO G OOO SS} (CO