The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 243: what you’re looking at

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

, 234 THER MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. during the first few days of her residence at the villa, received but one letter, which was in a beau- tiful female hand, and bore the English post- mark. It was the same day on which: Mrs. Chesterfield received this letter, that after having perused it, she went forth to walk in the Bois de Boulogne. The weather was serene and beautiful for that season of the year; and the sun was shining brightly in a climate where such mists and fogs as those which are familiar to the dwellers in the British capital, are almost entirely unknown. | and Mrs. Chesterfield was well but unostentatiously dressed: there was elegance without pretension in her garb—every detail of her apparel indicated the refined taste of a well-bred lady, without the elightest desire for gaudy show. Yet it was im- possible that a woman of her. beauty and developments of hare could fail to attract attention. It was in the forenoon that she was thus rambling forth; and there were but few persons in the road intersecting the wood where she was walking. She herself was plunged in deep thought,—most probably pondering upon tho con- tents of the letter which she had that morning received; aud thus for some time she remained unconscious of having become the object of ad. miration and interest on the part of a young and very handsome gentleman who was mounted on 4 superb steed. There was something distinguished in the ap- pearance of this cavalier. Not only, as just stated, was he remarkably handsome and possessed all the awlvantages of youth—his age not exceeding that of the lady whom he was admirig—but his de- meanour was exceedingly prepossessing ; and there wall a certain mildness in his look, which without detracting from a proper manliness of mien, be- spoke an amiable disposition. He wes followed by a groom in a neat and elegant livery, and who bestrude an animal well corresponding with the beauty of the steed which carried his master. It was evident by the way in which this gentleman suddenly remed in his horse on catching the first glimpee of Mrs. Chesterfield’s figure, as she was walking in front, that he was at once struck by the admirable symmetry of her shapo—a shape which, with an almost Hebe lururiance, was of He walked his animal entil, having passed her somewhat, he was enabled to obtain a view of her countenance ; and the impression made by that face, enhanced the sdmiration already ex- cited by her figure. He could not immadiately take his eyes off her; and she was eo deeply ab- sorbed in her own reflections, that she did not no- | the tice how attentively he was surveying her. Sud- denly smitten with the conviction that his gase was of a fixity and an ardour that might be con- strued into rudcaces, he reluctantly averted his eye yes antl quickened the pece of his horse: but he coald not for the life of him continue his way with the chance of losing sight of a being who had thus so suddenly taken possession of his heart. He again looked round : still she saw him not: he was enabled therefore to consider her more attentively —and he felt that this lovely unknown had, all unconsciously, become invested with a power over him which he could not possibly shake off. The longer he contemplated her, the more fervid grew his admiration. She appeared faultless in his eyes. With all the straining of hypercriticism—if he were inclined to be thus critical—he could not have wished a single feature to be otherwise than it was, nor a single contour of her shape to be dif. ferently modelled. Every one has a particular taste in respect to female beauty: every man has his own beaw ideal of feminine charms ;—and here was a being who in every way, even to the minutest detail, fulfilled that picture of loveliness which the young gentleman had often drawn m his own imagiestion as the one to be most worshipped Baill che. beheld him not. Again he feared tc be considered rude, and even grossly insulting ; for she was evidently a well-bred lady—there was no- thing in her appearance that could be taken as an encouragement for libertine advances ;—and ab- sorbed in thought as she now seemed, it was ut- terly impossible to perceive in her demeanour the faintest approximation to an overture. But that very pensiveness on her part excited the interest and piqued the curiosity of him who was thus ad- miring her. Already enamoured of her beauty, he longed to know who she was: he longed likewise to ascertain wherefore she was thus plunged in melancholy thought. He could not therefore hurry away from the spot where she was walking; and yet, if he thus continued reining in his own impe- tient steed eo as not to outstrip her pace, and at the same time keeping his looks eo fervently fixed upon her, he would be guilty of a rudeness which was altogether at variance with his sense of good breeding. Reluctantly therefore was he compelled to ride onward; but at a little distance he halted again, and looked back. She had turned—ehe was retracing her way: the idea of losing sight of her was not to be endured. At any risk he must know more of her: so he turned likewise—and again walking his horse, soon overtook the object of his admiration. Suddenly she raised her eyes, and beheld his own fixed thus ardently upon her. Her lipe, ape? ae seer See Se most luscious of fruit, were alight! : he could discern the dassling brilliancy of her teeth—ho saw that she was indeed perfect in every feature, faultlessly fulfilling his own beas ideal of feminine beauty. She averted her eyes—it struck him, with a flush of dignified indignation upon her countenance; and she at once turned into a diverging pathway, which could not be pursued by any one on horseback. He reined in his steed to a halt; and eat for a few moments in the saddle irresolute how to act. But promptly making up his mind, he sprang to ; and as the groom immediately gal l up, he abandoned his horse to the man's charge,—quickly striking into the same path which the lady had entered. In a few minutes he was by her side. Mrs. Chesterfield ncither looked to the right nor to the left—-nor quickened nor slackened her pase—but continued her way with an air as if she were. ignorant that she had thus been followed ; or elso . with the modest self-posscssion of a virtuous woman who chose not to give the slightest en- couragement to libertine boldness. The young gentlemas longed to address her, but dared not : on—and when a few yards in front, looked back. Mrs. Chesterfield at once turned into another pathway—o that if he now retraced COMMUC DOO CS (COL