The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 249: what you’re looking at

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

gA3 sure he left behind him, has fallen into the pos- session of one who is better capable of appreciating | the it. I have wealth—immense wealth; and it shall be laid at your feet. Of my rank, under circum- stances, I cannot make you the sharer: our union cannot be sanctified at the altar;—but the ties which are to bind us, shall be strengthened by the fondest love. And now you understand me; and you that to-morrow, st this hour and on this spot, we shall meet again P’’ “I promise,” was the reply, faintly and mur- muringly given. «18d the name of her whom I adore P” said the young nobleman : breathe incessantly with the secret voice of my heart until we meet again P”’ “ Augusta Chesterfield,” was the response. “And now that you have my promise, let us separate.” ‘‘ Farewell, then, for the present, my own wor- shipped Augusta !”—and M. de Chateauneuf would have strained her to his breast; but she sped away from him in the direction of the Durands’ vills. On this oocagion, however, she did look back for a moment; and she made a sign of adicu—so that the young nobleman was enabled to himself that the circumstances of their parting on the present occasion were far more favourable to his hopes than those of the preceding day. In the afternoon Mrs. Chesterfield took an oppor- tunity to walk with Madame Durand in the garden attached to the villa; and during a pause in the conversation, she observed, as if quite casually, “There are in this neighbourhood several very fine mansions: I presume that they are ocoupied by the eléte of your nobility and gentry ?”’ Madame D several; and being of a loquacious disposition, she entered into minute details relative to the reputed incomes and family circumstances of those persons concerning whom she was “You behold that beautifal white chateau stand- ing on yonder eminence about a mile distant ?” she continued. “It belongs to the Viscount de Chateauneuf—a very wealthy young nobleman, and as haadsome as he is Pich.” “T think I have heard the name mentioned be- fore,” said Mrs. Chesterfield. “Qh! it is a time-honoured name in the history of the French Aristocracy,” proceeded Madame Durand. “True, our Aristocracy is nothing now a-days: two revolutions and the Charter of 1830 have stricken down the prestige of nobility—and no great harm either. Therefore great names are only estimated now if associated with great wealth —wuich is the case with M. de Chateauneuf. But then,” added the landlady, “the riches came by marriage, and were not already in his own family, which was very much impoverished “Then this nobleman,” observed Mrs. Chester- field, stooping down to pick up her pocket- handkerchief,“ this young nobleman of whom you are speaking, is married P” “Oh, yes!—he has been married for the last two he obtained that beautiful chateau and the annexed estate, together with another chateau and another estate somewhere in the south of France, and an income of five hundred thousand francs © a year, all by this matrimonial “what name is it that I may |i THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. alliance. I will tell you how it was,” garrulous Madame Durand. “There was a very opulent sugar-baker who retired from busi- ness some three or four years ago. He was a widower, and had an only child—a named beauti- Stephanie. This young way & excoode ful—one of the most perfect and angelic you ever saw in your life—highly educated and formality of marriage-settioments and so forth: he was resolved to have the whole control over whatsoever fortune his wife might bring him; and the -baker was too eager to have the dream of his darling ambition fulfilled, to throw any ob- stacles in the way. Poor man! when once ho was again introduced into , and tolerated there as- the father-in-law of the young and brilliant Viscount de Chateauneuf, he did not long survive the intoxication of his joy; and in a fit of an- ner species of intoxication was suddenly cut Oo a] “ And the young couple,” said Mrs. Chesterfield inquiring yy —“‘are they much attached to each Oo r 99 “Can it be supposed,” asked Madame Durand, “that such an alliance should prove a very happy oneP The Viscount is a sufficiently amiable young man : but it appears that he has conceived some- thing bordering tpon an aversion for his wife. Perhaps it is thet his pride is wounded in being constantly reminded by circumstances that he owee all he to the sugar-baker’s daughter. Perhaps he feels that he sold himself, as it were, to the selfish ambition of a vulgar upstart: of (COIMUC DOO CS (COL