The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 347: what you’re looking at

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

$i4 struck, had inspired her with renewed coniidence in herself and her resources. By that blow she had gained two grand ends at once: she had re- moved Adelaide from her path, and she had got Edmund completely into her power. One more achievement to get Madge Somers out of the way, and she would be entirely safe! The day after the funeral she and Edmund set out for London. The young nobleman was far from sorry to leave a spot which was associated with the black crime that he had been induced to commit; and during the journey he recovered as much of his wonted cheerfulness as he dared put on under existing circumstances. His mother continued to preserve her kindness of manner to- wards him,—yet at the same time acting as the supreme authority in all things, and with just a sufficient display of her will as to prove that she meant to be dominant. Edmund rebelled not. It was not that he exactly said to himeelf he was in his mother’s power: because, efter all, crime eould not betray crime without drawing down destruction on its own head as well as on that of the one denounced. But the real weakness of Edmund’s nature now showed iteelf in yielding voluntarily to a state of more or Jess dependence. The fact was, Lady Saxondale, with a consummate art, was making herself necessary to him,—antici- pating his wants and wishes, studying his comforta, and in a thousand ways suffering him to perceive that her’s was after all a master-spirit to which he had better trust as the means of helping him on through that career which, so to speak, had degun anew from the starting-post of a crime. They arrived in London,—arrived there, dressed in deep mourning; but beyond the Peterafields, Marlow and Malton, and a few—a very few other individuals, whom selfish motives rendered the hangers-on of wealthy personages,—they had no friends to come and condole with them on the loss sustained,—assuming such condolence to be accept- able under the circumstances. But for all this Lady Saxondale cared little; and she did hor best to prevent Edmund from feeling annoyed at their comparatively isolated position. Indeed, his expe- rience had recently been of this sort; and as his chief sources of enjoyment were now contred in the champegneo-bottle and the pleasures of the dinner-table, he was not very difficuk to be made contented. Immediately on their arrival in London, Lady Saxondalo sent an intimation of the circumstance to the obscure lodging which, under a foigned mame, Lord Harold Staunton was occupying in the vicinage of the Regent’s Park; and he delayed not to hasten to the mansion in Park Tane. It was in the,evening of the day after her ladyahip’s return to town with Edmund, that Staunton thus called upon her; and they were at once closeted together to deliberate upon their affairs. “You look charming, dearest Harriet,” said the young nobleman, “in this mourning garb. It becomes you wonderfully ; it seta off your grandly bandsome figure to the fullest advantage ;”—and he threw his arm round her waist as they sat to- gether apon the sofa. “I love you, Harrict—— yea, I love you more than ever! And you?” “I love you also, Harold,” she responded, not merely sufforing his caresses, but returning them. fer now that Lady Saxondale had ne longer s Gee === GQ@uwee «oy -eww d wee ee oo a eo wt THE MYSTERIEG OF THE COUNT. roputation to lose, she had made up her mind to gratify her passions without restraint. Moreover, she had an interest in keeping the young noble- men enchained to her—for she did net intend to previo iven promise of marrying him: she would Never divide with another thas power which she had toiled through crimes and waded through iniquities to consolidate: but she would retain him as her paramour, and she knew that by lsvishing gold she could not fail to pro- serve Ler influence over him. “And this mourning too,” continued Lord Harold, looking significantly in that face upon which he had just been imprinting kisses,—“ you are not sorry to wear it under such circum- stances f”’ “The worst and bitterest enemy I ever enecoun- tered,” responded Lady —“far worse and far more bitter than even your uncle has proved himself—is now no longer an obstacle in my path. Sbe is gane—and Edmund is completely in my power. Ho who for a time succeeded in emancipating himself from my shacklos, has got them now more closely riven upon his limbs than he had when as a child he dared not attempt to thwart me.” “TI understand,” observed Harold. “I road in the newspapers the account of how Edmund's wile met her ccath: and it struck mo at the tine-——-” “Enough! breathe not your thoughts aloud, Waruld.!” interrupted her ladyship. “ Yea—it is so: you have rightly conjectured: there need be no secrets between you and me, Is not Edmund —with his weak and frivolous mind—with his superstitious terrors, and his addiction to the groasest sensualiticse—is he not completely in my power? But Ah! you know not what olso occurred at Saxondale Castle. I dared not write to you upon the subject; and no sooner had I arrived in London the other day, when tho letter announcing Adelaide’s doath summoned me bac again; and therefore I had no time to communicate with you.” “But what happened P’ inquired Harold, to a certain degree excited by feverish suspense, “ That dress———” “Ah!” he ejaculated with a quick start; and his countenance became asby pale. “Do not be alarmed,” his patrician paramour hastenod to observe. “Fortunately nothing came of the incident: but at onc moment it appeared so frightfully threatening, that I was almost dis- possessed of every particle of courage. For, you perceive, as Adelaide knew everything—as Ed- mund in his woakness and his folly had made her a confidante of all past circumstances—the dis- covery of that masquerade-dress act her reflecting upon other things; and so astute, so cunning was she———”” “JT oomprehend,” said Lord Harold, with a shudder. “She penctrated tho mystery of that deed UD ‘‘ Yes—she fathomed it; and I fell all of a sud- den completely into her power. Ah! there was a moment,” continued Lady Saxsnmdale, “when I abandoned yiyself to despair,—until gradually in my imagination expanded the idea that ske must be removed. But I smght to observe that the drees fell into the hands of the constable of Gaina- borough ——” Veen: Cee 2 ay SE, RT, ay qq rr erecemrrene gg A TTS PP eS Sa eee eee ES TS a NT ne a nn (GO) iC CY DOO CS (COL