The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 198: what you’re looking at

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

THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. “‘Good God, that I should have made you weep!” cried Christian: and in the excitement, the confusion, and the hurry of his own thoughts and feelings, he seized her small fair hand. it was however instantaneously withdrawn—but mot in anger; for the beauteous Isabella flung upon him, through the dimness of her tears, a look which eloquently proclaimed that she compre- hended all his sympathy and was grate- ful for it. Then hastily wiping away those tears, she hurried from the room. At the same moment there was a double knock at the door; and Chris- tian retraced his way to his own room. He waa ia the midst of painful and bewildering conjectures as to the nature of that mystery which enveloped the lovely Isabella, and which seemed to be asseciated with so much cruel coercion and un- natural tyranny,—when the trull of a servant-girl knocked at his door, and throwing it open, said, “Here’s a genelman which wants you, Mr. Ash- ton: and this is his card.” Our hero took the card, and found that it re- presented the aristocratic though perhaps not very euphonious name of the Chevalier Gumbinnen. The owner of this name had been left standing in the passage by the maid-of-all-work; and Chris- tian, on hurrying forth, was horrified to perceive a mop on his visitor's right hand, and a pail of dirty water under his very nose. He flung a hasty reproach at the girl, and began confounding himeelf in excuses to the Ohevalier,—who received them all with a sedate silence and s sort of inane mystification of look—which indeed was by no means astonishing, when it comes to be consi- dered that the Chevalier Gumbinnen understood not a syllable of English. Obristian hastily led the in his costame. On the contrary, it seemed a little the worse for weer. It consisted of a blue dress coat with a stand-up collar: it was out round in front, and thus aloped away into the tails: 3 the Chevalier Gumbinnen had sought loan upon al the Persone) property which cluded under th broker would have pronounced the diamonds to be Fes yiGe E EF i E 189 ing acid. In a word, this foreign gentloman’s appearance was sufficient to mystify Christian con- siderably as to who or what he could possibly be. Without a word, the Chevalier Gum- binnen drew forth a somewhat soiled pocket-book : and producing thence a dirty ecrap of paper, dis- played it before Christian’s eyes,—at the same time upon him a look of knowingness rather than of well-bred inquiry. It was our herd’s own advertisement, cut out of the Times; he therefore hastened to declare that it was so, and that he was the 0. A. therein specified. Still the Che- valier maintained a profound silence: so that Christian was at a loes whether to conclude that his visitor was altogether dumb, or that he was merely unable to comprehend the English lan- guage. Again however was the Chevalier’s hand plunged into the pocket-book; and now he drew forth a larger card than his own, and which he ted to our hero. It was not the cleanest in the world: but nevertheless, whateoever it had on it was perfectly visible. On the upper part there was a sovereign crown; and under it there was the name of the Duke of Maxe-Stolburg. Quotha. The address in the right hand corner was Mivart’s Hotel. Here was grandeur! It was evidently a reign- ing Duke who was sending for Christian; doubtless the Chevalier Gumbinnen was some high dignitary attached to the of his Royal Highness. Such was the conclusion to which our hero naturallycame. He looked at the Chevalier; and the Chevalier looked at him. Did the Chevalier mean to speak ?—or, indeed, could he speak at all P rassment: for, taking out a somewhat cumbrous watch—which would doubtless have been consi- dered handsome in the time when pinchbecks were in fashion—he displayed the dial before Christian’s bre rer Raid of four, gave a sort of significant grunt, and then stared for half a minute in the youth’s countenance, to assure to remain a week or two longer at Mrs. Ohubb’s ere entering upon another situation: but he hed his bread to get, and must not throw away a chance. Besides, it suddenly oecurred $0 him thas (COL (C OOO CS (COL