The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 204: what you’re looking at

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THE MYSTERIES OF THH COURT. 195 | sary preliminari¢s to a more familiar and continu- attentive and docile to her preceptress. But no oug strain of conversation. Lettice found her! hope that she ‘was happy was ever hinted at in travelling-companion to be a young lady of unas- suming manners, somewhat simple-minded, and disposed to enter with an ingenuous frankness upon . the objects of the journey on which she was bent. Lettice chose likewise to be communicative,—not however to reveal the real truth in respect to the motives of her own journey, but to chatter away in her own style for the sake of appearing im- portant in the estimation of her travelling companion. She accordingly stated that she was on her way to Ireland to pass a fow weeks with some friends in the neighbourhood of Dublin,— dropping a fiint that these friends were of aristo- cratic rank, and availing herself of the opportunity to lead het fellow-traveller to infer that she belonged to & wealthy and influential family. The reader knows how much of all this was true: it was however believed by Lettice Rodney’s travelling- companion, who was inspired by such confidences to becomé all the mord communicative on her owh It how transpired that this lady.was named Rayner, and that she was a widow. Presbéntly it farther appeared that her Christian name was Louisa,—an intimation which elicited from Letticé Rodney’s lips a remark on the singularity of the coincidence that their names should have the same initials. In short, as the journey progressed, the two ladies became more and more intimate and familiar ; and inasmuch as no dther passenger was introduced to their compartnient of the earri at any of the stations where the train stopped, , the flow of their conversation proceeded uninter- ruptedly. We may now record those details _which Lettice Rodney received from the lips of Mrs. Rayner, in respect to certain circumstances of her life, as well as the special motives which had led to the journey she was now undertaking. It appeared that Loilisa was jeft an orphan at the age of eleven,—both her parents being carried off suddenly by some epidemio disease, and with only a short interval between their deaths. Louisa was then removed to thé house of a certain Mr. Anthony Pollard, & Hwyer at Liverpool, and who was left her guardian. Hoe was no Felition: but doubtless Lonisa’s- father, when makinp his will, had his own good reasons for appointing this gentleman to act as trustee for whatsoever pro- perty he might leave his daughtér. Mr. Pollard was an elderly man—a widower—df eccentric habits—lovitig money with a miserl¥ devotfin— atid carrying his parsimony to sliioat every ex- treme which is usually adeociated with the greed of gain and the passion of tmammon-worship. Louisa rethained but a few Weeks at ‘his house, and wha then sent to a boarding-school at some town & eonsideraBle distance off. Here she was kept throuzhout the holidays ; and though kindly treated by the mistress of the establishmént, and adequately supptied with pocket-money,—yet still she could not help féeling how bitter and poignant it was to know of no place in the wide world which she could look forward to visit or be enabled to speak of as her home. At this school she re- ysained until shé wads seventeen,—noever once seeé- ing Mr. Poflard—only occasionally hearing from hini, when in a eurtly written letter he remitted her money and expressed a hope that she was those letters : it appeared as if her guardian con- sidered he was fulfilling the extent of his duty by acting as a mere man of business, and that he wad by no means bound to demonstrate any of those kindnesses which her lost parents would have shown, or which she might have looked for on the part of relations—if she had possessed any. The schoolmistress was occasionally visited by a nephew of her own—a young gentleman of hand- some person, agreeable manners, and pleasing address. He was four years older than Louisa, and consequently twenty-one at thé period when she attained her seventeenth year. He had just inherited the little property bequeathed to him by — his own parents; for he likewise was an orphan. To be brief, a mutual affection sprang up on the part of the school-girl and the nephew of the schoolmistress: tender billets were exchanged— vows of eternal fidelity were pledged. The cir- cumstance was discovered—and the young gentle- man was ordered by his indignant aunt to absent himself altogether from the house vo long as Louisé remained beneath the roof.- The schoolmistress was a well-principled and conscientious woman: she communicated at once with Mr. Péllard at Liverpool; and this gentleman wrote to dignify his inténtiofi of proceeding in the course of a day or two to fetch his ward away” from the school. The romance had thus reached that point at which fhe various complications could not possibly lead to any other resulé than that which the reader doubtless anticipates. ‘The nephew of the school- mistress found means to communicate secretly with Louisa: she was almost broken-hearted at the thought of being eternally separated from her lover, and of being borne back again to her guar- dian’s cheerlees house at Liverpool—of which house Kier recollections of some six years back, were by no means agreeable. She _ therefore yielded to the entreaties of her admirer: she fled with him: but he was an honourable young man— and the dopement was iminedidtely crowned by biarriage. : - Thd newly-wedded pair proceeded to France, fhence Louisa—now Mrs. Rayner—wrote to Mr. ollard, explaining to him that she had consulted r own happiness in tHe step which she had en, and that if she had thereby proved unduti- ul and disobedient to the will of her guardian, she solicited his forgiveness. She did not however ex- perience much, if any compunction at having thus own, as it were, in Mr. Pollard’s face; for his ponduct towards her had never been calculated by any kindness to win her esteem. Tho letter he wrote back, was pretty well that which might have been expected from the callous-minded man of business. Yt was to the effect, that as she had chosen to régulate her own destinies, and-cater for her own happiness according to the dictates of her inclinations, he could acquit Rimself of any vio- lation of the trust confided to him by her deceased ents: ho informed her that she was entitled to three thousand pounds on attaining the age of twenty-one—and that in the meantime he would regularly remit her the interest, He offered no felicitations upon her marriage—but on the other hand, gave no direct expression to any displeasure on his own part. The letter contained not the re- (COL (C DOO CS (COL