The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 292: what you’re looking at

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

THD MYSTERIEG OF THE COURT. ° which that beauteous English maiden was s0 willingly superintending | And when Christina bestowed well-deserved praisea apon her pupil, the superb dark eyos of the latter lighted up to an almost pretarnatural lustre, flashing with joy and tziumph at the progress whieh she thus made. A few hours later the night has comes and Christina is alone in her own chambet at the Prinoess’s ville. It was half-past ten o'clock; and the maiden had not long retired thither. Shea sate down at the toilet-table, whila combing out the masses of her raven bair: but gradually she fell into a profound reverie—her hands sank upon her knees—the comb dropped without her perceiv- ing it—and hep hair remained floating all dis- hevelled upon her ahoulders and down her beck, lewer than her waist. There were several tonics which thus Ohristina's profound medite- tion. She thought of Zoe—the amiable, the in- teresting, the kind-hearted lady, who aha feared had been making the most dreadful sacrifice of her own feelings rather than suffer her husband to perceive that she had fathomed the secret of the love which he entertained for anothes. Then Obristina thought of this love which Jord Oe- tavian cherished towards herself: she strove to conjure up a feeling which might satisfy her that she was annoyod and indignant at being the object of this love: but she could not thus far do violence to the tender sentiment which existed with a cer- tain degree of reciprocity in her own heart. Then she thought of her brother who a little while pre- vionsly had lost his situation with the Earl of Lascelles, and had not as yet obtained another ; and then her reflections turned, with mingled ewe and horror, upon the mysterious death of that unfor- tunate nobleman. Christina's reverie thus lasted for a long time; and when she gradually aroused herself from it, and consulted her watch—which was a gift from the Princess Indora-—she perceived that it was past elevan o'clock. She was hastening to sontinue her night-toilet; and in apather quarter of an hour was ready te retire to rest. But just as she was about te extinguish her candle, she thought she heard the sounds af footsteps descending the stairs from the floor above that that her about three weeks back. That letter, as the reasler will remember, was to the effect that some eyil-dispased persons might probably sack to inveigle Indora or the ayah Segoondh inte @ snare; and ag the pure-minded Fieneed ta be enabled to fathom the real signi- ficaney of Mr. Bedcliffe’s allusion, her imegination maturally excited this vague terror which now eeised upon hey. She drew close towards the door—apd listened with suspended breath. sbe eaught the sounds of fuoteteps: they were mow. desending the lower flight—and in a few moments they ceased. She endeavoured to calm a&* herself with the idea thet it might be Sagoonah, or one of the other female-seryants, descending for same purpose: but if so, wherefore that evi- dently studied stealthiness of tread 2—as it wag not so very late that the fear of a ing the household nead be entertained, Perhaps Christina was rendered somewhat nervous and apprehensive by having reflected on the mysterious murder of the Barl of Lascelles; and this jmpression being strong on her mind—together with the recollec- tion, 90 vividly conjured up, of Mr. Redcliffe’s warning letter—naturally filled her with vague misgivings and with a dread of some unknown She opened the door gently—and again listened. All wee now atill, She thought of retiring to rest: but scarcely had she closed the door again, when thst mysterious terror came back with ro- newed force; and she felt that she could nat pos- ably alepp, nor even lie tranquilly in her couch, unless she were reassyred in respect to the safety of the premises. She remained at tho door ta listen if the footeteps would return: but 9 quarter of an hour —and all continued quiet. §he thought of going ta the Princess’s chamber and telling her what she had heard: but then ashe re- flested that if her apprehensions should prove groundless, she would foel humiliated and look foolish at having given way to such terror. But she thought she might at all events ascend to the female-servants’ chembera to sea if they were there: for the conviction wag strong in her mind that she had heard footsteps descending, gnd that they had nat ascended again. Enveloping herself in a muslin wrapper, ang taking the candle in her hand, she proopeded up-stairs with a tread as light as if she were a spirit gliding. On reaching the landing above, she saw that Sagoonah's chambey-door ataod open; and on entering, she found that herself was not there. They were therefore the ayah’s footsteps that she had heard: but why was she thus long qbeent? The thought now struok Christina that Sagoonah must be ill; and she went down etsirs—still with the same noiseless tread as before, in order not to dis- turb the Princess. A light was issuing from the boudoir, the door of which stood open. Christina advanced—and looking in, beheld Sagoonah bend- ing aver one of the huge volumes of the Times newspeper, which were kept in that room. The Hindao women had her back towards the door: the volume was spread open upon the table; and ehe was evidently so absorbed in its contents that she did not cateh the rustling of Christina’s dress. The frat thogght which struck our artless young heroine, was that the sayah experienced such an ardent longing to render herself proficient in the English tongue, that sho was oven inclined to pacrifice a portion of her night’s reat to the prase- cution of her studies: but ajl of a sudden she was startled by the vehement manner in which Sagooneh gave utterance to something in her own native tongue, and which Was therefore incomprehensible to the maiden, At. the same time Bagoonah stood up from her reviously leaning posture; and glancing around, . strange 4 light flashed from her eyes on bahald- ing Christina, that the latter was sbeolutely ter- | tified. There was an expression of rage too the aysh’s countenance, where the rich red — - —r ee eee ee eee ee CU eh ee) wey ~ eee we mas ane Siew i ee oe ee oe = _ ~ | vied | j sa EOMmiclooolkKks.conrn