The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 383: what you’re looking at

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376 earnestly upon her sister's countenance, as if seek- ing for the assurance that a real affectionate sin-| to argue upon the poimt; imesmuch as she wae cerity characterized all that she had just said ; and Mrs. Oxenden could scarcely prevent her looks from quailing beneath thit gaze of artless inno- cence © Yes, my dear sister,” resumed the womas, taking Honta's band ard prencing is bet eon both Jen's monanare Hmited. that te ie 2 Government | now said—I will seeapivalate” @ towards you before. pension which he enjoye—aad thas it will die with | whish I have adopted to | are aware that Sir John Bt my own—lI ehall be left with such small income as will arise from my husband's present savings and from an gpeurance on his life. Hitherto, my dear sister, I have been enabled te support you in | i comfort if not in affluence; and upon this I might claim some right to your datiful as if I were your mother. Bust les we view the matter in a different light. You are sow of an age when you ought to think of settling in the world. If Mr. Oxenden were to die soon— | ti stitute absolute poverty for yourself and mo; and without the means of guing into society, how could you hope to form an eligible alliance -——~ A burning blush ovetspread the ca$ntenance of the young maiden,es she said with more firm- ness than her timid natare was wont to allow her to display towards her sister, “ You know that my heart is already engaged: think you therefore that I can possibly listen with a very pleasant feeling to this of yours, ia which you speak of.eligible alliances as if they were such mere worldly matters———” * “ And eo they are!” interrupted Mrs. Oxenden vehemently: fur she in s moment saw the neces- stty of re-asserting her empire over her delicate- minded sister. “I know full well to what you allude—you would speak of Edgar Beverley: but viously is onabled to out off the entail of his estates and to bequeath them to whomscever he may choose ? Have { not likewise informed you over and over again that his solicitor is already taking the neces- eary stepe for this impress draught of Sir John Steward’s will—that will by of which you are at his death to inherit the if you Knew how Paine me oe a vieible shudder, “to hear you thus THD MYSTERING OF THR COURT. PS ee ae ee ae struck her that it wae useless os wall es impolitic resaived in her own mind never to wed her own es if with the tenderest cordiality, “I am | wh Wonation, the substantive favt recnnine thet he de termined toavail himeelf of the recently dissovered document to break off the enteil and dispose of his Peawil asd pmeare te te his ows pleasure. It is his parposs to make na sig that will leave Mr. Beverley ia the two hundred pounds whieh have hisherto been gehnted to him as en allowanes. Is is true that at his death Mr. Beverley may, certain circumstances, sucesed to the title: but even if it shoald be eo, what is a title without | course, as well as by the impolicy of saying aught that could possibly exeite a suspicion in Mr. Oxenden’s mind. “As yet Mr. Beverley,” continued the latter lady, who, with all her penetration and cunning, could not fathom what was in ber own argumeate were —“as yot Mr. Bovetioy is in total igaar ance of the existence of that document whish enables his uncle to disinherit him. He ctings to the belief—-as indeed he himeslf assared me at Brighton not long since—that he is the heir pre- sumptive to Sir John’s estates, which he supposes to be inalienable so far as the rigour of the entail is concerned. But he will find himeslf mistaken. Sir John does not however wish that the intelli- (GO) iC C) DOO CS (COL