The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 69: what you’re looking at

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

? THE MYSTERISS OF THR COURT. “The family is & very ancent and a most one,” continued the Dake of March- mont. “ Meredith himself is a handsome and elegant man——" “But if I mistake not,” observed Mr. tage, “he is at variance with his relatives ; and I wonld not heve my daughter marry into any family where she would stand a chance of being eut, and where I myself should not be a weloome “Of all this you need entertain no apprehen- ion,” rejoined the Duke of Marchmont. “The Marquis of Penshurst is more parsimonious than proud; and depend upon it, he will joyfully re- ceive his son and his son’s wife when the latter brings an ample dowry with her on her wedding- | bili day. As for yourself, you have only to lend a few thousand pounds to Lord Meredith, the Mar. quis’s eldest son—and to Lord Charlies, his second son—both of whom are kept by their father’s penuriousness in total want of money,—you have only to do this, I say, in order to receive ail possible civility at their hands.” “ Yes, your Grace truly,” said Mr. Army- tage. “As for Octavian Meredith, he is a very nice young man—a son-in-law of whom one might fool Pre roud. But are you sare, my lord—— am sure, Armytage,” interrupted the Duke, “that [ have managed the thing most capitally for you. Meredith furnished me an opportunity the other day of counselling him relative to his affairs: indeed it was the very same doy on which you yourself called—and I have had him with me ‘every day since. You may expect a visit from ‘Lin this afternoon: so I shall not wait another moment—lest he might think it strange if he were to see me in conversation with you. Play your cards well, Armytage—and the fair Zoe will be Lady Octavian Meredith.” The carriage drove away; and Mr. Armytage se-ascended to his drawing-room, perfectly satisfied with the proposed arrangements: for after all the Duke of Marchmont had just said, he saw at a glance how hie daughter and himself would ob- tain, after the marriage, a suitable footing in the Penshurst family. But as be returned to the apartment in which Zoe was seated, his cvunte- mance betrayed not that anything unusual was passing in his mind; and as he was invariably accustomed to parade before his daughter, as well asin the of his friends and acquaintances, his great intimacy with the Duke of Marchmont, be was at no loss for an excuse for his Grace's flying visit. ' “If I was to listen to that fellow Marchmont,” he said to Zoe, “ you would scarcely ever have my society at the dinner-table. He is always wanting me to go and dine with him. That is what he came for just now. I do really believe he feels more pleasure in my company than ip that of any other of his friends. But hark! there’s ee knock at the door.” Again did Mr. Armytage take up one of the splendidly bound annuals, and affect to be reading some stansas by Lady Letitia Fitsharding Fits- patrick Languishdale. The lines were by courtesy denominated poetry ; but in reality they were the most mawkish twaddle that ever was contained in an array of words set cut in unmetrical lines, and with {alee jingles by way of rhymes. The door and more interested in it. Meredith saw that Zoe posseseed a well-cultivated mind: he had all along known that she was accomplished; but he did not suspect the existence of so much of wisdom’s treasures in her understanding. He was the more charmed too, inasmuch as her remarks were made with a mingling of well-bred case and maidenly bashfulneses which totally divested her of the obtru- siveness of the “blue-stocking.” He had come expresely thus to draw her out— or, in other words, to fathom the depths of her mind: for he was nei- ther so selfishly degraded in his own disposition, nor so desperaté in his circumstances, as to resolve all in a moment to seek as a wife a young female . of shallow intellect and frivolous disposition. He remained an hour with Zoe on this occasion ; so that he far exceeded the usual limit of a morning call: but the interval appeared to bim the lapse of a few minutes only. He had never known 80 much of Zoe before; ani be wns as much surprised and delighted af what he ¢lus found her to be on a better acquaintance. He took his leave, ana striking into one of the most secluded portions of the Regent’s Park, de- liberated with himself. Did he love Zoe? No: assuredly not. Could he bring himself to love her? He sighed. That sigh was an answer to the question—an auswer in the negative! The iinage of the lovely unknown of whom he had spoken to the Duke of Marchmont, suddenly rove up to his mental vision ; and he felt that his heart was inextricably engaged there. Then, should he persevere in his contemplated suit with Zoe? His naturally honourable feelings shrank from the thought. At that instant he almost loathed bim- self as one who had entertained the idea of per- forming the despicable part of a selfish fortune- hunter; and he said to himeelf, “No: poverty sooner — poverty teu thousand times sooner, in preference to this utter eelf-abasement in my own estimation !” Two days afterwards there was a splendid party at the house of Mr. Armytage ; and Lord Octavian: Meredith wae one of the invited guests. He attached himself to Zoe as her principal partner in the dance: he turned the music for her as she COMMUC DOO CS (COL