The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 135: what you’re looking at

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198 THE MYSTERINS OF THE COURT. as relatives can, the place of the parents I had lost: , our marriage, that I have next to speak. The Eari they were ali kindness to me; and as they had no | left the mansion of his noble friend in the neigh- children of their own, I was to them as a daughter. | bourhood, and took up his quarters at a residence They themscives were not rich, though in com- | near our own, so that be might be with me as much fortable circumstances: but the chief source of their | as possible. Words have no power to convey the income was a Government pension conferred on | extent of his love. I did not then comprehend it account of diplomatic serviees, and which would of | all myself: I bave comprehended it since. But at coarse die with its recipient. My perents had /| the time I was too young, too inexperienced, toc perished too early for me to deplore their loss as | ignorant of the human heart and ite passions, to deeply as I shuuld otherwise have done had I | understand the depth, the intensity, and the power known them better; and the goodness of my kind | of that love of his. On my side I loved fondly and rolations prevented me from experiencing the in- | devotedly —but yet with a certain serenity, which tense severity of such s loss. Thus I was happy, | though in iteelf delicious, displayed itself not in —as happy as a gay and artless girl of be. {sudden gushes of feeling. When the heart's tween fifteen and sixteen mght well be, who | love is full of confidenco—when there appears no knew nothing of the world and of ite cares. | possibility that any circumstance can arise to mar I had not been introduced into society: or, in | ite progress or frustrate its hopes—and when it is fashionable parlance, I had not as yet ‘come out,’ | entertained by one who knows too little of the when I first formed the acquaintance of Lord Oas- | world to dream of accidents, casualties, and disas- tlemaine. He was then about twenty-eight years { ters, -—— the sentiment naturally glides as serenely of age. I need not tell you that he was handsome, | as the unruffied streamle$. But it was altogether because he is handsome now--and you also knew | different with Stephen—Lord Castlemaine, I mean, him thes—or at least, shortly afterwards, at the | Hie love appeared to be a source of pain as well time of our marriage. I wae then staying with my | as of pleasure to him: it relatives in the country: his lordship was on a visit | while it filled it to a nobleman who dwelt in the neighbourhood: he } trustful of the very happiaces of which it was the had some years previously, when he himself was a|source. He regarded it ae a dream whieh the youth, formed the acquaintance of my uncle—and | slightest incident would dissipate—a bright vision it was now renewed. Through courtesy he was} too beautifal to last. It was a rose with thorns. firet invited to the house: the love that he con- | Under hie soul to be en osived for me led him to repeat his visite. My {| Aéolian harp, which even to the warmest and most heart was engaged to him before I comprehended | fragrant sephyr sende forth plaintive aad wailing what love was, or wherefore I felt so happy in his | sounds es well as others melodiously cheerful. How presence and pondered so much in solitude on all | often and often was he wont to ask mo if I were that he had said when we were together. Thus | confident that I loved him—if I had examined weil eome months passed away. He lingered in that | my own heart—if I felt assured that I could never neighbourhood: he became a daily visitor at the | change? I was sometimes hurt as well as af- house. At length, when I was sixteen, my aunt | flicted by these reiterated questionings, which I questioned me as to the feeling I entertainod | could not help fancying argued distrust on his towards Lord Castlemaine. The question, though | part of the sincerity of my affection. But he delicately and guardedly put, was in iteclf a reve- | would assure me in euch glowing and impassioned lation : the truth, hitherto utterly unsuspected, dashed upon my comprehension. I understood it all | would be, and was eo convinced of their sincerity, ~~I loved Lord Castlemaine! Blushing and weeping, | that the momentarily inflicted wound was healed in I threw mysolf in the arms of my aunt, with the | my heart and my sorrow vanished. Then he would wague idea that I was guilty of some crime in thus | tell me that he only put those questions because it having unconsciously learnt to love. She embraced | was so sweet to recoive the assuraness they elicited ; me tenderly, and breathed in my ears the almost | and yet in the very next breath be would make me overpowering assurance that his lordship loved me / tell him eclomnly and escredly that I had never likewies. She went on to observe that un account | loved before——I, a young girl only fifteen and a of my tender age, he had spoken in the first instance | half when I first learnt to love Aim! In these to herself; but that if—as he had ventared to | latter questions there was something that more than bope—his affections were reciprocated, he would | hurt me—that seemed even to insult me: but when plead hie suit in person. The Earl thus became | he beheld the tears trickle down my cheeks, ho any intended husband: I was affianced to him: aad | would suatch me in his arms and kies them rap- although my relatives would have urged the post- | turously away. Repturously ?—-yes, and vehemently ponement of our union for at least a year, his lord- | too—for there wae much wild impulsiveness in that ship’s persuasion over-ruled their wishes, and it {love of his. If I were not always telking to him of was agreed that in four months I should accompany | our love, he would reproach me with being indif- bim to the altar.” ferent—he would even accuse me of being cool aad The Countess paused, and esemed to be somewhat | distant—he wuuld express his fears that I did not faint. Mus. Broughton entreated her not to con- | really love him, but only fancied that I did. Oon- Gnue if she felt unequal to the task: but her {ceive all this to me, a young creature of sixteen ladyehip aseured the worthy woman that she had | whose entire hope of happiness was ceatred in that physical strength and mental fortitude adequate for | man! I was hurt and afflicted—wounded and in- the occasion, and would prefer going on. She ac- | eulted by those reproaches so unmerited, those acou- cordingly resumed in the following manner :— eations so undeserved: and then he would entreat “It is particularly of those four months which | my pardon in the most vehement masner—he would elapsed from the date of our engagement to that of | level the bitterest repruaches against himeslf—he aere- & © On wy —@we > 2 ve @ =» eo ee. w@ewe &O2e Ge CO IMULUG 5 DOO CS (COL