The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 140: what you’re looking at

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

ship paused for a few moments, and then the narration of her wild and singular ve You have slrendy beard encagh to make wayward moods—I may even be pardon denominate them infirmities. I loved him so about two Broughton, en my service.” Her lady resumed. gs & an excess of ardour not often shown by even the most adoring of men; and for such sn amount of love I could well afford to endure the eccentri- cities into which my hushand might be betrayed by the very intensenese of that passion. Time wore on~—and [ found that my noeg before marriage in respect to the Earl's temper, were oar own housebold, from becoming aware of the scenes which frequently disturbed our domestic bliss. But I must now enter into details with re- gard to them. I cannot exactly say that his lord- ship was : but there wera times when he was haunted by the fear that the heart clung to him with all the power of woman's devotion, he seemed not tu give me credit for truth-| “ Yes, my dear lady,” responded the faithfal de. fulness. Frequently, when in the midst of a calm | pendant, “you have indeed lifted a veil from the and tranquil conversation, he would suddenly etart Earls character. I understand lim fully now!: up from hig seat, fix hig looks upon me, and vehe- | The love which he expesieneed for yon wae se im- mently proclaim that he was guilty of a crime in| peesioned and enthusiastic as to be absolutely velfteh loving me with such an intensity of passion; for |—end it rendered him a tyrant. He fancied that that I had beeome the idol of his worship, and that ' yeu ought not to cast a look, harboer an idea, or he was an idolator! The essurance of such an even reepire a breath that had not some reference illimitable love would have been joyous inatead of to himself:—to him you were to be all in all—tu saddening: but it was accompanied with such , identify with: his feelinge--to dream, to strange vehemence of maaner—ead I may even think, to look, to speak enly beneath the dominant’ add, with looks so tersible—that I was both fright- , influence of love. You were to be al2 love—to make ened and afilicted. And then, because I turned your wedded life one unceasing boneymoon! And pele or instinctively shrank back, he would taunt ‘it was natural sed, it was inevitabla—that a me with coldness—with want of affection—even | man of euch a diaposition should torture himself with harbouring a sentiment of aversion towards ' and you with @ thausand phantom fears—e thou- him. At other times he would calmly and deliber- } sand ridiculous suspicions. I was to be a constant’ really | study on both your parts to testify the love thus bury | matually felt: it was not to be a love to flow on woes in an even course like the uoruffled stream,—but na scarcely | to gush with continuous excitemest—and the knew how to act: for if I entreated him to put greater its impetuosity, the better! Aud yet, my away such dreadful ideas from his mind, he would | ledy, the wereld suspected not that such was your angrily charge me with an attempt to tutor himself | lord’s disposition: the household suspected it not into the same indifference which he acoused me of: either. On the contrary, the Earl of Castlemaine feeling ;—and if, fharful of provoking words, I held ; has ever passed for a nobleman of a temperament my peace. he would then at once discover in that coldly reserved—may I venture to add, baughtily silence a proof of the very indifference of which I frigid ?” was scoused. In short, he conjured up a thousand; “Yes,” replied the Countess, “that is doubtless phentoms to haunt himeelf wherewith: the love his natural character in all things save with respect that he bore for me was a source of afflictioa in- | to the affection which he condvived for me. And stead of happiness to his own heart. Heaven! when the power of this love so mightily stirred up knows how carefully I studied to discipline my oun- the very depths of his soul, that outward composure duct—to regulate my very words and looks—as0 as on his part was still worn before the world as a ee ee ee eee a Oa a COLL ( 5 DOO CS (GO)