The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 27: what you’re looking at

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16 S22 MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. (ener nee whom he allowed, or rather compelled to reside at | Elisabeth should be removed from the care of Mra the Park. She was in a bad state of health—deeply | desponding—and with « mind painfully attenuated. Ie such a condition it was not a very diffcult task fon him to coerce her into a particular course of action: her reputation was in his hands—he could shatter her fair fame at any moment, as if it were brittle gises! He compelled her to write back a | Barnaby end sent to « boarding-school. “ The better,” observed the Marquis of Eagiedean, “to enable Peterefald and Marston to work out their ulterior Bat prey ” “My narrative is drawing towards an end,” seid Mrs. Jameson. “A year afterwards my pour mis- | tress was on a visit to the Princess Sophia at St. style of answer to yourself; and he knew | James's Palace. ar Ne rer the from what you had previously written, that it would | Princess’s household: and by his prove conclusive—for you had left my dear mistress | ladyship was allowed to see her little Prank again to decide upon your fate. No reply came: or if you ever wrote again, the letters reached not my mistress.” “ I never wrote again,” observed the Marquis of Eagledean. “I retired to Italy— adopted an assumed name—and dwelt in retirement.” “My lady's brother-in-law,” continued the house- keeper, “ appeared now to feel more assured of his own position: he no doubt concluded that all hensions which had arisen on your account, were fully disposed of. Time wore on—and her ladyship became more her own mistress: she was gradually relieved from the species of restraint which her brother-in-law had put upon hgr. Sometimes she wont to stay with the Princess Sophia at Bt. James's Palace: but generally she dwelt at the Park. She felt dull and lonely; and she invited Miss Dalrymple and Miss Villiers to stay with her. These two young ladies were cousins—they were orphans too, and totally upon distant relatives, whom they did not love. It was therefore a pleasure to them to experience the friendship of my poor mis- tress—while on the other hand if was a pleasure to her to have them with her. They became her bosom-friends, It was in the year 1833 that her ladyship inguired of her brother Sir John Marston, whether any tidings had been heard of your lord- ship. The reply was in the negative: but doubtless Bir John informed Lord Everton——or Mr. Beerton as he all along ought to have been called——that such an inguiry had been made. That bad man, naturally trembling lest his sister-in-law’s affection your lordship was as strong as ever, and might lead to the revival of between you, a visit soon afterwards to the Park, and dis- [ i played a letter which he purported to have received from some place on the Continent, and which letter contained an account of your lordship’s mar- riage.” pe A te Soe interjected the Marquis of Eagledean. “ Alas! we knew if not at the time: and the in- telligence,” continued Mrs. Jameson, “struck my pour mistress as with a death-blow. It destroyed « last hope which she had all along cher- ished: namely, that you would still return. She became dangerously ill: once more did delirium ecise upon her—and one evening in her ravings she betrayed her secret to Mies Dalrymple and Miss Villiers. But they were kind-hearted, generous- inded girle—the elder not more than twenty-one eeply sympathised tress. As she got better, she yearning to see her children ; and inay were aoconth tncly brought by Mrs. Burnaby to the Park. This was with the consent of her brother-in-law—but only on the condition that immediately afterwards m1 at d About ten months after that, Mrs. Barnaby died. Blisabeth had already been two years. fore he was conducted thither, Lady Everton beg- ged that she might see him. Lord Petersfield de- clared that it must be for the last ti —she had seen her children, as she thought, for the: last time—and for their future welfare she had little knowing how bounteously your lord- all to Sir John, he exhibited an most affectionate seal in volunteering to find her a suitable dwelling; and her brother-in-law also testified a semblance of the kindest consideration, been found and purchased for her use.” “ Yes—those villains,” exclaimed the Marquis of Eagledean, “ were all too giad to get her into quar- ters as remote as possible !”’ “It was at the close of the year 1634—some months after Mrs. Burnaby’s death, and after that last interview with little Frank,—that her came down into Wales. She brought with her six of the oldest and most faithful domestics belonging to her household, in addition to myself. Arrange- ments Were made with her brother-in-law for the peyment of her jcinture through Mesers. Marlow and Malton, Solicitors of Parliament Street, West- minster.” “And they were doubtless instructed by the brother-in-law,” observed the Marquis, “ not to give her ladyship’s address to anybody.” “ My poor mistress herself,” continued the house- a deep | keeper, ‘determined, on retiring from the world, to break off all correspondence with her former friends and acquaintances. She wished to separate herself as much as she could from the past, in order that the future years of her life might flow on as tran- (COL (C DOO CS (COL