The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 282: what you’re looking at

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

- THER MYSEERIES. 271 when the fashionable world abounds in heiresses amongst whom you might select and cheose at will” Beat the latter portign of this. sentence was lost upen Arthur Eaton, who, anxiets te perform witat fhe conmidered to be a duty,.was. already creasing the tlireshold of the library on his way to the gariour. CHAPTER LZEXVIL. TRE SISTERS. Wi asen breakfast was over en the morning of which we are writing—and when Mr. Clarendon had lek | his daughters together, as already described at. the eommencement of the preceding chapeer,—Pautine toek her sister's hand and gaged co long and with a look so full of tenderness upon her cownteaance, that the latter saddenly felt assured either that sometising wees aries or that a revelation ef.importance wim about to be made. “My dearest Pauline,” she exolainsed, “there is @ peoulerity in your manner this morning———”’ “Which alarms you, Qotaviat” interrupted the: youniger'sister, finishing the other's sentence. for hes. But tranquillise yourself-——” “Ah! then you have some evil tidings te commu- wricate, Pauline?’ suddenly ejaculated Octavia, the colour disappearing from her cheeks. “Is it com cerning yourself—or relative te me, my beloved sister? Speak—oh! speak quickly—and keep me | not in suspense!” “ Hush!—net so load !—we may be overheard,” said Pantine, endeavouring te calm ber sister's excite ment: then, placing herself by ‘Octavia’s side, she murmured in a tremulous tone, and taking her hand, “It almost breaks my heast to have anythiug dis- agreeable to unfold to you——”" **My God! what do you mean?” demanded the | elder Miss Clarendon, her anxiety: and ‘suspense now becoming utterly intolerable. “Oh! you are weep- ing, Pauline— you are weeping!’ she exclaimed, throwing a look of wild excitement upon her sister: “the tears are raining down yeur cheeke —and. it is fer me that they fall! Tell me—tell me,dear Pauline | —what has happened ?” “T conjure you to tranquillise yourself, Octavia,” said Pauline, embracing her sister tenderly. “ You know how devetedly I love you—how mach I would | andergo to save you a smgie pang———~—”” “ And it is the same with me, Pauline,” mterrupted Octavia. “ Feeling: our motherless condition, we have ever loved each other with the fondest and moet tender affection: and it is now by this affeetion—by this love, Pauline, that I conjure - you to relieve me from suspense——” “1 will—I will,” exclaimed the younger sister, whose checks were flushed: with grief, as these of Octavia were pale with apprehension. “ You belisved that I went to the Opera last night: and.it was not so.” “Then whither did you go?” inquired Octavia, . amazement for an instant absorbing the intemsity of her excitement: and she fixed her magnificent blue eyes upon Pauline's cowmtenance. “There was a grand entertainment at Carlton Ffouse last evening,” began the younger Miss Cla- | p rendon; “and —-." “ And you obtained an intsoduction thither?” ex claimed Octavia, a terrible tremor now coming over her, at thé-aame time that an awful suspicion of the truth swept.in upen her startled soti. “Yeoe—I went te Cariton Howse,” continued Pauline: “determined to clear ap the dreadful mystery —— And, Oh! my beloved sister— my wrenged, Jest, betrayed Octavia -—— -” But, sufloeated by her grief, Pauline stopped shurts end, throwing herself wpen hee sister's neck, she wept convulzively. | “I understand it all—-My God! I understand sail!” murnsared Octavia, falling back upon the sofa, with her affectionate and kind-hearted sister elmging te her in the wildest paroxysm of grief. tavia’s lips: motionless likewise was she. As thesedriag: lightning darts vivid and sudden through the night of storm, and rain, and tertpest— 80, amnidst the tumultaous angaish ef Pautine’s heart, did the blasting thought that Oetazia was dead flash across her imaginatien. Starting from the convulsive embrace in which she was holding her sister;—starting thence, we say, as if suddenly impelled away by an irresistible gal- wahic ahock,—Pauline threw a tertified lock on Octavie’s countenanee. - The unhappy yourg lady was not dead—nor even in % swoon: but she was stunned—stupified—para- lysed by the weight of ineffable misery. Spell-bound, as if under the incantation of some helliak spirit, was ahe! Aud all in a moment she had pated through the most terturmp phase of her existen¢e—she had en- dured the crucifixion of that indescribable anguinh which aecomparies the sudden annihilatien of the heart’s fomdest hopes—and she had as rapidiy sunk into that: species of stupor which is a palsy alike of the heart and of the. brain ! Her eyes glared vacantly—her month: was half- open—-her bosom stood upheaved with the suspended decath. “Octavia—my sister—my beloved sister!” ex- claimed Paniline, wildly: “in thename-of God, speak to me.” These words, uttered with all the passionate enthu- azastn of the young maiden’s fervent love and reading grief, seemed suddenly to break that spel] whioh held Octavia in a waking, statue-like trance Deep sighs of returging breath broke - her, convuléing her bosom fearfully; aux ae the beod flewed back into the véina, the excruciating seme of bitter, bitter anguish returned to the heart. Then the eyes, like two arteries of the soul auddenly opening, poured forth their pearly terrents; aed the pent-up agonies of Octavia'’s tremendors affliction found:s went affording that relief which ever follows tears, eves: in ‘the midet of thedirest woe that the human breast can possibly experience And Pauline suffered ber to weep usinterrup‘edly for many minutes. “J peed not zak you to desoribe in words the terri- bile truth which ny hosrt's worst fears have alrcady made me comprehend, alas! too well,” sald the wretched Octavia, at leogth breaking the silence which prevailed: and, raising her tear-bedewed countenance towards Pauline’s, she added, in a low and searcely-audible tone, “ I should have been bettes read for this cruei blow {” + Yea.mny beloved sister,” answered Pauline: “ feg A minute pated—and no seuml fell from Ooc- | CONNEC OOO ‘SS CO