The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 156: what you’re looking at

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

THR MIRKERI . -weurrelf not of that ietimanon: you treatal me| “ Dearest, dearest Gabriel,” murmured the lady with judiflerence—~with scoro—with disdain—with | her tove and. manner full of the enthusiasm ef miz- gantempt;—aod if I did nat lave you dearly—very | gled joy, passion, and triumph: “ how delicious is it dearly, Gabriel—yea, very dearly indeed,“ added the | to receive such an assurance from your lips! But Unzgown, while she bestowed several tender caresses | tell me,@-Oh! tell me whether you have religiously upon the young nobleman,—“I should not have | kept my secret—that is tq say, our secret—the secret proved so unmindful of my own dignity, as to hava | of that adventure which hrought us together fifteen courted your society again. But I forgive you, | months ago, and which is naw renewed again to-night. Gabriel, fore that instance of coldness and neglect,— | Tell me, I say, wheather you have maintained this I forgive you because I love you—and beeause J am | secret inviolable——Oh! you tremble, Gabriedl— certain that you would not intentionally and wilfully | your hand shakes in my own—and you draw your- wound the fuelings of one who is thus devotedly at- | self back with a species of embarrassment from my tached to you.” embrace! By these signs, then, do I know that you * No—not for worlds!” exclaimed Florimel: and | have not kept the seal of inyiolability altogether even as he yielded himself up heart and soul to) upon your lips: and yet do not fancy that I am that whirlpool of sensations and feelings which | angry with you—for, after all, how little was there to now engulfed him, he experienced a sharp pang | tell which could possibly be fraught with any chance af remorse striking through his heart as the image | of discovery.” of Pauline hovered amidst the confusion of his brain. * Once—and once only, dearest friend,” murmured “ Tell me, Gabriel—tell me,” said the unknown | Lord Florimel, in a tong of deep cantrition, “have ayren, “wherefore you absented yourself from that | I opened my lips respecting that adventure. So- masquerade ?” lemnly and sacredly do I assure you that with the “Qh! if you would wrest the truth from me!" | single exception to which I now allude, the adventure i exclaimed Florimel, with a species of shudder ag | has been religiqusly treasured up in my bosom,” the image of Pauline was now brought back mare Vividly still to his memory. “Tell me—tell me that truth, whatever it may be,” murmured the lady, redoubling her caresses “ And who wasthe confidant that you thus selected, Gabriel 2” inquired the lady. “A friend—a sincere, trustworthy, and valued friend of mine,” was the angwer,—“a man with and literally endeavouring not only to overpower | Whom I enjoy the fullest intimacy.” her companion with the ravishing ecstacies of her blandishments, but likewise to absorb as it were “ But whois he?” asked the unknown, “Lord Montgomery,” teplied Florimel, his whole soul in her own and thus render him en- | you know him ?—for of ceurse you must have heard tirely captive to her will—her sgnee—and her sen- | of him, vq matter. in what circle af sogiety you timent, “ Explain to me the cause of your absence | Move.” on that occasion, dearest Gabriel,” she said with a “ Yes—I have heard of him—and I think I have vaice full of irresistible sweetaess and with a man- | seen him,” said the lady, in a quiet manner. “ And ner which, though utter darkness prevajled in the | now tell me, Gabriel, what you did with the blue carriage, was nevertheless sexsihly fraught with a,| domiso which I sent you.” coaxing charm of superlative seductiveness. “ Listen, then, my unknown friend,” said Flosi- |-concemming a piece. of masquerading trum “ How ia it possible that you can trouble yourself ' doa “Do. 1330 mel. “I love a young lady—a certain Miss Pau-/| cried Florimel, amazed et the question which had | line Clarendon—who ig beautiful as an angel and | just been put to him.‘ , jealous as a dragon ;—and when I received the “Simply becayse it may serve you for another ticket and the domino the other day, I was baak- | Occasion,” was the immediate response of the ready- ing in the sunshine of her favour—consequently J | witted lady,—“showld you take it into your head to | resisted the temptation held out by yourself.” “ And now—has the as of your love under- gone a change?” ing the lady. “ Yes—for Pauline is angry with me, I know not wherefore,” responded Florimel ; “and indeed she visit the next masqueradg and meet me there. Then, being aware of the precise character of the domino which you have already in your possession, I should know whow to accost in the crowded assembly.” “Yes, dearest lady —- we will meet again, -nost has bade me think of her no more! Therefore, | assuredly,” exclaimed Florimel, catching her in his when I received your note this evening,—partially because I was miserable and required solgce—and also somewhat because I felt it would be unkind and discourteous to a degree nat to obey the de- sire specified in your letter,—for these reasong, I say, did I keep the present appointment.” | “And naw are you sorry that you have done ao?” asked the unknown, in a voice that trembled as if with apprehension relative to what the re- ht be. “No—I am not sorry—nor do I repent,” ex- claimed the young noblemag, nerving himself with that species of desperation which prompts the in- dividnal who commits an imprudence, a perfidy, or a crime, to plunge headlong into the tide of the t constituting the temptation and therein endeavour to drown memory—remorse—the image of the absent wronged one—aad all the better feglings of the soul! arms; “and it sha!l be at a masquerade if you will. But the dress to which you allude cannoli serve the purpose on any such future occasion, inasmuch as [ caused it to be destroyed within a few minutes after I received it.” “You caused it tp be destroyed” said the lady, in so peculiar a tone of mingled incredulity and surprise thas Florimel actually started at the seri- ousness which she thus ap d to be attaching to an affair fraught with so little consequence in his estimation. “I pledge you my honour most solemn]y—most sacredly,” he exclaimad, “that I gaye the ble domino to one of my dependants with orders for its instantaneous destruction ; and I have no reason to believe that, my commands were disobeyed, And if you ask ma, dearest lady, wherefore I took so extraordinary a step, I will candidly explain it by the assurance that it was to place the object of (COU (C DOO (CO