The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 192: what you’re looking at

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

° IHE MYSTERIES. sofiness,—-if such a man as I—the first gentleman im Europe as well as the most envied heir to a throne in the whole world,—if I, in a word, am to be sacrificed to a coarse, silly-minded, common- looking creature—by the living God! all Princess though she be, and doubly Princess though she will become through her alliance with me, I will kitchen—I will punish her bitterly, bitterly, for that. presumption which prompted her to breathe the fatal ‘ Yes’ when she was asked whether she would marry the Prince of Wales [” During the latter portion of these musings, his Royal Highness rose from his seat and paced the room with ap excitement which. was also avidenced’ in the loud tone to which his voice rapidly swelled and the earnest gesticulations that he made, Nor could anything exceed the haughty arrogance and the superb complaisance with which he spoke of himself as the first gentleman in europe. Having brought his denunciatory trade to a con- clusion, he retarned to his seat andcontinued the perusal of the letter which he still held in his hand. For a few moments he read on with compa- rative coolness : but suddenly he started and held the document more closely to his eyes as if there were a possibility of relative to come passage. But, no: he had read aright—and thus the lat- ter portion of the correspondence ran :—- “Your Royal Highness honoured me with a mission of the mest secret and sacred character; and I set forth with the determination to perform my Sunty to the ut- most of my power. That resolution remains unaltered. My mission properly divided iteelf into two objecte: the first was to report concerning the personal appearance, accomplishments, and manners of her Serene Highness the Princess Caroline of Brunswick;—and the second ‘was to glean as much information as possible reapecting her private character, pursulls, &c., and especially as to whether her conduct had in anywise or at any time af- forded grounds for scandalous whispering. It is this latter, and by far the least agreeable portion, of my task that I now to accomplish. : ST have not the slightest doubé that her Serene High- nees the Princess Caroline possesses every virtue. Her chastity is anquestienabic: her propriety of conduct is beyond all question. In fact, the most inveterate seandal.mongers and purveyors of tittle-tattle have never dared to whisper a syllable prejudicial to the repu- tatlon of her Highness. But whether it be, or be not, a crime in the eyes of your Royal Highness, that the Princess has loved—anay, still ioves—another, is a point which I dare not venture to speculate upon. Iam here to'tell the truth,—char ged by your Royal Highness with & mission of secrecy ;—-and it therefore remains for me only to report such particulars as I have succeeded in “Her Serene Highness the Prineess has undoubtedly formed an attachment for the Baron Bergami. This Robleman belongs to a poor but ancient family; and no. thing of all that this family ence possessed, remains to the Baran, except the titled name. He isa mere youth remarkably handsome—and recently filled the post of secretary to the diplomatic agent for the Court wf Prussia. Bat the instant it was known that negotiations had been opened between the British Minister and the Court of Brunswick, relative to the marriage of hep Highness to your Koyel Highness, the Baron of Bergami suddenly dt is supposed that he was immediately despatched to fill same ether appoint. Ment elsewhere. “The leve of the Princess for this youth Is full of the most touching romance. They never spoke to each other in their lives. It was in the ducal chapel that the a eee ea 179 handsome Bergami first altracted the notice of her Highness; and her modest beauty at the same time made a deep impression upon his heart. This happened about eighteen months ago; and ever sines (until Bergami quitted the State a few weeks back) was he a constant attendant in. the ducal chapel. It.would seem that the | sentiment of leve enables even the most innocent and artless weman to dive quickly and accurately into the depths of that mind which she is interested in probing : nor less can love speak by the eyes—and the language which those eloquent orbs express is universally com- prehended without variation of idiom. Thus was , then, that in due time the Princess read the secret of Bergami's soul—while he made a similar discovery with regard to the royal lady hesgsif. Then tender looks were exchanged ; and onoe or twice her Serene Highness .dropped a flower from the dacal pew, as if by accident —but which the youthful adorer failed not to pick up ‘and place next to his heart. The proof of homage and devotion which he gave in return consisted of odesand | lyrica, sent anonymously to the principal lady-in-wai upon her Highness; and this sald lady-in.wajting that they were addreased by some love-sick swain to her- self. In the fulness of her vanity, she invariably showed them to the Princess, who failed not to comprehend from whom they came and for whose special perusal they were intended. Couched in terme the most respectfal and in verse the most Muent and harmonious, these lyrics dreathed as fervid a seul of love as that which Petrarah poured forth in immortal sonnets to the charming and worshipped Laura. “And to those innocent exchanges of love's testi- monials was the correspondence of her Serene Highness and Bergami limited. They never spoke to cach other, save by the eyes: they never were near enough to each other to exchange s whispered vow or the slightest touch of hands. But in her artleasmes, the Princess confesaed to two or three lady-friends this singularly romantic passion which she experienced and had inspired; and those ladies whispered the tale to their friends. It ¢ren- tually reached the ears of her Highness august parents; and although they attached but little importance, and from the Prussian Court an order fer the removal af Bergemi to another State. “Such are the facts of this singular leve-papgaage ip the life of her Serene Highness; and my informant assures me that her Highness cherishes with a species of religious fervour the image of the handsome yonth, in her bosom. That I can fully rely upon my informant as an authority in this matter, your Royal Highness the e that having become my mistress, she freely and eheer- Highness was not a girlof fifteen or sixteen, but @ woman of twenty-five. Moreover, the Prince of Wales said to himself, “If I don% marry this German creature, my blessed parents and their equally agreeable Minister will only be looking out for another of the same breed; and I may go farther and fare worse.” eving thus philosophically made gp his mind to let the matrimonial affair take its cOUrse, the Prince was on the point of throwing the letter (CO (C DOO (CO