The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 354: what you’re looking at

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

THRE MYSTERIES. gazed long and tenderly upon her charming coun- tenance. “Oh! my beloved,” he whispered at length in her ear, “there have been sad and dreadful mis- anderstandings between us: but let them be all cleared up now, and then forgotten for ever. They told me that you were married—that the account of your wedding was in the news- paper——” ‘Who could possibly have deceived you thus, Gabriel?” inquired Pauline, amazed at the an- aouncement thus made her. “ A person who was interested in deluding and persecuting me, my angel,” answered the young nobleman: md as he still gazed on the lovely features of Pauline, he wondered how he could ever have been mad, base, and besotted enough to have dreamt of sacrificing the amiable virgin for the unknown woman of gallantry and pleasure. “But tell me, my charmer—tell me, my adored one—wherefore you so suddenly broke off every- thing between us ?” “Does not your own conscience answer the question, Gabriel?” said Pauline, in a low tone of upbraiding, while her countenance suddenly became serious and mournful. “Ah! I have con- sented to forgive you this once—for the last time: —but do not affect ignorance, instead of manifest- ing contrition !” “Pauline,” replied the young nobleman, with the impassioned accents and fervid manner of unmistakable sincerity, “your words are but a continuation of that dreadful enigma which has so much perplexed me and almost driven me‘to de- apair. If I have erred since that day on which you wrote to tell me that everything was at an end between us, my uffence must be looked upon with a compassionate consideration, because your own inexplicable conduct was but too well calculated to plunge me into any excesses that might divert my mind from pondering on its blasted hopes and its stricken affections. But until that letter came, I take God to witness that I was true and faithful in word and deed unto you——” “O Gabriel! add net this perjury to your other offences,” exclaimed Pauline, emphatically: “or I shall withdraw my promise of pardon—I shall refuse all reconciliation |” “Then, in the name of God! explain yourself,” cried Florimel, with a vehemence equally impas- sioned,—“in order that I may enter upon my jus- tification! You cannot, at least, refuse me that demand ?” , “ One word will suffice, Gabriel,” said Pauline, in a tone profoundly mournful: then, in a scarcely audible whisper, she added, “I fancied that you could not have been ata loss to conjecture who the Flower Girl was at the Masquerade.” “By heaven! this enigma is intolerable—this mystery is more than I can endure!” exclaimed the young nobleman, completely bewildered. “Ah! I recollect,” he cried, as a sudden reminiscence struck him: “I was invited to a masquerade at Covent Garden theatre—but I take God to witness that I did not go !” “ Then has there been some foul treachery played apon me!” said Pauline, staggered and con- founded by the air of sincerity and the tone of con- fidence with which her lover's denial was given. “And, to speak candidly,” she eontinued, in a musing tone, “I was struck then—at the time—by the ciroumstance that the masque in the blue do- mino with the braiding and the star, was taller than on——” “A blue domino—braiding—and star!” ejacu- lated Florimel, now more bewildered and mystified than ever. “ Yes—lI know of such a domino —it was sont to me—but I commanded my page to destroy it! Oh! I begin to see through ail this hideous misnnderstanding,” he cried, suddenly struck by the conviction that some dark scheme of treachery, unsuspected by him until this very moment, had been pepetrated by Rao—~<lias Ca- roline Walters—through the agency of the blue domino. “Perhaps it was not destroyed after all —and another person may have nsed it——” “Oh! if such were indeed the case, Florimel,” interrupted Pauline, now dreadfully agitated,— “then have I done you a cruel injustice—wronged you by the vilest suspicions —and behaved towards you with a precipitation and an inconsiderateness which you can never overlook !” “ Never overlook!” repeated Gabriel, in an im- passioned tone. “There is nothing you can do towards me, beloved Pauline, that Iam not pre- pared to pardon—because I have so much for whieh to ask forgiveness of you !” And the youny nobleman sank upon his knees at her feet. “Rise—Oh! rise, my well-beloved Gabriel!” exclaimed the beauteous virgin, starting from her seat, a prey to the wildest agitation: then, as she abandoned her hand to the nobleman who still knelt before her, she said with exceeding bitterness of tone, “ Ah! I was too hasty—yes, too precipi- tate: and I was sealing my own unhappiness at the same time that I wis causing yours. But you wil] forgive me, Gabriel—you wiil forgive me——” “Ob! let us grant mutual pardon, my angel— my beanty—my adored!” cried Flerimel, springing from his suppliant position and snatching the heavenly being to his breast. “Yes—pardon each other, whatever ills you may have done,” ssid Octavia, rising from the sofa, and approaching the tender pair : then suddenly burat- ing into tears, she cried, “ Oh ! that the false Prince would come and demand pardon of me /” Pauline and Gabriel now devoted themselves to the task of soothing Octavia’s abruptly awakened grief; and leading her back to the sofa, they sald all they could to afford her solace and sympathy. In a few minetes they succeeded in calming the afflicted young lady ;—and when they saw that the | violence of the storm had thus passed, they re- turned to the seats which they had previously oe- cupied at the other end of the room. “And now, my Pauline,” said Lord Florimel, “will you explain to me all that is still hewildering and mysterious to me, relative to the blue do- mino ?” “Read this letter,” observed the younger Miss Clarendon, producing the docoment from a desk which stood upon a table close by; “and you will then judge what my feelings mast have been.” “Ah! it is as I thought!” ejaculated the noble- man, instantaneously recognising the handwriting of Caroline Walters. He then ran his eyes hastily over the contents of the letter, which has already been given in the hundred and furty-ninth chapter of our narrative, area. (COU 343 (C DOO (CO