The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 125: what you’re looking at

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

7 ‘ . a THE MYSTENIKS UF THE OUUKR. ‘ LZ have told you that she consented to become my mistrese—and I have put you in possession of the arrangements for the meeting of to-morrow night. Thus far I have fulfilled my compact. Bat you must permit me to add that you, Leveson, never can hope to triumph over Venetis by means of stratagem or artifice : aho will prove far too cunning for you —and as for violence and outrage, that of course is out of the question. You would not dare attempt such a proceeding, even if you were stroug as Hercules and she weak as‘a lamb. Now, then, my dear Leveson, seeing that you have not the ghdst of achance in that quarter, I ask you to release me from my compact with you—tie only boon that I solicit in return for the vacant Garter——” “Then do you abandon all farther designs upon the lady in the gossamer dress!” exclaimed the Marquis of Leveson, not looking over well pleased at the proposal, and yet scarcely seeing how to refuse it, especially as the Garter iteelf might baply be st stake: for he knew what a alippery customer he had to deal with. “TI most assuredly abandon all farther views in that quarter, my dear Leveson,” the Prince; “and, by the bye, I think that if you suc- ceed in discovering the gossamer lady, you may very well manage to console yourself with her for the loes of Venetia, Next to Miss Trelawney, she ia de- cidedly the most splendid creature | ever encoun- “Your Royal Highness {a certainly« good judge,” remarked Leveson, with the least acoent of bitter- peas and sarcasm in his tone. “ But if you will éoend me in the course of the afternoon a letter promising the Order of the Garter, in all due form j and with your royal seal, I have no farther hesita- | tionin saying that I release you fram the omgen selative to Venetia Trelawney.” “It shall be done, Leveson,” replied the Prince. “Avu your Royal Highness abandons all farther design upen the gossamer lady? continued the Marquina. “Mose assorediy,” was the ready “Fernet her out—make her your wnt o is wortliy of all the trouble or expense you may be. stow npor: the search affér her. But perhaps you have alreacy obtained a clae——” - “No, eir~—not at present. I have, however, an active ageut at work—and he will not let the grass grow under his feet. Neither is he the man to be baffled or disheartened,” added the noble lord, em- phatioally. “But when you do succeed in thig search, Leve- eon,” observed the Prince of Wales, “you will let me know what could be the meaning of all that mystery on Monday night, and what sort of a docn- nent it really was that [ signed so rashly ?” “ Whatever information I may succeed in obtain- soz upon those points, sir,” returned Leveson, “shall be duly imparted to your Royal Highness, And now, sir, you will permit meto order up tun- “No, my dear friend,” interrupted the Prince, rising. “I must return to Cariton House. The Minister is to be with me at five punctually. ahere are numerous papers to sign— amongst them several death-warrants——By the bye, f could not help laughing st a paragraph which has recently gone the rownd of all the newspapers, and which shows how the wretched lickspittles of ‘English yn erp journalists endeavour to prove their servile devotion to the Court. It is all pleasant enough to have the gentlemen of the press, as they call them- selves, thus licking one’s fect: but I cannot the lees despise and contemn them for their miserable grovelling character and disgustingty syoophentic « But what ie this paragraph to which your Reval Highness alludes?” inquired the Marquis. “It was one which stated, in the most nauseating “Now the fact is, L.don’t think the laws are half severe . The lower orders are dreadfully paroel of seditious scoundrels that were born to be theslaves of us princes and nobiles ! How I detest them, the unwashed ruffiens !—and s0 far from having any remorse at siguing death- warrants, I should like te see more of the wretches tacked up.* . “Yes—I think that the severest examples are réquired, sir,” observed the Marquis of Levesen. “The lower orders are beginning to thinkfer them- selves——* Aod they have no business te do so,” ex- claimed the Prince Regent, stamping bis foot upon the carpet. “But I tell you what, Leveson—if there’s any more sedition in the eountry, the ge- vernment spies and agents shall urge on the mobe to violence—and then we'll have a good massacre. A wholesale massacre will strike terror into the hearts of the people. Why, what with the writings of Tom Paine and other scoundrels of the revo- lutionary class, the lower orders are actually be- coming quite opiniated. Enlightened, by. God! Til enlighten them shortly, if they don’t mind: but it shall be with the gleam of bayonets, the flash of sabres, and the blaze of artillery.” “Yes, sir—I agree with you,” sald the Marquis of Leveson, as coolly and deliberately as if he were discussing the most ordinary topic of the day. “ Ministers will be much to blame if they don’t get up a massacre shortly. But, by the bye,” exclaimed the nobleman, as the thought struck him, *is not this a provoking affair about young Mary Owen? I sent you a note last evening with the parti- cularne—” “ Well, it is somewhat annoying,” said the Prince: ‘bat it can’t be helped. She will no doubt return home again to her mother in a day or two. At all events, as she promises in her note that she wiil not betray her parent or her sisters, I think that she is to be relied upon in that respect. She loves them too well to do them an injury. But even if she were to reveal what she knows to any stranger into whose hands she may fall, she would not be believed: or if betieved, no one would dare to give publicity to such circumstances. Thank God! we've a good law of libel and the most complaisant, willing, juries in this country. Be- sides, there's such a as the Habeas Corpus Act and sending all libel. lers and scandal-mongers out of the land, or else locking them up secure in gaol. Everything con- sidered, I see nothing to apprehend and little to fret about in Mary Owen's conduct. Indeed eo timorous and full of nice scruples, it is much better that she should have withdrawn from an affair which she would only have compromised by her nemby-pamby nonsense and mandlin sen- COMME OG Ss CO