The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 23: what you’re looking at

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

| | 10 a= @ ae has grown 80 uncommonly doll sca UOsleret ; (ar ety Raile OF LAE COURT. © °oum@m: Qe SED ~“em o Ge al °° Sai a GE - your Royal Highness,” answered Mr. Sackville, Malpas, in his most ‘elaborated dinetag-xveem witn a certain embarrassment of manner: but in- drawl. “ Most assuredly I dof” exclaimed the Prince. “For my part, I see none but the samc faces wherever I go—at Court, at entertainments, in the parks—'tis all the same, until the very aspect af society becomes 80 insipid——" “In fact, sir,” remarked Lord Levesen,— for the habit had recently sprung ap in Court circles to address the Princes of the Blood as “sir,” so as to avoid the frequent repetition of the more formal mode of “your Royal Highness,”—“in fact, air, you look upon the female portion of the fashion- able world as a galaxy of beauties whose charms lose their power by becoming familiar to the eye— and therefore you desire to welcome the advent of some new star?” “By heaven! talk of new stars,” exclaimed the Ear! of Curzon, in a tone of enthusiasm, “ what planet can be more bewitching than the one that has so lately ertered our sublunary sphere ?” “ Ah! I know to whom you allude,” ejaculated Sir Douglas Huntingdon. “I saw her riding in her carriage tuis very day——" “Yes—she was pointed out to me in the park last Sunday afternoon,” interrupted Colonel Malpas, speaking rather more quickly than was his wont. “She is a positive angel!” “ No—her beauty is not of a celestial character,” remarked Sir Douglas. “It is the volaptuous loveliness which one’s imagination pictures in an odalisque, reclining languidly on the cushion in some orient seraglio.” “By Jove! ‘tis an admirable description of her rich, luxuriant, sensuous style of beauty!” ex- claimed the Earl of Curzon. “Never in all my life did I behold so delicious a creature! - ‘Who, in the name of fortune, is this model of loveliness that has turned all your heads?” de- manded the Prince Regent, his curiosity now deeply excited. “What!” exclaimed the Marguis of Leveson: “is it possible that your Royal Highness has not heard of Venetia Trelawney ?” “As mysterious as she is beautiful,” added the Ear! of Curzon. “ And as virtuous as she is incomprehensible,” remarked Sir Douglas Huntingdon. ‘ Aye—bat who can vouch that she is virtuous,” demanded Colonel Ma)pas,—“since no one appears to be able to get acquainted with her? In fact, every body I meet is talking of her—and not a goul knows her even to speak to.” “Jt is precigely because she gives not the slight- est encouragement to any one, that I pronounce her to be virtuous,” replied the dissipated baronet. “A certain Duke, who shall be nameless, sent her a blank cheque the other day, with an intimation that she might fill itup to any amonnt she chose, provided she would look kindly upon him: and she returned it in an envelope, without deigning even to pen a syllable of comment.” “Venetia Trelawney” said the Prince Regent, repeating the name two or three times in a musing tone: “ Venetia Trelawney? Surely Ihave heard of her before? By the bye, Horace,” he exclaimed, @ sudden recollection striking him, “was it not you who mentioned her to me ?” “I believe I said something on the subject to , Stantly recovering himself, he added, “In fact, I now remember that I have once or twice spoken to you, sir, relative to this paragon of beauty.” “Ah! then you also have seen her, Horace ? cried the Prince Regent. “But you should have taken more pains to make me aware that there was guch a charming novelty in our great metropolis.” “When J alluded to Miss Trelawney, sir, you ap- peared indifferent,” said young Sackville; “ and I did not therefore venture to dwell upon a topic in which your Royal Highness took no interest.” “I suppose my impression at the time was that you were speaking of some beauty of the ordinary stamp—the commonplace average of female attrac- tions,” observed the Prince. “But if you had told me that this was a grand exception to the general rule—a perfect rarity of the species—I should have instant:cneously become as interested in Venetia Trelawncy as I am now.” “Ah! she is a woman for whose sake a man might sell his soul to Satan, if such a sacrifice would purchase ,but a single hour of her love,” said the old Marquis of Leveson, nis mouth water- ing at the bare thought of the pleasures which his imagination depicted. “And you tell me that no one knows her?” ex- claimed the Prince, in astonishment. “Here am I surrounded by the most inveterate pleasure- hunters in all London; and yet I am assured that nut one of you has contrived by any stratagem to scrape acquaintance with Miss Trelawney ?” “Such, nevertheless, appears to be the fact,” observed Sir Douglas Huntingdon. “I have in- quired of all my friends if they could introduce me to Venetia—and the universal response is, ‘ My dear feliow, Iam racking my brains day ana night io procure an introduction for myself.’” “This is most extraordinary !” exclaimed the Prince. “Do you mean me'to understand that she has not a single friend or acquaintance in all London—but that she suddenly dropped from the clouds in the midst of a sphere which by all] ac- counts she is so eminently calculated to adorn ” “TI mean to say,” answered the dissipated baro- net, “that a few weeks ago this paragon of loveli- ness appeared for the first time in the park. She was riding in a carriage, accompanied by a duenna~ like lady of a certain age. Of course every one was ravished at the beauty of the unknown fair one. ‘Who te she” was the universal question. No one can tell. A few days afterwards the re- port circulated that her name had been ascertained, and that it was Venetia Trelawney. Only cou ceive that delightfal, romantic name of Venetiat. ‘ Where does she live * was the next question which. I asked: but I found that evary one else was ask- ing precisely the same thing. Well, in a few days more this query was solved algo. Venetia Tre- lawney dwells.in a sweet called Acacia Cot- tage, at Knightsbridge. ‘ Who is that duenna-like Semale that tnveriably acoompanies her ? was the third question prompted by an excruciating ou- riosity— or rather, a tender interest. But this point was more difficait to solve. However, in due- time it became pretty well understood that the elderly lady is no relation, but a mere companion. or friend; and she is said to be most respectably connected.” aw” ve GORMGOOOKXS COMM