The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 306: what you’re looking at

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

THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. *Foolish girl! I have told thee that thy cries are vain,” said the Marquis, going straight up to her and looking her full in the face. “ Will you be mine, I say, voluntarily ?—will you yield of your own accord, and accept my hand—my fortune—my title———” But scream upon scream thrilled from the maiden’s lips; and the Marquis, stamping his foot with rage, was bursting forth into violent threats— when suddenly the door between this and the first room of the suite was thrown violently open, and Sir Douglas Huntingdon sprang into the presence of the startled nobleman and his intended victim. ‘Release this young lady immediately,” ex- claimed the Baronet, laying his hand upon the collar of the Marquis. “What! you, Huntingdon, thus to interfere with the parsuits of an old friend?” faltered Leveson, not knowing what to think of the intrusion. “Tet us not bandy words,” said the Baronet, sternly: “you see that I am resolute! Come—I understand not precisely the mechanism of this chair—but I command you to release Miss Louisa Stanley forthwith !” The nobleman saw that Huntingdon was not only in earnest, but also fully bent upon the deli- verance of the maiden: and accordingly, with a hand trembling as if suddenly palsied, the Marquis touched the spring which instantaneously released our heroine from her captivity. : Falling at the feet of Sir Douglas Huntingdon in the enthusiasm of her joy at this sudden and pro- vidential liberation, Louisa took his hand and pressed it with all the fervour of her young heart’s gratitude. The Baronet hastened to raise her; and fixing his eyes upon the Marquis, who stood by pale and trembling with rage, he said, “ Nothing of all this shall be known if you permit Miss Louisa Stanley to depart from your house without any farther attempt at molestation. But ifafloger be raisod to impede her passage, I will adopt any measure—no matter how much calculated to ex- pose you-—"" : “Retire then—go—depart,” faltered the Marquis, with a strong effort to subdue the violence of his passion: “but I beseech—I implore Miss Louisa Stanley not to betray me—and above all things not to breathe a word to the ruin of my niece !” Our heroine’s heart was too full of joy at her happy deliverance to allow her tongue to utter a word: but Sir Douglas Huntingdon said empha- tically, “I promise you, Leveson, on my honour as a gentleman, that nothing of all this shall be re- vealed elsewhere.” Having thus spoken, the Baronet hastily con- ducted Louisa Stanley into the Crimson Drawing Room,—closing behind them the doors through which they passed. Lady Ernestina was no longer there: she had retired in shame, terror, and grief, to her own apartment, leaving the perplexing and menacing adventure to take its own course. * Miss Stanley,” the Baronet now said, the mo- ment they were together in the Crimson Drawing Room; “have the goodness to read this note.” The damse! instantaneously took the billet which was presented to her; and ano ejaculation of joy fell from her lips as she recognised her sister's handwriting. Tearing open the note, she read the following words :— 293 ‘*13, Stxnatron Sraxet. ** Now. 16th, 1814. ““The bearer of this, my ever dear Louisa, is a gentle- man in whom you may confide. He will take you away from a place where you are surrounded by manifold dangera, and will bring you at once to nie. “ Your affectionate sister, “ CLARA.” Words are incapable of describing the delight and happiness which now sprang up in Louisa’s bosom, even to the absorption for the time being of her grief on account of her lover’s presumed in- fidelity. “Then my sister—my beloved sister—is indeed in town,” she exclaimed; “and the Marguis de- ceived me!” “No, Miss Stanley—he did not altogether de- ceive you,” answered the Baronet: “for if he had not called in Stratton Street ere now, your sister could not of course have known that you were at Leveson House or even in London at all. But the truth is this—your sister was indeed absent from town with Mr. and Mrs. Beckford; but she came back suddenly and alone, in order to execute some little commission for Mrs. Beckford. She arrived in Stratton Street only a few minutes after the Marquis had left. Knowing his evil reputation, she was shocked and horrified at the idea of her sister being beneath his roof; and as I happened to call at the moment, she besought me to come with this note which you have just read. My car- riage is atthe door; and so soon as you are ready, I shall have much pleasure ia escorting you to Stratton Street.” Louisa hastened up-stairs for her bonnet and scarf, with which she speedily returned to the Crimson Drawing Room, well pleased at encoun- tering neither the Marquis nor Lady Ernestina upon the stairs. Having rung the bell, she ordered the footman who answered the sammons to have her trunk taken down to the Baronets carriage, which was waiting at the door: and when, in a few minutes, the domestic announced that her com- mands had been executed, she accompaaied Sir Douglas Hnatingdon from Leveson House. And now who can describe the feelings of this young, beautiful, and artless girl as she took her seat in the vehicle which was to convey her to that sister from whom she had been separated for five long months? Yet while rolling along in the handsome equipage, she did not forget to renew her thanks to Sir Douglas Huntingdon for the immense gervice which he had rendered her: but he ass the charming girl that he was only too happy io having arrived at Leveson House so seasonably as to rescue her from the peril in which the darkest and deepest treachery had placed her, Indeed, to tell the truth, as Sir Douglas Hunting- don contemplated with respectful admiration the lovely damsel by his side, he could not help think- ing that there was even in the world a pleasure more genuine and more sweet than to triumph over innocence,—namely, to rescue it from im- pending ruin! . But neither the Baronet nor Louisa had many minutes for reflection or conversation, inasmuch as the carriage soon dashed up to the door of a handsome house in Stratton Street; and looking forth from the zindow of the vehicle, our heroine NOG) SS CO