The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 398: what you’re looking at

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THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. time, bearing the daté I jast now mentioned, and offering a reward for the recovery of the child. Lady Flurimel was, as you may suppose, profoundly grieved for my sake on hearing such terrible intel- Ngenoe from Doctor Thurston: bat she neverthe- less deemed it her duty to report the whole truth tome. What my feelings have since been I shall not attempt to describe: suffice it to say that while picturing the most horrible destinies for the unhappy progeny of my youthfal weakness, I have looked apon myself as the most unnataral of mo- thers! Bat in the mean time—since that inter- view between Lady Florimel and Dootor Thurston -—the head officer of Bow Street has been employed, by she physician to discover if possible some trace of ihe lost one——”" “Ah! Lawrence Sampson,” ejaculated the Prince. “He is a clever fellow. But I hope that Thurston did not entrust him with your secret?” “No,” said the Princess: “Doctor Thurston represented that it was his own child who had been lost. And this Mr. Sampson has suoceeded not only in discovering that the lost one is alive, but also where he is and the manner he has been brought up.” Here the Princess Sophia burst into a flood of tears; and her voice was choked with the conval- sive soba thet rent her bosom. “ Where is the boy ?” inquired the Prince; "and in what sphere of life has he been trained? I am afraid that you have nothing very satisfactory to impart on this point———” “Good heavens! what a dreadful idea is it for a mother to eontemplate!” exclaimed the Prinoess, wringing her hands in bitterest anguish; but sad- denly regaining the fortitade of despair, she dashed the tears from her eyes, and turniog her Jooks steadfastly upon her brother, said in a deep and solemn tone, “ My son—the offspring of my early crime—has been trained amongst the vileat of the vile—dragged through all the mire, feculence, and corruption of demoralization—inured to depravity —steeped to the very crown of his head in all moral abominations—and now--O God! that a mother’s tongue should have to proclaim so hideous a fact i—and now, I say, he is in the service of a man who oecupies the basest, the most loathed, scorned, and abhorred position that is to be found at the bottom of the social scale——* “To whom do you allude?” demanded the Prinoe, who ia spite of his intense selfishness and his eold-blooded indifference to the sorrows of others, could not help being somewhat touched by the spectacle of his sister’s dread despair, as like- wise by the appalling interest that belonged to this narrative which she was reciting :—*who is the | man that you thus speak of as being the master or | employer of the lad?” The Princess Sophia turned upon her brother a look fall of unutterable misery, as she said fn a low and scarcely audible tone, “ Who is that man ?—i¢ is the Pablic Executioner |” 1 © What, Daniel Coffin |” ejaculated the Prince, | the mention of the dreadful man appearing ominous to a degree, inasmuch as but little more than an hour had elapsed since he and his Ruyal Highness had stood face to face in the splendid saloon at Carlton Howse. “This fellow now seems destined to spring up frequently in my path,” thonght the _ Prince within himself: and the feelings of disgust, | bY | Lawrence Sampson's researches. annoyanee, and even alarm which he thus expe- rienced, were reflected in his countenance. “Oh! you may well be horrified and terror- stricken!” exolaimed the Princess, not altogether comprehending the spring of her brother's emo- tions; for she was of course utterly anaware of the fact that the Gommon Hangman was personally known to the Prince Regent of the Kingdom. “ Bat what do you propose to do in the matter?” demanded his Royal Highness: “or what do you wish or expect that I should do for you?* “Hear me out—and then you will understand wherefore I have sent for you. For nearly two moaths,” continued the Princess, “has Doctor Thurston been aware that the unfortunate youth is alive and in the service of that dreadfal man: but not until yesterday had the physician the courage to communicate to Lady Florimel the result of Mr. Indeed, it was only when Pauline threatened to call personally upon the Bow Street officer and ascertain whether anything was being done in the matter — it was only then, I say, that Doctor Thurston admitted that Sampson’s efforts had already been crowned— too fatally crowned—with snoeess. And now, it would also appear that by a singular coincidenee Mr. Sampson, before being engaged in that re- search at all, had fallen in with the youth—bad conceived an interest in his behalf—had invited him to his house—and had done all he could to reciaim ‘him from the ways of vice. But although the endeavour seemed to prosper for a few days, those favourable symtoms speedily disappeared ; and alas! the youth retarned to his old eom- panions, and no doubt to his old habits. All these things did Lady Florime! succeed in gleaning— or rather extorting—-from Doctor Thurston’s lips yesterdsy: and this day has she reveated them to me [” “Then if the youth is so inveterate in his bad habits,” observed the Prince, * the best thing will be to leave him where he is.” “How can you recommend such @ course f* eried the Princess, in a voloe of bitter reman- stranee. “ How could you have abandoned him for more than nineteen years ?” demanded the Prince coolly, “Oh! now I am indeed rightesnle -ewarded for my unnatural condact f’—and as the Princess thus spoke in a voice of rending anguish, she again burst into a flood of tears, at the first outpouring of whieh her brother made a movement of im- patience. “ Uonatural mother that I have been,” she continued, after a long pause: “ most richly, riehly do I deserve every reproseh—every taunt— every imputation, that can be thrown against me! Nevertheless, it is ernel indeed to receive this chastisement at the hands of a brother !*” “ Well, perhaps I was a little harsh,” said the Prince Regent: “ but de pray tell me at ones and without any farther eireumlocation, what 1 ean do for you—what you require at my hands” “Of all my brothers, you only,” sald the Prineess, “are acquainted with my secrét: and therefore, in the first place, it was natural I should confide to your ears all that Ihave learnt concerning my boy. In the seoond place, you alone—as Prince Regent—have the power to snatch that anhappy youth away from the career of degradation and depravity which he is pursuing——* COMME lOO© Ss CO