The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 146: what you’re looking at

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

| 138 The Marquis strained her to his breast—ocovered her lips and her cheeks with kissss—lavished upon her the tenderest epithetse—end breathed the most solemn protestations, and pledges in her ears. “‘And now, dearest,” he said, “ you will not refuse to be mine so soon as I shall have obtained the destroy | means of guarantecing an adequate maintenance ? AN these papers she frankly offered to place in my hends, so that ¥ might do with them as I chose. conceive, Constance, with what joygnd At the beginning of this conversation, I informed you that a change in the French Ministry had given power to an individual who has inflnenee enough to compel the to do me justice, though so tar- dily ; and in a shoré time I may expect a diplomatic situation. Then——” “‘Yos—then,” murmured Oonstance, “I will be- come thine !”’ in were there caressings, and and the breathing of tender vows; and the two lovers experienced, if possible, a greater amount of happi- nees, cr at all events of satisfaction and content, ia “ Now, joumn Comun? said the Marquis, ences, m the same way that we had just met, our | “you shall play me one of those beauteful airs which interview having lasted but for a few minutes, | carry such inoffable bliss in unto my heart when the and the whole conversation bemg confined to the | music is mado by your fair You have your topies which I have mentioned. We did not even | guitar with you~and I am sure that I ahall not shake hands, nor make any inquiry into each other's | bescech this favour in vain?” Greutstances, boyond the one question which my | Constance took up the insteument and began to wife put to me whether I wasin want of money. I | run her fingers over the strings, while the Marquis, have now nothing more to say, unless it be to add | rising from the seat, leant ageinst the pedestal of a that the appointment was fuithfully kept by an | huge vase that stood close by, so that his tender emissary from my wife, and the papers were all! gaze might embrace the entire form of that ravieh- placed in my hand. I have them at my residence— | ing creature whom he loved so fondly and who loved Y have not destroyed them—and were it wot for my | him so devotedly in return. But scarcely had the oath’s s sake, I would show them to you, dear Con- | besuteous Constance begun to strike the strings of dence, But I dare not reveal the names which | hor guitar, when Juliana, who in the meanwhile had appear in the marriage-cortifieate and the other documents. Now, save and except the entry in the register at the British Ambassador’s chapel in Paris, no evidence could possibly be produced— unless indeed by my own hand—to prove that I was ever wodded to another. Final'y, I will ask you, Con- stance, whether under all theee circumstances— especially the last--I should not have been almost iustified in representing myself as single and un- married?” Constance gave no immediate answer: she re- fleeted profoundly. What course was she to pursue ? That she might im all eafety become the wife of the Marquis of Villebelle without having her right to that name ever disputed, seemed beyund the possi- bility of doubt: but on the other hand, could she look upon herself as the legitimate and lawful wife of this nobleman who had been wedded to another P Again, on the favourable sido, it was scarcely to be supposed that the Engiish law would re- cognise a merriage such as that which the Marquis had been so mysteriously led into; inasmuch as it bad never been consummated, and appeared on the very face of it a mockery too scandalous to be re- | stant gone through the ceremony of the toiles and ex- changed her deshabillée for a dinner costume, came hurrying down the gravel-walk with the intimation that Lady Saxondale had returned, and that she had intimated her intention of taking half-an-hour’s ramble in the garden before dinner. The Marquis snatched a hasty embrace from his adored one; and hurriedly shaking hands with her sister, ho made good his retreat by the side-door of the garden. CHAPTER XX. FLORIBA. Wer must now return to Lady Florina Staunten, whom we left at the moment when scarcely able to subdue a violent outburst of her anguish, she sought the window-recess with the seeming pretext of beholding the departure of Lady Saxondale’s splendid equipage, but in reality for the purpose of her tears. Lady Macdonald, not for an in- that every syllable Lady Saxondale garded in the light of a grave solemnity. And on had uttered was a dagger plunged deep down into this same favourable side, too, was the young lady’s | the heart of her niece, began in the love for the French nobleman: so that after a few | bitterest manner upon the insolence of mimutes’ deliberation the arguments on this side | William Deveril ; and thus each word spoken by the proved the weightier ; and extending her fair hand | aunt produced a fresh pang in the bosom of the to the Marquis, she exclaimed, “No, Etienne, I | gentle Florina. Still however did the unhappy cannot from you! I cannot resign this - ‘ young lady remain in the room: fer she was afraid dream of bliss! I love you—and in the world’s that by a too precipitate retreat che would excite despite will I love you on unto the end.” | Lady Macdonald's suspicion. I¢ was an excry ee . COMME MOO ee nd on