The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 242: what you’re looking at

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

=z ss OF THE COURT. “ Dear Frank.” she eaid, inabw quick whisper, as che caught him by the hand, “what in heaven's name has taken place?” But the unhappy youth, not daring to tell the object of hie heart’s devotion—the proud patrician Juliana—what Aad transpired, flung upon her a giance of ineffable anguish; and murmuring, “ No, no!” broke abruptly from her and rushed down atairs. Seizing his hat, which he had left in the hall, he quitted the house, and wandered rapidly away with- out noticing the direction he was taking and with- out any settled purpose in view. Juliana remained transfixed with astonishment upon the landing. Hor first feeling was one of rage and indignation against her youthful lover, who she thought had perhaps been either persuaded or bought over by her mother to break off all future connexion with her: bat as she recovered the power of calmer reflection, Juliana’s shrewd and experienced mind told her that this was not the case. There had been too much anguish in the look which Francis had flung upon her—too bitter a lamentation in the accents of his voice aa he mur- zaured those words when breaking away from her— and too evident a in that frantic movement #31 invented something to banish him from the house- Perhaps you have worked upon his fears-——” “And perhaps,” interrupted Lady Sexondale, still coldly as before, “the circumstances of his own position have furnished but too fust an opportunity for such a course. Listen, Juliana. Francis Paton has this afternoon met his sister——-” “ Well, I knew that he had a sister-whom he had not seen nor heard of for four or five years.” “Tt may be eo—or it may not,” resumed Lady Saxondale. “But certain it is that this sister is none other than the female highwayman who stopped Marlow and Malton—the famous . Mrs. Chandos of the Dover adventure which you yourself have laughed at so heartily when bantering the attorneys at being so egregiously outwitted.” Julians became pale as death, and even staggered visibly at this announcement: but making a des- perate effort to recover herself, and clutching at a straw of hope, she said in a hoarse voice, “This, mother, is eome specious trickery of your’s.” “No, Juliana, the facte are against such & belief on your part, or such a proceeding on mine. The boy peoduced hie sister’s card—and here it is. Behold the name of Mre. Chandos! See also the address in the corner; it is the same place to which itself, to warrant the belief that he had yielded to | the lawyers were conducted by the female high- either persuasion or gold in consenting to renounce | wayman in the first instance, and whence she es- her. | caped by the window. Then Marlow gave the boy “These are some devilish arts of my mother,” | this report from a provincial paper to read; and it said Juliana to herself: and she at once proceeded | was clear that he recognized but too well the de- into the drawing-room. But perceiving Mr. Mar- low there, she instantaneously oumposed her coun- tenance; and saying, “I beg your pardon: I did not know that you were engaged;” she abruptly quitted the apartment again. Lady Saxondale immediately came out after her, having requested Mr. Marlow to excuse her for a moment: and catching Juliana by the arm, she drew her into another room, saying, “ You evidently ' wish to speak to me P” scription of his sister. If you still deubt me, go into the drawing-room and ask Marlow himself.” Juliana saw no necessity for doing this: it was bat too evident thas ber mother was reeng fue and had the game in her own hand. Stil she felt the haughticst disinclination to be beaten, and ac- | Cordingly said, “ The sister may be a bad woman: | but Frank himself is untainted by her evil courses.” “Oh!” exclaimed Lady Saxondale, with an ironi- | cal amile and a contemptuous toes of her head; “if ‘“‘ Yes, mother—I do,” responded the elder | you like to acknowled,.e the brother of a highway- daughter, a strange and sinister light burning in | woman as your lover, be it so. I cannot restrain ber dark eyes, and an equally ominous expression ' you. Our compact is not to interfere with each appearing upon her countenance. “1 will not protend to be ignorant of what is up- permost in your thoughts,” said Lady Saxondale, having carefully closed the door. “ You must have acen Francis Paton quit the drawing-room in de- spair : you know perhaps that he has left the bouse | ever.” “Ah! he has left the house for ever?” repeated Juliana, with a singularly oold and resolute air. “Then I aleo shall quit the house for ever:”—and she moved towards the door. “Do 20,” said Lady Saxondale, assuming a de- meanour and a tone as glacial as her daughter's. “But you will perhaps do well to hear first why it is that Francis Paton has quitted the house.” “You need not tell me why,” answered Juliana, turning round and stopping to confront her mother. “I have learnt more of your character and more of your disposition within the last week or two, than during whole years I hed learnt before; and one of ‘my experiences is that if you have a purpose to gain, you are unscrapulous in the means you em- Ploy to reach it. Without precisely knowing what you have said or done to Francis Paton, I am at no fas to coneeive that your diabolic ingenuity has other: but you cannot certainly be so unreasonable as to expect I should keep the near relative of that female desperado a moment longer beneath this roof. Why, we should not be safe,” continued Lady Saxondale, with an affectation of horror which, by appearing to include poor Frank in its apprehension, made every word she uttered a dagger to plunge decp down into Juliana’s heart. “ Who knows what influence this dreadful woman—this highway- robber—this prowling thief—thie midnight bandit of feminine sex but masculine raiment,—-who knows, I ask, what influence she might sooner or later obtain over him, even to be able to persuade hin, if he remained beneath our roof, to admit herself and the gang with whom she is no doubt connected, into the house by night? We might all of use be mur- dered in our beds——~" h, mother!” said Juliane, in a voice which, as well as her look, showed the utter abase- ment of a proud spirit. “ You have succeeded in turning this strange discovery to your own pur- poses; you have triumphed over me for the present. But my turn may perhaps come.” “Your turn, Juliana? —what do you mean?” exclaimed Lady Saxondale, pretending to be aston- - _ NOOKS «ECO COMMIC