The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 295: what you’re looking at

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284 THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. heart to behold you thus. If you do not endeavour | now tel? me, Frank—can you look upon me witb fo rally your spirits, I shall myself smk into such | love and affection? or must you ever feel that you decp despondency and gloom as to be utterly incom- | blush for your sister ?” petent for the final unravelling of this skein, so touch of which is already disentangied.” “ Elizabeth,” answered Frank, fixing his large hascl eyes in deep melancholy upon his sister, “it grieves me—Ob! it grieves me, to be the cause of affliction to you. I am sure, when you think of the past, you must have already enough to make you 59 ‘ 39 “ That is a reproach, Frank,” observed Lady Bess mildly but mournfully; “and after all my candour in telling you everything without the slightest reserve, 1 think you might have spared it.” “Pardon me—forgive me, dearest Elizabeth "’ cried Frank, flmging hie arms round his sister's neck and embracing her affectionately. “ I was in- decd wrong to say what I did. Oh, no—I would not reproach you! And now tell me—do you for- ive me ?” “It is not for vou to ask pardon of me,” was his ckater’s response. “ You have never done anything’ to make you ashamed: whereas I-——~bat I need not sty more.” ‘‘ No, dear stster—-we niust not dwell upon this topic. That it has caused me pdit—great pain— cannot be denied: but for your sake I will endea- vour to become cheerful.” « One word more, ere we take leave of the topic,” anid Lady Bess. “ Suppose that when yott eticoun- tered your sister so unexpectedly 4 faw days back, you had discovered her a lost and abandoned crea- ture in the tree sense of worsan’s rum, would you not have loathed her P—or if the natural affection of your generous heart had forbidden you to loathe her, yet would you not have beeti overwhelmed with even a greater amount of grief than you now ex- perience for what I have done? Could you now embrace me as you have jast étnbraced me? would you not feel as if there were pollution in my touch P And remember, Frank, that when woman’s virtue is lost, it never can be restored! She may repent : but her chastity is gone for ever. How different is my case! What I have done, can be atoned for. Because, as I have already assured you—although I have been guilty of crimes, yet [ have never “ No—after all you have said, I cannot blush for you,” replied Frank, warmly. “I may regret and deplore: but there is no need to be ashamed im the one sense in which a brother has to be ashamed of a sister! A thousand times do I rejoice that you chose the alternative of evil which nmy be remedied, instead of that other alternative which admits of no redemptioz.” tionately: and then they sat for some minutes in silence. Frank no longer wore Lady Saxondale’s livery. He wae dreseed iti a genteel suit of pisin clothes, and looked a perfect young gentleman. Indeed, if he and Lord Saxondale had stood side by side and a stranger had been asked whieh was the nobleman, Frank would have been pointed to. The paleness of his looks—the tracasof care—and the lingering evi- éven more interesting than % was natarelly wont to be; and if Juliana could have seen him now, favid and would no doubt here been her Songing to strain him to her bosom. “Do you think that you are likely to reocive any intelligence from Lord Everton’s man-eervant to- day ?”’ asked Frank, after a pause, and for the par- posd of reviving the conversation in another strain from: that ere ow pursued. “I hope so,” replied Elizabeth. “I know that he calls every morning at the Hornsey post-office to inquire if thege be any lettere for him: and he has doubtless by this time received the note I forwarded yesterday, telling him that he must loss no time in discovering Lady Everton's abode.” “ And then, shall we all three proceed thither to- _ P” asked Frank. . “Yoo, my dear brother—without delay. Adolphus is naturally most anxious te embrace his mother: his heart yearns towards her ;—and if wo receive the desired intelligence to-day, we ean set out to- morrow — supposing that he ledyship is really dwelling in some secluded part of Wales.” “Why not denominate her our mother f” asked Frank, perecivinig that his sister epolkke of the sub- stooped to frailty, Ah! sometimes it ts better to ject of their discourse as her ladyehip. be criming] than frail—at least with woman! I have robbed upon the highway: but I have never pled s loathsome traffic in the public street. Nay, more—although I have bean married—yet,” she adde:l, while a blush suffused hor cheeks and she bent down her looks in modest bashfulness, “ I am @ pure virgin.” “Oh, yes :” exclaimed Frank, now with something like enthusiasm in his tone, “I would sooner, my dearest sister, find that you have been what you have been, than that to which you allude. Yes— your misdeeds may be amply atoned for: but had you been the other, the loss of your honour would have been irreparable.” “And yet, my dear Frank, those were the only two alternatives between whieh I had to chocee at the time,” continued Lady Bess, speaking m a low and tremulous voice. “I chose that evil career Beeause we have not the positive certainty that it is so,” answered Lady Bess. “ And moreover, be- ouuse we have agreed together that we are for the present to say nothing on tho sulject to Adolphus; and therefore we must be caatious how we speak of Lady Everton, lest he dhould overhear us.” “ Bat can there be any doubt ?”’ exelaimed Frank. “No-—it ie impossible!” “If I mistake not, this morning’s post,” observed Lady Bees, “will bring usa letter that will go far to confirm our belief in the one sense, or else show us that we have been cherishing 4 delusion.” “From whom do you expect a letter ?” “ Have you forgutten what occurred the day be- fore yesterday, in respect to the carrier-pigeons ”” “Oh!” exclaimed Frank: “it is thea from Mise Marshall that you expect a letter ?” “Yee,” replied Elisabeth. “Being all but con- which bad an issue uf hope at the end, in preference vinced that Sir Jolin Marston had deeply wronged t. that other evil career which at its very threshold both you and me, and that our mother’s intentions 1a marked by the abandonment of all hope. And had been flagrantly viviated by him, 1 wrote hose E> © «era Pi EP ES Ao e+ Cd ECOMRRICLO© (C SS CO