The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 367: what you’re looking at

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856 THE MYETEBIFS OF THE COURT. without courage to back up the pride which he as- sumed. On twoor three occasions, when in the society of young men, he had put up with insults which one else woald have indignantly resented: and thus he had drawn down upon him- self the contempt of those who would otherwise have gladly sought his society for his rank and his money. An allusion has been made in a recent chapter to the last insult of the kind which he had received without seoking what in fashionable life is termed “satisfaction :” and as this was the most flagrant instance that had occurred in respect to him, he had become more talked about than ever as a downright coward. On the day after his breach with Emily Archer and Lord Harold Staunton he had visited a billiard-room in Bond Street, where he found himeelf, if not exactly cut, at least treated with such marked culdness by the gentlemen pre- sent that not even hie vanity could blind his eyes to the circumstance; and he had speedily left the place in bitterest mortification. We now find him, as stated at the conimence- ment of this chapter, dining alone at Sarondale House. He had written in the to two or three acquaintances to invite them to dinner: but from each he had received a letter of rofusal, couched in terms coldly courteous, and without alleging any reason for thus declining. No wonder, therofure, was it that he felt dispirited and discon- tented. Addicted though he was to wine, he could not enjoy it now. He knew not what to do with himself. This was the third day sinco his breach with Emily; and he had remained in-doors almost entirely since the little demonstration at the billiard. table. He was horribly essuyé; he knew not what to do with himself. He had no intellectual re- eourees; and even the last. three-volume novel issued from some West End publisher's establish- ment, failed to antuse him. He now missed both Harold Staunton and Emily Archer. He regretted having quarrelled with them. He was ignorant that his late mistress had left London—equally ignorant of the terrible fate which had befallon her; inasmuch as there had not as yet been time for an account of the tragedy to appear in the London newspapers. As he sat sipping his wine, more from habit than ‘because he really liked it on the present occasion, he said to himeclf, “I have an uncommon great mind to go and see Emily, and endeavour to make it up with her. What if she was really unfaithful to me? She is only like the rest of them; and I certainly could not find a handsomer mistress. Be- sides, after all, sho was an amusing girl enough; and we got on very well together till that cursed affair took place. I waa in a terrible rage at the tzme: but it was enough to make me 00. Yos: I will go and eve her; for this is such precious dull work! I shall be giad to make it up with her, even if she had behaved twice as badly.” need eee ae (tie Teclation, Lord Saxoodale the circumstance af no ligicte sppearin im tho front windows. On knocking at the door, summons was answered by the cook, who was a ga eS i en epenyeensbecesneniney dreseed out in her gayest apparel: for she had the coachman, the groom, and some other friends te sup with her and meke merry during her mistress’s abecnce—that mistress who was never to return! “Is Miss Archer within ?” asked Saxondale. “No, my lord—missus has gone out of town,” was the reply. ** Gone out of town,” he exclaimed. “When was that ?” “The morning after you was last here, my lord.” “ And the maid gone with her P” The was in the affirmative. “ And where has ashe gone to f”’ * Well, my lord, to tell your lordship the truth, she has gone down into Lincolnshire; and from what the maid told me, I think to Saxondale Castle.” “ With Lord Harold ?’ demanded Edmund, more and more astonished. “Oh, no, my lord,” replied the cook. “The fact is, there was @ terrible row after you left t’other night: for it seems that Lord Harold had got up-staira quite unbeknown to missus—and she called him all kinds of names; so that he went off in high dudgeon.” “ Ah! is this the case!” said the young nobleman: then in a musing tone, he observed, “ After all, I was wrong to quarrel with Emily. However, I must think of what’s to be done. I shall most likely call here again to-morrow :”—and with this intima- tion he took his departure. Re-entering the cab, he ordered the driver to take him back into London; and while rolling along, he said to himeelf,—“ Perhaps Emily fancied that I should cut off into Lincolnshire, and she has gone to look after me. Or perhaps she means to com- plain to my mother of the treatment she has reosived at my hands? And yet she would hardly be such a fool as to run on a wild-goose chase, without being previously certain that I had left London: and as to carrying her complaints to ny lady-mother, that is most unlike Emily Archer. No, there is something in all this I can’t understand. Shall I cut into Lincolnshire after her? or shall I wait until she comes back? I think I had better wait: for we might cross each other. Yes—lI will wait.” Having come to this resolve, Lord Saxondale turned his thoughts upon another subject. This was neither more nor less than the important matter of how he was to pess the evening. He revolved in his mind all the various places of amusement,—dis- missing them however one after the other, until he suddenly recollected that there was one of which he had heard a great deal—which he and Lord Harold had frequently thought of visiting—but which some- how or another had escaped the honour of their presence. Thrusting his head out of tho window, he said to the cabman, “ Drive to the Garrick’s Head in Bow street.” In due course Lard Saxondale reached the far . | famed hostelry; and dismissing the cab, he made his way up into a spacious room, where a numerous company was assembled, and where the Judge and Jury Society held its sittings. One portion of the room was fitted up in miniatutfe imitation of a court of justice. There was the bench, with the little desk for the judge—there was the table for the bar- COMIC LOO SS CO