The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 370: what you’re looking at

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

. who THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. he be willingly left the room, taking the crown-piece | with him. “Now, my dear girl,” said Mr. Gunthorpe, turn- ing to Henrietta, “1 am going to devote my atten- tion to your affairs: for you see I have constituted myself your guardian, as it were—and therefore I must attend to your interest. Now, don’t blush and look confused, Henrietta: there is nothing to be ashamed of in an honourable love—and nobody will be more delighted than myself to behold these bright prospects realized. I presume, madam,” he continued, turning towards Mra. Leyden, “that you have not as yet been to see this young man who claims to be the heir of the title and estates of Everton ?””’ “If you remember, Mr. Gunthorpe,” said Mrs. Leyden, “you counselled me to take no step in the matter until you had time to look into it yourself.” “True! I recollect! It was the best course to be adopted. But T euppoee, young Miss, that you have occasionally visited that cottage which you tell me is a0 picturesquely situated at no great dis- tance hence P”’ “ Henrietta has called there three or four times,” observed Mrs. Leyden. “I believe that you con- sented that she should do ao?” “Oh! certainly: I saw no objection,” said Mr. Gunthorpe. “That Mrs. Chandos of whom Henri- etta spoke, did her a great service in delivering her from Beech-Tree Lodge. And by the bye, I am quite anxious to behold this heroine. But I thought you told me they were going off in such a vio- lent hurry into the country, somewhere down into Wales ?—and that is a fortnight ago.” “Yes: but Adolphus—I mean the true Lord Everton,” said Henrietta, hesitating and blushing, ‘has been so very unwell again, that they were compelled to postpone their journey—although it was with great reluctance: for they were most anxious——" “Yes, naturally so,” interrupted Mr. Gun- thorpe. “lt is Lady Everton in Wales,” observed Henri- etta, “ that they are going to see.” “ Yes—naturally eo,” repeated the old gentleman ; and he looked abstracted: but quickly recovering himself, he said, “ And now tell me, Henrietta—the more you see of this young man——” “The more she finds that she likes him,” replied Mrs. Leyden, speaking on behalf of her daughter, again seemed full of confusion. “Well, that’s natural also,” cried Mr. Gun- . thorpe. “But you tell me that he has been ill again ?”’ “ His intellecte have completely recovered their healthy tone,” responded Henrietta: “ but his phy- sical strength is not so fully restored. When the long journey, he forbade it for the present. Enough was told to the physician to make him understand that it was a journey for an object likely to be at- tended with no ordinary degree of excitement ; and therefore he insisted upon Adolphus postponing it for two or three weeks, that he might acquire phy- sical as well as mental strength sufficient for the oocasion.” “‘ And he did wisely,” said Mr. Gun “ Mrs. Chandos and her brother are exceedingly kind to him——” 859 ‘Her brother ?”’ said Mr. Gunthorpe. “Ido not _ Fecallect your having before mentioned this brother. Who is he? whatis he? I hope, for his own sake, that your Adolphus has fallen into good hands ?” “Oh, yes! there cannot be the slightest doubt of it!” exclaimed Henrietta. “Mrs. Chandos behaves to him as if she were a sister: and Francis Pa- ton———’? “Eh? what name did you say ?”’ demanded Mr, Gunthorpe, with a sort of start, as if he had not caught the words from the young girl’s lips. “ Francis Paton,” she repeated. “He is quite a youth—not more than eighteen——” “Ah! And pray what age may his sister, this Mrs. Chandos, be P”’ “‘ About twenty-six,” answered Henrietta. “ Twenty-six? and her brother eightcen?” said Mr. Gunthorpe, in a musing tone. “ What is this Francis Paton ? Nothing, I suppose. He is doubtless well off P” “His sister Mrs. Chandos appears comfortably circumstaneed: but her brother Frank,” continued Henrietta, “is totally dependent on her. For I believe that he has been a page in the service of Lady Saxondale——”’ “What?” ejaculated Mr. Gunthorpe: “a page in the service of Lady Saxondale? But however, I shall go and see these persons at once. Don’t think, Henrietta, my dear girl,” he added, in a kind voice, and stopping short when about to leave the room with a p precipitation which be often manifested, and which w have helped to lead persons to sup- pose that he was of an impulsive character, —“ do not think, I say, that I am going to find out objec- tions and raise imaginary obstacles in the way of your happiness. No such thing! I hope most sin- cerely for your sake, that all you have told me will turn out perfectly correct.” “Oh! my dear sir,” cried Miss Leyden, “I am le of telling you an untruth !’’ “TI know it,” said Mr. Gunthorpe. “I did not mean that I was going to inquire whether you had told me the truth—but whether everything is as you have been led to believe it—whether, in short, this young man’s lofty notions are real and not visionary. I dare say, however, they are real enough: for I myself happen to know something of his uncle—or of him whom he believes to be his uncle, whichever it may be: and what Ido know of that man, is not altogether to his credit,” added Mr. Gunthorpe, with a degree of bitterness that he was not often wont to display. “Many, many years have elapsed since he and I met. He was plain Mr. Everton then. But perhaps you will be surprised, Henriotta, when I tell you that I have seen your Adolphus—granting him to be the same———” “You have seen him ?” ejaculated Henrietta. “Yes: but it was in his childhood, many years ago. He was then a beautiful boy, with dark eyes and hair——” “He has dark eyes and hair!” said Henrietta, with a smile and a blush,—the smile being ono of joy, for the innocent maiden thought that the iden- tity was thus completely established between her | Adolphus and the one of whom Mr. Gunthorpe was speaking. ; , “T think,” said the old gentleman, in a grave and solemn voice, “that I should recognize his linea- | a GORMIGOOOKS CO