The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 390: what you’re looking at

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oe ee omc en Se Se SAD THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. bursnly to them, they raised such a storm of cryiny, shricking, screaming, and yelling, that the whole house grew alarmed, and I was blamed for their ilt-conduct. In short, I soon found that I[ had entered into a kind of purgatory, and that the life I had led at the Southampton school was paradise compared to it. Sir John Marston often scolded ine most brutally: Lady Marston treated mo with the supremest contempt: indeed, she was kinder far to her monials than to myself. Mrs. Lloyd, as I have already said, was constantly finding fault. If I corrected the children when they did wrong— or if I let them havo their own way—I was equally tiable to blame; and thus I found my situation rapidly becoming intolerable. The domestics, see- ing how I was treated by their master and the two ladies, followed their example; so that I could scarcely get even the most necessary servicos per- formed, and had to a great extent to do menial things for myself. I wrote frequently to Frank; but I never in my letters mentioned to him how thoroughly tnhappy I was. “Thus some months passed away; and at length, as my ideas began to grow enlarged and my expe- rience of the world increased, I began to ask myself why I should put up with ev much ill-treatment ? I reaconed that if my qualifications were such as to enable me to obtain my bread at all, they would avail for the purpose in some other family than Sir John Marston’s; and inspired by these reflections, I felt a certain independence of spirit growing up within me. When once this spirit had sprung into existence—or rather, when the natural strongth of ; my mind began thus to develop itself—I assuined a loftier bearing towards those around me. One day, when the children had been guilty of some exceed- ing act of rudeness, I chastised them with great severity. Their cries brought up their mother Mrs. L syd; and she began abusing me with her usual violence. I desired her not to address me in such ' RB 379 very same day an importinent minx of a housemaid refused to do something I bade her, I bestowed upon her such a sound box on the ears, that sho was as much dismayed as hurt. She did not any longer refuse to follow my orders: and during all the rest of the time I was in Sir John Marston’s family, I ex- perienced no overt impertinence on the part of the domestics. “ The effect which all these various proceedings produced, was perfectly astonishing: tho treatment I subsequently experienced was ‘widely different from that I had before known. I was left to man- ago the children as I thought fit; and the domestics obeyed my orders. But still I was resolved to take the earliest opportunity of quitting a situation which I disliked and a family that I detested. I secretly mule inquiries if other English families living in uvre, required a governess—but could hear of nothing satisfactory. At length I resolved to sive Sir John Marston notice to leave him, and wend my way back to England. Thereupon he gavo me to understand that I was bound to him by those who had the power to bind me, until I should attain the ago of twenty-one. It only wanted three months of that period; and I therefore determined to await it patiently. But still I wondered who the persons could be that exercised this invisible but powerful influence over my destinies. * About two months after that conversation with Bir John Marston the family removed from Havro to Paris; and we took up our abode at an hotel, the Baronet alleging that he purposed to look out for a suitable residence, as he meant to fix himself permanently, or at all events for some time, in the French capital. I cared nothing about his arrance- ments—looking forward to the end of another month as the period of my emancipation. And now I come tv the most extraordinary incident in my chequered life. It was on the morning after the ‘attainment of my twenty-first yoar, that I requested lang told her that she was no lady, but only | ‘an interview with Sir John Marston in order to re- fit for a fishwife—and gave her plainly and frankly | ceive whatsoever amount of money was due to me to understand that so long as I had the charge of | | and take my leave. The request for an audience her daughters, I was thenceforth determined to ' was granted; and when I repaired to the room in punish them whenever they deserved it. She has- | which he was seated alone, he manifested the most tened away to tell her uncle Sir John Marston, who extraordinary courtesy. Desiring me to be seated, rushed up to the nursery furious with rage. When 'he addressed me in such a tone of urbanity and he began storming at me, I told him ho was a | kindness that I could scarcely believe he was the cowardly bully, and that he would not dare behave same individual who used to treat me with such thus to one of his own sex. Ie blustered and fumed, | ruffian brutality. He commenced by stating that endeavouring to break my spirit; and he oven | he was sorry if any past circumstances had ren- raised his hand to strike mo—when I snatched up a ‘dered me unhappy while in his family, but at- footstool and hurled it at his head. It struck him tributed them all to hastiness of temper—for which a severe blow, but tranquillized him in a moment; he professed a profound sorrow. Ho then® ques- and he quitted the nursery without another word. ! | tioned me—as indeed he had often done before— Thus far I was victorious. But presently I had to encounter the self-sufficient insolence of Lady Mar- ston; for as I passed her on the stairs, she turned up her nose, muttering something about ‘a begyvarly upstart.’ I at once told her that I had not the slightest doubt she was precisely what she had dared to call me; and white with rage, she hurried away. I was now perfectly triumphant. I felt glowing within me a spirit such as I had never known before; and the consciousness that I possessed it, made me happy. I suddenly felt myself above all petty tyrannics, and totally independent of my tyrants. I was therefore encouraged to prosecute the warfare against tho scrvauts; and when that very minutely relative to my reminiscences of the earlier portion of my life ; and thinking that now I had attained my majority, and was going to leave him, he might have something important to com- municate, I spoke without reserve. He then pro- ceeded to make me the most extraordinary proposal; and although he opened his mind with cautivus slowness—feeling his way as it wore with the most wary circumlocution—yet the proposition, when fully developed, struck me speechless with wonder fur sone minutes. It was to the effect that if I would consent to marry a certam person whom he had selected, he would present me with a sum of five thousand pounds; but that ho did not require NOOK