The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 52: what you’re looking at

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

THE MYSTERIES OF TUE COURT. 89 mzom tne house, several of those hoary profligates | satisfactory view of her countenanes through the and titled aspirants who had conceived designs Falative to Angela Vivaldi, endeavoured to avail cnemselves of the license, previously enjoyed by them, of passing behind the scenes. But they ex- perienced 8 peremptory refusal. In vain did they remonstrate: they were told that on the first night of the Signora’s appearance, several persons had been thus admitted to that privileged region, but that their presence was distasteful to the fair ' dansouse and sho had stipulated against a repetition of what she had regarded as an annoyance. One or two noblemen threatened and blustered: but the stage-authorities were inexorable, and the claimants for admission behind the scenes were compelled to retire in dudgeon and mortification. Outside the theatre, however, the astute Alfred, Lord Harold Staunton’s valet, was keeping watch. | Handsomely dressed, and without appearing to have any particular object in view, he was smoking his cigar in the moat finished style of indolent dandy- ism, so that no one could have fancied that he was eny other than one of the rakish loungers whu infest the Opera-colonnades from seven in the even- ing until past midnight. Pacing thus leisurely to and fro in the neighbourhood of the stage-door, he presently beheld some of the minor performers and ballet-girls issuing forth, either singly or in twos amd threes, and looking very different indeed in their own habitual garb from what they were when bedecked in their stage-costumes. Anon, some un derling rushed out to order a cab, into which one of the superior performers or better paid actresses atepped; and away the vehicle rolled. <A few minutes passed, and then a private carriage being ‘summoned to the stage-door, Grisi, the Queen of Song, was handed forth by some male companion, with whom she took her departure in the splendid equipage. Then several more street cabs were called into requisition by the dispersing artistes: another private carriage or two likewise drew up, received their well-paid owners, and dashed away again. All this time Alfred was lounging about with as much seeming listlessneses as heretofore, but in reality keeping a keen watch upon every female who issued from the stage-door, m the expectation of recognizing the charming countenance of Signora Vivaldi. But when a long interval had elapsed and she did not make her appearance, he began to think ahe must have taken her departure by some other means of egress from the theatre. Still how- evor he resolved to watch the stage-door until it closed ; and presently a neat little equipage wa summoned from the adjacent street leading out o the Haymarket, by the: theatrical underling before alluded to. This equipage consisted of a light and unpretending carriage of the kind which has taken its name from Lord Brougham; it was drawn by one horse, and was driven by a coachman neatly dressed in plain clothes. The stage underling opened the door of this vehicle; and in a few minutes a lady passed rapidly out of the theatre, with an ample cloak flung negligently over her shoulders. She had on a simple straw bonnet, and a veil was a -_ = - : a = = en rent ey dark veil; but frum the partial glimpse which he did gain, he felt assured that she was none other than the one for whom he was watching. Besides, her height—the graceful ease and elegant dignity of her walk—and her entire appearance, so far as he could judge of it muffled up as she was, left no doubt in his mind that the fair one was Signora Vivaldi. The gentleman who had escorted her to her car riage, assisted her to enter—closed the door him self—paused for a minute to say a few words to her at the window—then shook hands with her, and stopped for an instant on the curb-stone of the colonnade to gaze after the little equipage as it drove rapidly off. Alfred hastened up to a street cab, leapt on the box by the side of the driver and bade him follow the vehicle which had jus rolled away from the stage-entrance. The neat little equipage, followed by the cab passed up the Haymarket—then threaded the Quadrant—procedded up Regent Street—continued its way along Portland Place—and entered the Regent's Park. Alfred thought to himself that the fair dansexse probably lived in this salubrious quarter of London: but he was deceived—for t little equipage still continued rolling on, turning out of the Regent’s Park into Camden Town, acroes which it cut towards Brecknock Hill, which at that time, though now pretty nearly covered with build- ings, had scarcely a house upon it. Up the ascent of tho hill the brougham went at a good pace, the cab still following; and Alfred thought that if the pursuit were to last much longer, the coachman’s suspicions could not fail to be excited. Indeed, it seemed as if something of this kind were already the case; for on reaching the brow of the hill he drove down the descent on the other side at a rattling pace, already beginning to distance the very inferior animal which was ging the street- cab. The night however being very beautiful and clear, Alfred and the cabman had no difficulty in keeping in sight the equipage which they were pursuing, and which was now entering the district of Holloway. “'We must not lose it after all this trouble,” said Alfred to the cabman. “Spare not the whip upon that miserable hack of your’s! ‘Your reward shall be in proportion to the success that I experience.” The cabman whipped his horse, and it regained some of its“lost ground as the neat little equipage in front, crossing the broad road of Holloway, lashed into what was then a beautiful lane with a green hedge on each side, and which bore, as it indeed still bears, the name of the Seven Sisterd Road. Ultimately the oquipage stopped at a little villa some distance up this road, and standing in a somewhat lonely situation. Alfred made the cabman drive past, so as to create the impression that his destination lay farther on; and he beheld the lady emerge from the brougham and enter the villa. Having caused the cabman to drive on aa far as he thought it necessary for the sake of appearances, the valet bade him turn back; and at a late hour, drawn over her countenance. She was attended by | or rather an early one in the morning, he reached @ middle-aged gentleman, whom Alfred knew to be | his master’s lodgings in Jermyn Street. connected with the management of the Opera, and Lord Harold Staunton and Lord Saxondale were who was now exhibitinga most respectful attentiun ° sitting up, drinking punch and amoking cigars, in towards this lady. The valet could not obtain a expectation of the valet’s return; end the moment eee gl eg > fa SS COMM CONNEC MOO