The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 18: what you’re looking at

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rd rr . THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. 5 by a valet to Adolphus, and by one of her maids to Ethel, that during the past night Makepeace had delivered a full confession of his crime, and that : few hours later he had perished by his own han CHAPTER LXXXIII BLOOMFIELD. Ir was eleven in the forenoon: Mr, Slater had taken his departure; and Ethel, who had not de- descended to the breakfast-table, sent an intima- tion to Adolphus that she would join him in a few minutes in the library. The young Earl proceeded thither to await her coming; and as ho paced to and fro with a certain degree of suspense, the fol- lowing reflections passed through his mind :— “ Now is the crisis of this new phase in my for- tunes! Will she yield P or is tho warfare to be renewed? Anguish renders the soul capricious: and the mood may have changed again. If so, I must meet her valorously and resolutely. But no!—she will be reasonable: she saw last night that I was determinod—and she altered visibly at the close of our interview. Why should she not agree with me to defy the world? Wealth pro- cures pleasures that will enable us to live in enjoy- ment away from that society which banishes us. To love her again No, that is impossible! The freshness—the enthusiasm—the glow of that love of mine, are gone for ever:—I feel, I feel that I am an altered man! But to toy with her as a mistress—or to endure her as a wife——Yes, yes—this is possible !|—this is easy indeed !—and it may even be happiness, since it will put an end to strife—it will relieve me from apprehension—it will rescue me from a vortex of perplexities and cares |”” The door opened; and the Countess of Lascelles made her appearance. The first glance which Adolphus threw upon her, filled him with hopeful- ness: for though she was still very pale, and looked as if she had passed an utterly sleepless night,— yet her features had lost that rigidity which ex- pressed so stern a resoluteness of purpose: and if there were not actually a conciliatory smile upon her lips, there was at all events a softness of mien that contrasted strikingly with her aspect at their last interview. “ Ethel!” exclaimed the young Earl, hastening towards her, “your look renders me happier than I have been for some time past! I see that you intend to be reasonable: we are to deliberate calmly and in a friendly sense—we are not to meet for altercation as enemies, battling as it were for separate and divided intereste—but we are to take counsel together for what may be best suited for us both !” “ Such is the spirit, Adolphus, in which I meet you this morning,” answered Ethel: and she did now really smile sweetly though faintly: it was with a melancholy sweetness—and at the same time she proffered him her hand. “ Dearest Ethel, I love you still!” he exclaimed, seizing that hand and conveying it to bis lips. “Forgive me if last night I uttered things which were harsh—if I spoke of our love as something which had gone by, never to be recalled !” “ And I also, Adolphus,” responded the Coun- tess, suffering him to retain her hand without the slightest effort to withdraw it,—“I also must crave your forgiveness for the apparent implaca- bility with which I urged a point that my better reason subsequently showed to be impossible of realization. There have been faults on both sides: let us cast a veil over them!” Nothing could exceed the joy with which Adol- phus listened to these words. He all of a sudden felt himself to be completely safe: his triumph was ensured with far less trouble than he had an- ticipated. In the enthusiasm of his feelings,— which the reader must not however mistake for a reviving love towards Ethel,—he snatched her in his arms and strained her to his breast. Fora few moments she thus abandoned herself to him ; and though she received the kisses which he im- printed upon her cheeks, she gave them not back again with her own lips. “Now, dearest Ethel,” said Adolphus, as she gently disengaged hereelf from his arms, “let us sit down and converse quietly and amicably— lovingly too for may I not flatter myself that you have been reflecting upon the proposal I made to you last night ?” “Yes,” she responded: and she sate down by his side. ‘“ Again must I assure you, my dear Adolphus,” she continued—and this was the first time that she had used that caressing term of en- dearment for some weeks past,—“again must I assure you that when last night I rejected your proposals with so much emphatio sternness, I was not the mistress of myself. The intelligence of that frightful exposure had smitten me so cruel a blow—had come upon me with such sudden- ness——”’ “Speak no more of it, dear Ethel!” interrupted the young Earl: “ have we not agreed to throw a veil over the past—to forgive each other—to be lovers again-——Aye, and did I not suggest,” added Adolphus softly, “that we might be husband and wife if you chose P” “IT have made up my mind,” answered Ethel, “to consent to anything that you think fit—on one condition.” ‘* Name, name it!” exclaimed Adolphus hastily: for he was suddenly smitten with the apprehen- sion that it would be something that he might not be able to grant and re-open the arena for discus- sion and altercation. “It is a very simple thing, my Adolphus,” re- sponded the Countess, with increasing softness of tone and winning tenderness of look: “it is merely that you will bear me hence—this very day—at once!—hence, from a place which has so many horrible and saddening associations! — hence from the great metropolis where dwell all those whom I may never look in the face again !” “Is that all?” cried the young Earl, infinitely relieved. ‘“ Why, dearest Ethel, it is the very thing which I myself should have proposed: for I am sick of scenes whereunto are attached such sad and awful memories!” “Then it shall be as I say, dear Adolphus,” murmured the: Countess, again voluntarily aban- doning to him her hand: “and I thank you— Oh! I thank you for this ready acquiescence with my request. But when shall we depart ?” “This very day—as you have said,” replied COMicooOolkxs.conrn