The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 32: what you’re looking at

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

THE MYSTERIRG OF THE COURT luxuriant ebarms. There was an air of sensuous indolence about this girl which was different from that of the German: it was the waking dreaminess of a luxurious temperament that appeared to be softly abandoning itself to voluptuoug reverieg. She was s native of England, and hed only re- cently passed from the keeping af a pobleman,— who first seduced her fram a genteel and happy. home,—into Madame Angelique’s fashianable tem- ple of infamy. But no remorse had she on account of the home she bad left—or at least, if anch a feeling were really in her bosom, sha displayed it not: for blended with that air of sensuous lasai- tude—an air which might be described aa luxurious wantonness at reet—was an expression of listless, placid contentment. Sha had light hair and blue eyes: milk and roses combined to form her com- plexion: sbe had full moist luscious lipe—beautiful teeth—and a form which without being exuberant to fatness, was full, fleshy, but of perfectly “es metrical proportions. She answered to the C tian name of Marion. Upon the back of the chair in which Maxon thus negligently reclined—or rather, in which ahe reposed—leant a tall slender girl, of sylphid shepe, and with such exquisite elegance and grace in all her attitudes and movements, thet in the days of her virtue she must have heen a veritable star in the midst of the brightest galaxy that ever thronged in a ball-room. She had brown hair, remarkably roxuriant in its mass of silken softness, end with ich natural glosg upon it. Her featuree were petiectly faultless: het age did not exceed geven- teen : she also was an English girl—and ghe bare the beautiful name of Eglantine. Alaa, that one endowed with such lovelinves of form and with such mental accomplishments as she possessed—bearing too a name so sweet to be murmured by the lips of pure, chaste, and honourable loye—alea, that she should have fallen from virtue’s pinnagle and gunk into this degradation, gilded though it were! Linda, Armantine, Marion, and Eglantine were together in their sumptuous apartment, between nine and ten o'clock in the evening ; and they were conversing on various fopica, just as four ladies might do in their own drawing-room. Pre- sently the mirror-contrived door qpened: the four syrens turned their eyes slowly to see who was about to enter,—when an individual whq was a stranger to them all, made bia appearance. He was flashily dressed, but had a vulgar look; apd as he took off his hat, he made « moat ridiculous at- tempt at a bow to the young women; so that Ar- mantine and KEglantine could nof help laughing— while Linda and Marion so far exerted themselves in their luxurious indolence as to sit up and survey him with more attention. “Good evening, ladies,” said this individual, closing the mirror-door behind him, and advancing ' with an impudent leering smirk towards those whom he thus addressed. “Don’t be alarmed. Perhaps you know me by name—end perhaps you don’t. So if the old lady ”—thus irreverently, as the girls thought, alluding to Madame Angeljque— “hasn’t done me the honour of mentioning me to you before, I may as well announce mygelf as Mr. Teaac Shadbolt. Honest Ike, as my friende Sir Richard Mayne and Colonel Rowan call me!” “Why, I do believe,” whispered Marion to her companions, “he alludes to the Commigsioners of 19 ensuous | Police. When I lived with Jord Beltinge, I {re- quent}y heard those names men tiongd.”’ “Well, yea, Miss,” said Mr. Shadbolt, whose earg were wncommonly keen, and who had caught a portion of that whisper,—“ the gentlemen are the Cowmmigsionars of Policg; and I have the honour fo gerye under them. Mot pne of your common yulger policemen, you know—but a sort ot subaltern—What an Ensign of Lieutenant is in & regiment in comparison with the Colonel.” It was tolerably easy to perceive that Mr. Shad- bolt had been drinking—not merely because his countenance was flushed, his speech wag rather thick, and his gait a trifle unateady—but likewise because the hitherto delicately perfumed atmo- sphere of the apartment had become impregnated, op thig individual’s entrance, with an qdour of rum, a8 if he had dropped into {wo or three wine- vawite im hin wey, previous tp making the present ar And pray what do you want, gis f” jaquired me | asion, now abandoning her yoluptuous indolence as mygh aa if wag in her sqnsyously languighing nsfure to throw it off ;—“ what do you want ?” she repeated: for haying recently qome from be- neath eristogfatic protection, she was the firgt to resent the vulgar jntrysion. “ Did you ask me, Miss, what | would take to dripk 2: said My. Shadbolt, with police-coyrt ease and station- hoyse familiagjty. ‘“] have got a de. tective aya for whatever's good: trust honest Ike Shadbolt for that /’—and then he burst oyt into a loud guffay at the witticism borrowed from his profesgiona} avocations, bu} the humour of which was lost to the young ladies, who were noy all four fyll of ipdignation, surprige, aud disgust. Mr. Shadbolt however, nothing ubashed, ad- yanced towards the sideboard, and “deliberately filled a tumbler with claret—for it was the babit of this exceedingly independent gentleman grorn- fully to eachew pmall glasses; gpd having slowly poured the somewhat copious libation doyn his throat, he gaye @ long gigh of pleasyse. Then, having thus refreshed himgelf internally, he selieved his amatory feelings by nodding with » familiar legs as Marion—blowing @ kiss from the tipg of his fingerg to Linda—smirkiug at Armantine—and — extending his arms invitipgly towards Fglantine. The young ladies, howeyer, relished these panto- mimic displays as little as might be: and t ey ex- changed amongst themselves fresh looks 0 indig- nation and disgust. Mr. . Shadbolt only laughed ; and now with a hyge slice of cake in one hand, and a quarter of a pjne- -apple in tho other, he leant egninst the side-board, feeding deliberately and still bestowing his glances of tender fami- liarity on the four houris. “This ip too disgusting |” eaid Marion. “ Eglan- ' tine dear, you sre negrest—ring fhe bell——bard | | hard?” “Do if you like,” said Mr. Shadbolt: “but de. pend ypon it the old dowager”—thyg again irreve- rently alludipg to Madame Angelique—“ will give me a most welcome seception. Why, Lord love you all, you sweet creatures} how do xP think I could be here in any possible way unless was ong of the privileged? And where is nof honest — Shadbolt welcome, I should jysf like for to we” Miss Egiantine,—thinking there mysh he more CONIC OOO <S co oh