The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 71: what you’re looking at

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

60 THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. abad were ushered into the presence of the Princess. One was a venerable old man, in whom Indora at once ised a faithful and long-attached Mi. nister in her father’s service: the other was a per- sonage of middle age and wore a military uniform. Him also Indora knew fall well: he was one of her father’s equerries. Both were men of distinc- tion and of high rank; and, as Sagoonah had intimated, they wore the purple emblems of mourning which were customary when death had to be deplored in the kingdom of Inderabad. The two Commissioners themeelves at the feet of Indora: their hearts were evidently full of emotion: and the Princess was seized with @ mingled consternation aud dismay which forbade her from patting the question that bad risen up to her lips. At length the elder Commissioner mur- mured forth in a tremulous voice, “Gracious Queen, accept the allegiance which we offer for ourselves and on the part of all your Majesty’s faithful subjects.” “Ah! then my beloved father is no more!” gaid Indora, in a deep voice: and covering her countenance with her hands, she burst into Cears. The Commissioners rose from their suppliant posture, and stood in attitudes of in the presence of her whom they had just hailed as their Queen. Indora appeared to forget their presence: eat that instant one idea was uppermost in her mind—that her father was no more, and that he had died while she was far away in a foreign land. Bitterly, bitterly did the lady weep. Oh, if she could only have been there to close her father’s eyes and to receive his last injunctions! Oh, if ’ the wings of a bird could have been given to her at the time, that she might have soared over seas and over lands to minister in the last hours of that beloved father—she would not have to reproach herself now! But she was stricken with remorse ; for she felt as if she had been guilty of a crime in being absent from that sire in his supreme mo- ments. At length she recollected that the Com- missioners were present: she raised her looks—she wiped her eyes; but in a voice that was deep as if clouded with inward weeping, she said, “Tell me, my friends, how spoke my poor father of his daughter in his last illness P’’ “His Majesty,” replied the senior Commis- sioner, “commanded us to bear unto our future Queen the assurances of that paternal love which had never diminished—of that father’s fondness which endured until the end.” “My poor father!” murmured Indora, again weeping. “ Bat what else said he P” she inquired, after a few minutes’ pause, and again drying her eyes. “His Majesty commanded us,” responded the chief Commissioner, “to assure our future Queen that he left her a Kingdom in the highest state of prosperity—a well-filled treasury, and a popula- tion that has not to complain of oppressive taxes— a large and well-disciplined army that has cheer- fully sworn allegiance to your Majesty as ite Queen—thriving towns, the wealth: and civilisa- tion of which are not to be outvied by even the cities of the English in other parts of India. In a word, your Majesty is now, by the will of heaven, called upon to rule over a great and a happy nation, in whose heart your image is en- shrined, and who will welcome with enthusiastie acclaims their Lady-Sovereign home.” Indora was profoundly affected, not only on ac- count of her father’s death, bat likewise by the language which the Commissioner thus addresded to her. Sho wept for the memory of her perished sire—she wept likewise to know herself a Queen. She wept for the lost one—and she wept because a diadem had descoehded upon her brows, And there —in that villa, which, sumptaous though it were, was a mere humble cottage in comparison with the gorgeous of Inderabad,—there sate this lady, the Queen of one of the mightiest indepen- dent nations of the East ! The Chief Commissioner to give her Majesty certain details relative to her father’s death, and also with reference to the arrange- ments that had been made for the government of the kingdom until her return. It appeared that only a couple of daysafter the King of Inderabad had despatched those who, as we have already soen, waited upon Indora at her villa, he was scized with a sudden illness, which in a few hours proved fatal But the instant his physicians told him that the worst was to be apprehended, he ordered all the troops of the capital to be mar- shalled in the great square in front of the palace, that they might take the oath of allegiance to his daughter who was absent. It was scarcely neces- eary to require this display of loyalty on their part: for the different regiments, on learning what the object was, marched to the great square pro- claiming Indora’s name. The dying King ordered his attendants to bear him forth upon a baloony, whence by signs he expressed his gratitude to the troops and their commanders. In a few hours afterwards he had ceased to exist. for three days the inhabitants of Inderabad hung their houses with black draperies in token of mourning for their deceased monarch; and then, the funeral being over, there was a brilliant illumination, for three days also, in honour of their Lady-Sovereign. The late King had no near relatives with the ex- ception.of Indora: and this was so far fortunate, that there was no pretender to dispute her claim to the throne. A y was formed, consisting of a council of five of the highest dignitaries of the country, all of whom were devoted to the late monarch and his living daughter; and the two Commissioners who now waited upon Indora, were at once despatched off to England to communicate all these tidings. The new Queen listened with a profound interest to everything thus imparted to her; and in suit- able terms she expressed her acknowledgments to the Commissioners for the loving loyalty that had been shown her and for the wise measures that had been adopted. As a token of her gratitude, she beatowed upon each a ring of immenee value; and she dismissed them for the present, bidding them return to her upon the morrow. Indora was now once more alone: but not for many minutes was she left to her reflections,—for Sagoonah. shortly reappeared, to announce the arrival of Mr. Redcliffe. The Commissioners had said nothing to the ayah in respect to the object of their visit; but she suspected what it was—yes, she suspected that her mistress was now a Queen | Tndora would have informed her of the fact: but the announcement of the arrival of him whom she CONNIE LOO Ee co