The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 156: what you’re looking at

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ce | TAE MYSTERIES. affected by the young man’s language—while the 1 Countess sought not to restrain nor to conceal her ' tears ;—“ and your present conduct,” added the no- ) bleman, “ deserves our commendation — yes, even our | gratitude. Believe me, therefore, that nothing shal] | be omitted by Lady Desborough or myself—nothing left unessayed—in order to induce Fernanda to per- form that which now becomes a duty.” “And if persuasion be required to move Ker, my lord,” said Arthur, “think you that if I were to present myself to her in the retirement where she has been placed—exhibit to her the wretched, wasted being that I am—bid her gaze upon my colourless cheeks and my fire-fevered eyes,—oh! if I were to do this—and even fall upon my Kneés before her, he hands > atl this, md suffer ~ afi _a2 __ ie -Se- ae - be - with her Ive Sym- she said, halt ac- da is re- r private, | go with a seat m our part ndants,— ‘clock to eight we You will id I wik t abode,” ' project; é of the Se’ a 8 Bs & 8.90 to Be. CHAPTER XL. ELEANOR AND THE PRINCE. Haty-an-nour had olapsed since the departure of Lord Marchmont’s afflicted son—and the Countess of Desborough was now once more alone, her hus- band having left her until dinner-time. Reclining upon the sofa, Eleanor gave way to the reflections which the main incident of the after- noon had excited within her :—we allude to that singular and painful interview which she had with the Earl. ok , She revolved in her mind everything be had said to her: she repeated to herself, as nearly as she could recollect, all the glowing words in which he hed described his love—tho pathetic terms in which he had depicted his remorse—and the noble Jan- guage which be hed uttered in drawing a distinc- tion betweem an etherial and wsthetic sentiment on the one hand, and a gross, sensual passion on the ether. But her meditations brought her at length to the termination of the whole scene,— when he imprinted chaste kisses on her lips, and when she felt an if lightning circulated in her veins, 80 power- fal were the longings of her desires. Again did those sensations steal upon her ;—and the blushed, although alone, at the sway which her | ardent temperament exercised overher. She wag rT eee ee hts; and, 139 ashamed and humiliated at the idea of being unable ‘to wrestle against the voluptuous cravings that caused her bosom to pant, and her cheeks to glow, and her pulse to thrill. ‘virtue against the promptings of her nature—striv- ‘ing to assist the intellectual and spiritual to assert Invoking the aid of her their triumph over the gross and the material— arming herself with all the pride and dignity of her sex to combat against that sex’s mysterious long- ings,—the noble lady's very soul was rent with con- ‘flicting emotions; and the struggle irresistibly led ‘her on into repinings against the destiny which thus made her the victim of so fierce a conflict be- tween the spirit and the flesh. Jt was at the moment when the heightened colour of her cheeks—the subdued lustre of her magnificent eyes, now swimming in a soft languor— and the rapid heavings of her bosom, gave an in- ‘describable charm to her entire appearance, that the door of the apartment was thrown open, and the lace-bedizened domestic announced his Royal | Highness the Prince of Wales. Composing herself as well as she was able, the Countess of Desborough advanced to meet the heir-apparent, who, aftér the usual compliments, handed her back to the sofa whence she had risen, and took a seat by her side. “There is no chanoe, I hopa, of interruption on the part of the Earl?” said the Prince: then, in- stantly perceiving that the observation had excited the surprise of the Countess, he hastened to add, “Because I wish to speak to your ladyship on a subject of no ordinary importance.” “The Earl will not return until six o’clock,” answered Eleanor; “and it ia now half-past four,” she remarked, glancing at the tme-piece on the mantel. . “Your ladyship is doubtiess astonished at the announcement I have already made, respecting the importance of the matter which has brought me hither this afternoon,” contmued the Prince, scarcely knowing how to open the subject that was uppermost in his mind. “ Bat lam sure—I feel convinced,” he exclaimed, with some degree of ab- ruptness, “that your ladyship will meet my in- quiries with candour and frankneas.” Had not the Countess been conscious of one incident which by its importance afforded a clue to the meaning of the Prince’s atiusion, she might have thought that his Royal Highness was about to address her in the language of love: but there was a certain excitement in his voice as well as an embarrassment in his manner that engendered in her bosom the worst fears on behalf of a lady to whom she was deeply attached. “It is consistent with my nature and also with my duty to behave frankly towards your Royal Highness,” she observed, after a few moments’ re- flection. “You already divine the object of my visit!” exclaimed the Prince: then, glancing hastily around the apartinent, he said in a more subdued tone, “Is ft possible that our discourse may be overheard ?” “Not the slightest apprehension need be enter- tained on that head,” was the immediate response given by the Countess. “Your ladyship is the deposftress of a secret—a terrible secret—involving the honour of one of the Royal Family of England,” resumed the Prince of GOLAAL FD) boo Ss COMM