The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 315: what you’re looking at

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

rr i ne a 800 THE MYSTERIES. “Not a syllable, sir !° was the response, delivered even in a stern tone. “Nay—then you must hear me perforce,” ex- claimed his Royal Highness, leaning his back against the door. Camilla, astonished at this hardihood—for she could scarcely have believed that any man would have been guilty of such cowardly brutality towards a defenceless female—gazed upon the Prince with a stupefaction which, coming suddenly upon her, struck her speechless and motionless. “ My dear girl,” resumed the Prince, hastily tak- ing advantage of the pause, “ you must be made to understand how matters exist between us. The troth is, then, that you are ravishingly beautiful, and I am desperately enamoured of you: you are at present nothing but a poor seamstress, and 1 will elevate you into a fine lady: instead of plying the needle all day, you shall ride in a carriage— have servants to wait upon you—and dwell ina nice house of your own. All this will I do for you, Camilla—if you only consent to my wishes. And if not, then shall I compel your stubborn virtue to surrender: for your strength against mine will be as that of the infant child in the grasp of a giant— and to your screams no succouring voice will respond.” His Royal Highness paused in the expectation that Mise Morton would voachsafe some reply ;: but though her lips were apart, yet they did not even quiver as if about to speak—a spell seemed to hold her tongue in thraldom. And, with eyes that al- most glared wildly, did she continue to gaze upon the countenance of him who had thus deliberately made known to her his fiendish resolves: but her manner—her air—her looks were thoee of a young creature on whom a tremendous consternation has fallen, paralyzing every organ—stupefying every every faculty in abeyance. | Gloatingly over her slight but exquisitely mo- delled figure, wandered the eyes of the Prince; and although the body of her dress was so mo- destly fashioned, that not even a glimpse could be obtained of her bosom, yet did the shape of the closely-fitting oorsage afford an external indication of the firmness and roundness of those globes which imagination could not err in depicting of snowy whiteness. “ Sweetest—dearest—loveliest girl,” exclaimed the Prince, maddened with desire, as he glanced from Camilla’s fascinating form to the bed which stood near,—“delay not in rendering me com- pletely happy—and my life shall be devoted to your service !” At that instant the girl awoke as it were from the stupefaction of a dream to complete consciousness— and with the vividness of lightning did a thought . strike her. “Mr. Harley,” she said, forcing herself even to smile faintly, “ you expect too easy a conquest—and you will not value it.” “Oh! this is indeed an unexpected bliss—to hear you talk thus—to find that you do not repulse me any longer "’ exclaimed the Prince, intoxicated with delight. “Camilla—sweetest Camilla——.” “If you really love me, Mr. Harley,” said the young girl, bending down her looks, while her cheeks became Avshed with the deepest crimson, — “you will retire immediately—and to-morrow I shall be happy to listen to you ——.” PES ta ee es less “ No—no—we canuot separate thus, dear cre ture!” ejaculated his Royal Highness. “ I bessecn you—I implore you to render me completely happy this night——” “Leave me, then, for half-an-hour — twenty minutes—or even ten minutes,” interrupted Camilla, speaking in a low tone but with rapid utterance “ Have pity upon my shame—my confusion ——” “Yes—for ten minutes will I leave you, sweetest girl,” said the Prince, imagining that she did not choose to lay aside her apparel in his presence. “One kiss first — only one kiss as a foretaste of the inde: scribable joys ——” “ No—not now—not now!” cried the orphan hyse terically, as he approached her with outstretched arms, “If I must surrender myself to you, let it be in total obscurity—utter darkness ——’ “ It shall be as you desire,” exclaimed the Prinee, sweeping his eyes around the small but nestly- furnished chamber to assure himeelf that there wa no second door by which the beauteous bird might take wing into a place of security: then, satisied that escape was impossible and that she was con- pletely in bis power, he said, “Ten minutes only, my angel—ten minutes of mortal delay—and at the ex- piration of the interval, I shall return to find yoa ready to clasp me in your arms.” And glancing significantly towards the couch, he quitted the room, retiring into the ante-chamber. The moment he had crossed the threshold, Camilla rao the door behind him and extinguished th: ight. Then, without an instant’s delay, the heroic gut noiselessly but speedily commenced the execuln of the plan which had struck her as the only alter- native to be adopted for the purpose of rescuing bet- self from the power of a man so resolutely bent upon sacrificing her to his brutal passions. Armed with a desperate courage — that courage which could alone have prompted her pute soul to have recourse to the stratagem of appearing to yield to the villain’s wishes in order to induce him to quit the room—Camilla Morton addressed hereelf to the task which she had in hand. Stripping the sheets from the bed, she rolled them up in a suitable man- ner and fastened them together; then she took the scissors which were suspended to a riband beneath her apron, and in a few minutes the bed-cartains were cut down. The window-drapery was Dext called into requisition; and with all there materials, Camilla speedily made a long, stout, and efficient rope. The ten minutes bad now expired—and the Prince knocked impatiently at the door. Bat solightly had the young girl moved about the room—#o cautiously had she conducted her operations—so skilfully had he hushed even the sounds of the scissors, that the heir-apparent entertained not the slightest suspicoa of her design or the faintest idea of her p His desires—heightened by the gloating revels of he own sensual imagination—alone rendered him 1a patient: for he pictured to himself the sweet vig charms, which he conceived to be by this tme de vested of their apparel, in readiness to be offered up as a rich banquet to his salacious appetite. Impatiently, then, did he knock at the door; and the sweet voice of the orphan murmured from the other side, “Only another minute, Mr. Harley, and you may enter!” . The Pringe was in raptures: he already felt as! 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