The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 44: what you’re looking at

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

THB MYSTERIES. to their toilette as Never had either Octavia o7 Fueling appasred to greater advantage thaa on the present ocoasion. esy lew, according to ping shouldess completely un- covered, had not the luxuriant curls showered down upon then—wantoning also over the rich eontours ever shown that Octavia had devoted more care then fied when the mirror told her that she looked as well aa ever she did in her best apparel: but Octavia had studied to excel on this special occasion. Never had she bestowed so much pains upon that glerious auburn hair which in its warm and sunny hues seemed to indicate the ardent nature of her tempera- ment: never had she stood so long before the glass to admire these deep blue eyes which now seemed melting with voluptuous languor;—and never had she before thought of observing which smiles im- parted the sweetest expression to her moist red lips, or set off her brilliant teeth to the greatest advantage. She felt proud and y in the consciousness of transcendent loveliness; and as she cast a slow, lin- gering look over her entiye form as it was reflected in the long mirror, her cheeks flushed with exulta- tion and her neck arched superbly as if in anticipe- tion of some triumph which her charms were des- tined to achieve. And now behold the two sisters seated in the front parlour, one om either side of the cheerful fire that blazes in the grate. The curtains are drawn over the table is spread with the tea-things, which give an air of such perfect domesticity to the seene that a prince, had he been present, would have gladly accepted the Invitation of those beautiful girls to join them in the humble meal. Paulme was whiling away the time with a ro- mance: Octavia was absorbed in her reflections. These were however by no means disagreeable : for, with the sanguine disposition characteristic of her age and her inexperience, she had fallen into a train of thought which gradually led her on to a shadow- mg forth of her own views of happinese—that de- Eghtful castle-building upon the golden sands of the future ! The expected coming of Mr. Harley had led her to reflect upon his handsome person—the easy ele- gance of his address—the nobility of his air—his melodions yet manly voice—tho irresistible sweet- ness of his smile—and the fascinating style of his con- versation. Then she remembered that he had declared rushing to her cheeks and her very ears tingting with the blushfal glow; and though she started fer a mo- iment and was even vexed with herself for having al- lowed the sigh te follow the reminiscence, yet at. the | mised next instant she plunged again inte a delicious a reverie, wherein her girlish bashfulness gave way to a yielding softness and a dreamy voluptuousness. Suddenly a loud knesk at the front-door startled Pauline from her boak and Octavia from her medi- tatians; and the latter awoke to what appeared to be & guilty consciousness of having made him who was new about to enter, the hero of her thayghts. Again did the blood rush to her cheeks; and the warm glow, net having had time to ebb away ere Mr. The | Harley was ushered into the room, overspread her lovely eemntenamce qnes more with a renewed suf- fusion. Mr. Harley prensed Panline’s hand with a friendly cordiality : but se enraptured was he by the blushing and voluptuous charms of Octavia, that he carried har hand hastily to his lips and imprinted upon it a fervent kisa, Se sudden was this movement that Octavia had pot time to resist, even if she had pos- sessed the jnclination ; aud so rapidly was it accom- plished, that Pauline did not observe it. A tide af happiness appeared to rush in to the elder sister's soul: it seemed to her as if she bad unexpéctcilly and ali in a moment experienced the realization of a delicious dream ;—and indescribable scnsations of bliss eame over her like a warm glow, asif she had just quaffed a goblet of champagne. Mr, Harley was a thorough man of the world, and deeply versed in al] the mysteries and intricacies of the humsa heart But eapecially was he an able anatomist of the female mind, which he could dissect aad comprehend ip an instant. The emotions cx- perienced by Octavia were not lost upon him: he perceived and deciphered them almost as soon as they had into existence ;—and he saw ina moment that he was not indifferent to her. She had net withdrawn her hand—she had uttered no ejacu- lation when hoe pressed it to his lips—nor had she resented hia conduct. The blush that suffused her cheeks, was indicative of a deap and burning joy— and not an evidence of indignation ;—and Mr. Harley knew by the melting voluptuousness which beamed in hey eyes, and by the profound heaving of her swelling bosom, and the sympathetic thrill which shot through every vein in hey fair hand during the few eaconds that he held it in hia grasp,—by all these symptoms was he assured that he had only to de- mand the love of Octavia Clarendon in order to obtain it. * Perceiving the preparations which had been made on the table, Mr. Harley declared that if there were one thing that he longed for mare than another in the shape of refreshment at that moment, it was a cup of tea; and this assuranse induced Pauline to, bustle about all the more actively, while the guest” seated himself next to Octavia. “ We have to thank you, Mr. Harley,” said this, young red her bosom palpitating with the sub- siding of her emotions, even as the swell remains on the surface of the ocean after the storm has passed, —“we have to thank you for the handsome present you sent us this afternoon——”’ “A mere trifle—not worthy of your acceptance,” interrupted the visitor ; “but it consisted of the only things I could heap together in a hurry, for the purpose of proving that you were not absent from my thoughta—as you, indeed, never can be,” he added in a low and hasty whisper aside to Ostavia, and ioed see puatie expla the pronoun. “ But I pro- ” he continued almoat certain explanations, immediately, perceiving that the elder sister’s con- 37 COMIGRDOO S COMM