The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 269: what you’re looking at

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

254 “My dear Fanny, what, in heaven’s name! is the matter ?” “ Nothing — nothing —a little temporary vexa- tion,’ she said, endeavouring to smile: but the attempt was very ineffectual. “Tt is something more serious than you choose to admit,” observed the Prince: then, his eye catching the letter which lay upon the rug, he stooped down and picked it up. “You must not read it!” exclaimed Mrs. Brace, extending her hand to receive the note. “This is silly of you, Fanny,” said the Prince, neither giving her the document nor yet reading it. “Zhold in my hand the undoubted cause of your annoyance and vexation—and you are well aware that I should not wish to become acquainted with its contents through any motive of jealousy. Such nonsense has long ceased to exist between youandme. Therefore, when I express an anxiety to read this letter, it is througna pure solicitude on your behalf——” “And an apprehension that it may probably refer to yourself,” added the milliner, with a tart- ness which she very rarely exhibited to any one— much Jess to the Prince of Wales. ‘ Well—I do not know but that you had better peruse the docu- ment,” she observed immediateiy afterwards, ina milder tone. His Royal Highness accordingly cast his eyes over the letter ;—and his countenance fell. “By heaven! this is serious,” he ejaculated, flinging himself upon a seat, while Mrs. Brace re- sumed her chair opposite to him. “* The plot thickens rapidly,” he said in a musing tone, as he referred to Florimel’s communication: “by God! it must thicken as much as it likes,” he exclaimed abruptly, “for anything that I ean do to prevent it. ‘Pauline is not idle on behalf of her sister,’ This is just what Ll foresaw—just what I expected all along. Pauline and Florimel are two maudlin sentimentalists together; and they will work a deal of mischief. How the deuce is it, Fanny, that you did not contrive to have Pauline debauched by some gay fellow, or else to produce a separation between her and Florimel? ‘The thing is serious: but may I be particularly damned if 1 know how to remedy it. ‘Jnless than forty-eight hours she’ —that’s Pauline—‘will have cleared up all doubt respecting the identity of Octavia’s lover? Forty- eight hours! When was this note written ?” “It reached me a few instants before you entered the room,” answered Mrs. Brace. “To be sure! I ought to have recollected the con- fusion and trouble in which you were plunged at the moment,” said the Prince. “ Well — forty-eight hours——that’s plenty of time to adopt some de- cisive measure in.” “Oh! you must not take the phrase in its literal sense,’ exclaimed the milliner. ‘It may mean a longer, or it may mean a shorter period: but it is used emphatically to show that the interval will be brief ere your rank is discovered, So far, therefore, from postponing a due and serious consideration of the proper measures to be adopted, we must deliberate at once.” “Ifthere be one thing more than another that I hate,’ said the Prince, speaking as if he had a nausea in his mouth, “itis the trouble of thinking on dis- agreeable matters.” * Possibly!” observed Mrs. Brace, with petulant oo THE MYSTERIES. dryness. “ But your Royal Highness will be pleased to reflect that an exposure in this instance may com- promise the very crown which you have in the per- spective. A young lady of good family, seduced by the Prince of Wales under a feigned name—led to believe that his intentions were honourable and that he would espouse her,—my God! such a history would create a feeling of indignation from one end of the kingdom to the other; and-the people would pull down my house about my ears.” “No, my dear Fanny—we’d have a regiment of Guards stationed along Pall Mall to protect you,” responded the Prince, in a jocular manner. “Thank God, we always have plenty of General-officers who like nothing better than having to open a murderous cannonade upon the people.” “This is not atime nor a subject for jesting,” said Mrs. Brace. “I beseech you to look seriously at the matter— for it troubles me profoundly. You perceive that even if you were enabled to silence Octavia by means of the influence you exercise over her, her sister Pauline would still pro- ceed ——” “Aud this Florimel would no doubt help her,” added the Prince. “By the bye, he is coming to Carlton House to-morrow night. He voted with the small Whig section in the House of Lords the other evening—and I was therefore compelled to place his name on my reception-list. I shall be very civil to him to-morrow, and thus disarm him of any rancour with which Pauline may have inspired him: for it is perfectly clear that the identity of Mr. Harley with the Prince of Wales is even more than suspected hy that young lady—whereas Octavia is perhaps still full of uncertainty.” “You may conciliate Florimel, perhaps,” said Mrs. Brace: “ besides, you perceive by his note that he would rather hush the matter up if he could. But depend upon it, from all I have heard, Pauline Clarendon is a girl of spirit aad will leave you no peace when once she shall have established the fact of your identity. Thereis only one plan that I can think of——” “Name it—name it, my dear Fanny,” cried the Prince, ‘I knew you would end by suggesting something: you are so fertile inexpedients. Besides, women always like to make matters out as bad as they can, when they mean to wind up by propos- ing a remedy. Now then, my dear, what is your plan?” “ Listen patiently for a few minutes,” said the milliner, smiliag at the compliments which the Prince paid her. “You are well acquainted with Mr Clarendon’s position. A few weeks ago he believed himself certain of succeeding to the Marchmont peerage, the Hon. Arthur Haton being then at death's door. But this young gentleman has recovered in a most rairaculous manner; and there is not the slight- est chance that Mr. Clarendon will ever be Lord Marchmont. ‘To make things still more unpleasant for Mr. Clarendon, he accepted a large income from the present Lord Marchmont, and went and took a fine house, at the time when Arthur Eaton was sup- posed to be dying. He is therefore totally dependant on Lord Marchmont’s bounty ; and at the old peer’s death, he will be dependant on Arthur, Such a position is doubtless intolerable for Mr. Clarendon ; and yet it is quite clear that he cannot well retreat, and go back to his cottage in the Edgeware Road and his hundred or two hundred a year.” COMIC OOO <SriGoO