The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 251: what you’re looking at

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

236 THE MYSTERIES INES pi SE saat ea composing draughts were given—and Lady Bess with Rosa sat up by his bedside for the remainder of that night. In the morning a nurse was engaged to attend upon the invalid; and thus everything was done to minister to his comfort, tranquillize his mind, and ensure his recovery. The third day since his rescue was now drawing to a close, and his progress towards convalescence was satisfactory. On ascending to the sick-chamber after having partaken of refreshments, as above described, Lady Bess found that the patient was indeed much im- proved: and the instant she entered the room, an expression of joy and gratitude brightened upon his pale countenance, as he exclaimed, “Oh! my kind friend—my benefactress—I am glad you are come to me again !” Lady Bess took his emaciated hand and shook it cordially: but he, retaining her’s, pressed it to his lips with the warmth of his grateful feelings—and then tears trickled down his wan haggard cheeks as his head lay supported upon the pillows. “You feel better?” said Lady Bess, sitting down in a chair by the bedside. ‘Much better--Oh! so much better,” answered the invalid. ‘“ And Iam better here too,” he added, placing his hand upon his forehead. “ There are many things that I wish to say to you,” he con- tinued, thus appearing to proffer of his own accord those explanations concerning himself that Lady Bess so much longed to hear. “I have a great deal upon my mind and shall feel relieved when I have told you everything.” “And I,” responded Lady Bess, “ shall be rejoiced to become your confidante. If you feel well enough now to speak at any length “Yes—lI feel well enough,” he answered. “ But where is that sweet interesting creature who was also at the house yonder—Beech-Tree Lodge—you know whom I mean? Did she not leave it with us ?’—and he again pressed his hand to his brow, but this time as if to steady his ideas and collect his reminiscences. “ Yes—she left the house with us,” returned Lady Bess. “Her name is Henrietta Leyden. But perhaps you knew something abvut her P” “ No—nothing. Henrietta! what apretty name!” and he repeated it three or four times over in a way that showed that there was still a certain degree of childishness characterizing his mind. “ Where is she? does she live here ? I should hike to see her again, But you, my dear friend, are not angry because I say this? No; I am sure you are not. You cannot be ; you are too good to be angry.” “Angry? no, certainly not!” replied Lady Bess, with an encouraging smile. ‘ Henrietta Leyden does not live here; she left us the other night, when we issued from Beech-Tree Lodge, to return to her own home. But she will come to see us—I foel assured she will. She was much interested in you.” “Ah, sweet Henrietta! pretty Henrietta!” said | the invalid: and in a listless vacant manner did he OF THE COURT. cordingly quitted the room ; and she remained alone with the invalid. “Ido not know,” he resumed, speaking slowly and deliberately, with the air of one who is afraid of throwing his thoughts into confusion by pursuing their thread with too much precipitation,—*I de not know that I shall be able to make you compre- hend all I wish to say: for sometimes when it seems to me that I am catching a recollection of the past, it escapes from me, and then a cloud settles upon my mind and I see nothing clearly for some time. But let me try. I know that when I was a child I had avery sweet, pretty, and kind mother ; and often and often has her image risen up so plainly and perfectly before me that I recognized it in an instant. She was Lady Everton “Ah!.I thought so,” muttered Lady Bess to herself. ‘I felt assured it would be thus!” ““My father,” he continued, “‘ was Lord Everton not the vile wicked man who has kept me so long a prisoner at Beech-Tree Lodge—but his elder brother: and I suppose that it is because my father died long ago that my cruel uncle has become Lord Everton. And yet I do not know how this could be; because when I was a boy I was always made to understand that I should one day be Lord Ever- ton. ButI suppose it is that my cruel uncle shut me up and kept me captive that the world might think me dead, and he might be Lord Everton instead of me, and grasp all the riches that ought to be mine.” “That is*the explanation of your uncle’s wicked- ness,” answered Lady Bess. “He did not dare kill you outright, and therefore he kept you shut up at Beech-Tree Lodge. But you shall be Lord Everton yet, in spite of him. Indeed you are Lord Everton now; and he is only an infamous usurper.” “ Oh, my dear kind benefactress—my good Mrs. Chandos—my excellent friend!” exclaimed the in- valid: “what joyful things you are telling me!”— and again seizing her hand, he conveyed it to his lips. “ Do not excite yourself, my good friend,” said Lady Bess. “ All that I promise you I will per- form: but we shall have to proceed cautiously— and perhaps it will not be the work of a single day to establish your claims and prove your identity. But go on. Do you know how old you are ?” “T remember very well that my birthday used te be kept on the 8th of June——and stop——lI re- member too I was told that I was born in 1816— yes, I am sure of it.” “ Then you are twenty-eight,” said Lady Bess ; ‘and that is about the age that Ieonjectured. Car you remember how long you have been at Beech- Tree Lodge ?” “Stay, and I will reflect,” said the invalid, agaiu pressing his hand to his brow: then after a pause, | he said, “I know that I was twelve when I was told that my father was coming home from India after a long, long absence ; and it was just at the go on repeating these ‘words in a low murmuring same time that I was one night put into a carriage | by Lord Everton, Bellamy, ‘and. Theodore Barclay, tone. Lady Bess'began to fear that after all he would not | and taken off to Beech- Tree Lodge. be in a condition to give her any explanations at pre- sent; but suddenly raising his eyes towards her countenance with a return of their lucid expression, he said, “ Now let us talk.” | There I have remained ever since.’ “Sixteen years of captivity,” said Lady Bess. “ Poor young man, this is sad indeed! But where were you at the time when you were snatched away Lady Bess made a sign to the old nurse, who ac- | in that manner ?” o~T= COL NOOLKS (E©)