The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 328: what you’re looking at

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

THR MYSTERIES Ste SS QM \ = SS < ’ ‘ SANA . N hye >. x NS \ \) PRS ANNAN ee ‘ HENS . - nu \ \ ) AAS Re /, Wig \ BEN ONO BAY \ VF ASS S WINS yl fay! yl Gl, sil Yay ‘ Ppl ANY ( ONAN i ) | acquaintance with us there. He then took his departure from Florence; and we regretted him— for he had been a great favourite with us. Nego- tiations were at once opened with the English manager, and an engagement was effected on the most liberal terms for my sister. wanted many months to the Opera season in Lon- dcn, we nevertheless resolved to proceed to England at once; and to this step we were induced by several reasons. In the first place we were both so young cn leaving the country that many of its habits and , was quite requisite that Angela should render her- self familiar therewith, in order that she might not experience a recurrence of her timidity on finding herself too suddenly in the- presence of a strange people. Moreover we had both for some time past experienced a yearning to visit our native land; and I had also heard that the art of painting on ivory having been just introduced into fashionable ! No. 40.—THIRD SERIFS. customs had been lost to our recollection: and it | Although it still | + Ds COURT, OF 'T YM <S- é aA = AM . Dy The ets : ae Re en wath: i Wie} \S \ / ” AON Ns BY) it Wy) . ' j N - = circles as an amusement for young ladies, thera would be ample scope for the exercise of whatsoever little talent I might pcssess therein. I was also desirous of instituting some inquiries in respect to the words my father had uttered on his death-bed. We accordingly proceeded at once to Evgland; but | by the advice of the mauager of the Opera—in- deed, by his express stipulation—Angela retained _her self-given name of Vivaldi. In respect to myself it being considered that the circumstance of my sister being a dancer might prove a barrier to my admission into the wealthy families with whom my art was alone avallable, it was resolved to retain our close affinity as secret as possible. I therefore tool that secluded villa near the Regent’s Park as our private residence, and engaged chambers in Pali Mall as my ostensible abode and for my professional avocations. At the villa Angela and I dwelt in almost complete seclusion,—such being our taste and our preference. ‘Thus months passed en: and . a _ J A A LT et as DC TE SOL ECOMmMIiclboooks (CO)