The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 95: what you’re looking at

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

THE SEARCH AFTER A SON 73 brought me here to-night,’’ interrupted the king. ‘‘ Nature’s yearnings prompted me to seek an interview with that son who knew not the secret of his birth, and whom perhaps I should not have acknowledged, had not the scene which burst upon my eyes evoked the dread revelation from my lips. But tell me, unhappy children, tell me, are you pri- vately married? Has the ceremony of the Church seemed to consecrate this love of yours? ”’ ‘Ah! how could a princess of the blood royal go through such a mock form? And who would celebrate the rite? ”’ demanded Amelia, bitterly. ‘‘ No, Sire, our love has been in every way unblessed, and now it is positively accursed,”’ she added, sinking back upon the chair and giving vent to her renewed anguish in a flood of scalding tears. ‘‘ Weep not, Amelia, weep not, I conjure you! ”’ exclaimed the baronet, himself almost overcome with a fresh paroxysm of bitter feeling. ‘‘ The past cannot be recalled, nor even expiated,”’ he continued, in a voice convulsed with anguish; ‘‘ but penitence and deep contrition may atone for somewhat of its enormity. God knows that we sinned in ignorance of these close ties of kinship.”’ ‘Come, my unhappy Amelia,” said the king, ‘‘ and let us return home. The prolongation of this wretched scene will only plunge us all into a deeper abyss of woe, if that be possible. Richard, I will see you again shortly, when our minds shall have become more composed.” But the miserable baronet heard not the words which his royal father thus addressed to him. With his head buried in his hands, he sat writhing and weeping. upon the sofa, and when he raised his eyes again, at the expiration of a few minutes, he found himself alone. GOmic Doo eS (GO)