The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 179: what you’re looking at

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

1 in a od ~ ie 3A > a Fae a eR -_ = + YOUTHFUL LOVE 161 the splendid saloons, while kneeling to kiss the hand of royalty, and while returning again to the mansion at Ken- sington, there was one image which was never absent from the charming maiden’s mind, and this was the image of Christian Ashton. The Earl of Lascelles was again completely out in his reckoning. Lord Osmond was too deeply enamoured of the countess to be affected with the charms of any other being in feminine shape, no matter how transcendingly lovely were the aspect which this being wore. But how was it with Christian Ashton? He beheld Isabella pass out of the car- riage when going, and alight from it on her return, and never in his eyes had she appeared so fascinating, so sweetly beauti- ful, so matchlessly charming. He knew that she loved him, but yet he felt that to complete his happiness, he must obtain the avowal from her lips. At once did he take the resolve to seize the first opportunity to confess his passion and elicit a reciprocal tale from her. But the next moment a feeling of sadness came over him; how dared he aspire to the hand of an earl’s niece? And how could he ever hope to be in a position to make her his wife? This very circumstance of her presentation at court was a source of pleasure and pain to our young hero, — of pleasure inasmuch as it en- abled him to behold Isabella apparelled in a way to set off her loveliness to its utmost advantage, and of pain because it forced upon him the conviction that situated as he was it seemed presumptuous to a degree, if not absolutely hope- less, for him to aspire to the hand of one who belonged to the circle of aristocracy and was enabled to enter within that of royalty. And this strain of thought led him on to reflect for the hundredth, perhaps the thousandth time, on those mys- terious circumstances which had recently enveloped Isabella as with a veil of mystery. From being ignored by her rela- tives, she was suddenly transferred into their very midst; from occupying a humble lodging in the house of coarse, vulgar people, she was all in a moment removed to a palatial mansion. What could be the signification of all this? Where- fore had Makepeace assumed the name of Gibson when calling at the Chubbs’ to liquidate the stipend for Isabella’s board? Christian was bewildered; he knew not what to conjecture, what to surmise. When walking with Isabella in the grounds, CORNICLOO@ <S) (EO) mM