The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 116: what you’re looking at

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

—_— fr ti hair and moustache wre CC - - rrr O> 110 THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. “ Anelderly lady, I presume? Perhaps a widow —or an old maid ?” “ No, my lord,” responded Christian, flattering himself, in the ingenuousness of his mind, that the Duke was demonstrating considerable interest— and that of a very kind nature too—in the affairs of himself and his sister. ‘ Christina has become the companion of a young lady Lady Octavian Meredith.” The Duke could scarcely repress a start at this announcement: for being convinced in his own mind that Christian’s sister was Lord Octayian’s | such a way as to prevent Christian from suspect- fair unknown, it at once struck him that Octavian himself had manceuyred in some way or another to get the young girl beneath his own roof. even suspected for an instant that there must already be some sort of an understanding between Christian’s sister and Octavian Meredith,—an un- derstanding which the young lady had perhaps understanding on her own part that she had en- kept altogether unknown from her artless-minded brother: for it needed but a glance on the part of such a thorough man of the world as the Duke of Marchmont, to discern how really unsophisticated his young secretary was. “ And pray,” he inquired, “ how was your sister fortunate enough to obtain that situation P” “Through the recommendation of the landlady with whom we lived, my lord, and whose daughter is in service at Lady Octavian Meredith’s.” The Duke of Marchmont now felt more and more assured that it was all a concocted arrange- ment on Meredith’s part to get Miss Ashton into his house—and that the landlady just alluded to, had lent herself to the scheme, even if Christina herself had not. “Cunning dog, that Octavian !’”’ he thought to himself; “but perhaps I will outwit him yet.” And then he said, speaking aloud, “I am well ac- quainted with Lord Octavian Meredith Ah, by the bye, now I bethink me, it was on account of a Miss Ashton that he fought a duel some little time back—and I was his second on the occasion.” “Tord Octavian Meredith!” ejaculated Chris- tian, opening wide his fine dark eyes in bewildered astonishment at this imtelligence.e ‘No, my lord—there is some mistake—it was a Mr, Percival.” “ Cunning dog, that Octavian!” again thought the Duke to himself: for it immediately struck him that the young nobleman had concealed his aristocratic rank under a feigned name, and per- haps represented himself as an unmarried man, the better to carry on a love siege against the heart of the beautiful Christina. Then again speaking aloud, Marchmont said, “I am afraid I- have let out a secret: for it assuredly was Lord | Octavian Meredith who fought on your sister’s behalf. About twenty-two or twenty-three years of age—very good-looking—slender shape—brown 3) “The same, my lord!” cried Christan, more and more bewildered. “Don’t look so astonished,’ said the Duke, smiling: “it is perfectly intelligible that Lord Octavian should have taken a feigned name By the bye, I recollect that he told me so, and that his reason was the fear that your sister would go and take steps to prevent the duel. But I sup- pose he called upon you afterwards ?” “Onee, my lord—and only once,” responded Christian. He. “‘ And you were present ?” “The whole time. He only remained a short while ; and that very same evening we removed to other lodgings. We never saw Lord Octavian again, What a singular coincidence that my sister should have obtained a situation with his lordship’s wife |” “ Very singular,” observed the Duke, convinced that the lad was speaking in the genuine sincerity of his unsophisticated heart. A little more conversation took place ; and by means of farther questioning—but all conducted in ing that the Duke had any ulterior object in view —his Grace obtained a suflicient insight into the character of Christina and the recent mode of life _of the twins, as to bring him to the conclusion that Miss Ashton was really a most virtuous and well- conducted girl, and that it was through no secret tered Lord Octavian’s household. On the con- trary, Marchmont felt convinced that up to the very moment of her proceeding thither, she had no idea of the identity of Lord Octavian and Mr. Percival. “Should you happen to fall in with Lord Octa- vian,’ said the Duke, “ you had better not tell him that it was from my lips you learnt the little secret that the name of Percival was an assumed one. Of course your sister will tell you—and you need not appear to haye known it in any other way.” . “Certainly, my lord—your advice shall be fol- lowed,” answered Christian, who saw no harm and suspected no evil in all these things. “We have no letters to write to-day,” remarked the Duke presently: “and therefore you may amuse yourself in becoming better acquainted with your new home.” With these words, the Duke rose and sauntered out of the hbrary,—fully determined to call in the course of the afternoon at Lord Octavian Mere- dith’s, and obtain a glimpse, if possible, of the beautiful Miss Ashton. That this design was ear- ried into effect the reader has already seen; and the result of the interview was that the Duke of Marchmont felt himself as much enamoured of the charming girl as such a dissipated individual could possibly be. | : While ascending to his own chamber in the course of the afternoon, Christian encountered on the stairs a beautiful lady, attended by a maid, and whom he at once conceived to be the Duchess. She was in her thirty-second year—tall—finely formed—and with lustrous masses of auburn hair floating over her shoulders. There was something more than beautiful in her countenance,—a touch- ing pensiveness bordering upon melancholy, which rendered her eminently interesting ; and as Chris- tian stood respectfully aside to make way for her, and bowed courteously as he did so, she stopped and spoke. “* Are you the young gentleman,” she inquired, in a soft musical yoice, and with her benignant look, “* whom his Grace has engaged as his private secretary P” Christian bowed again, and replied in the affirm- ative. “ T hope you will be happy and comfortable at Marchmont House,” proceeded her ladyship: and 3 ’ Gomichoo <SiG@