The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 349: what you’re looking at

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

THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. CC ane had been characterized by something more than mere levity—that there was also something myste- rious attached to her earlier history—and I remem- ber that on one occasion the opinion was expressed that she had actually been the kept mistress of some very rich man, and that in order to obtain a position she had accepted the offer made to her by the infatuated and doating Maxwell. Whether these rumours were true or not, I was then unable to discover: at all events I was certain that never did the faintest breath of scandal sully the fair fame of the lovely and virtuous Louisa: for supposing that those reports were correct, Louisa must have been the inmate of a boarding-school at the time her sister was pursuing an ‘equivocal path. I now take up the thread of my narrative, and will speedily bring it to a close. About a fortnight back I was seated with Louisa in a shady arbour in the garden, when we were sud- deniy surprised by the appearance of Mrs. Max- well. Her countenance was pale with rage; and she stood gazing upon us_ with fierce looks,— unable however for the first few moments to give utterance to a word. Louisa was overwhelmed with terror ; and I myself was not devoid of con- fusion. At length I recovered a manly firmness; and I told Mrs. Maxwell that I was devotedly attached to her sister—that my intentions were honourable—and that I was ready to fulfil them as soon as Circumstances would permit. She seemed on the point of giving vent to ejaculations of rage, and to level the bitterest reproaches at her sister—when, as if struck by asudden thought, she became all in a moment calm; and bidding Louisa retire into the house, she remained to con- verse with me. She coldly asked me what were my prospectsP I replied, ‘ You know that I am the heir presumptive of a wealthy Baronet; and without further delay I will appeal to him for his assent to my marriage with your sister,’— She looked at me in a peculiar manner—a manner which I could not understand; and she said, § If I bad known the first day we met in the streets of Brighton, who you were, I should never, never bave given you that encouragement which you coldly rejected, and which subjected me to the deepest mortification that a woman can possibly experience. — This speech struck me as 8o strange that I stared at her in stupid amazement.—‘ It is of no use for you to continue thus playing a part,’ she said: ‘because you cannot deceive me. I know that from the very first you were aware who I was, and that therefore you rejected the advances which under other circumstances a gay and handsome young man would have willingly availed himself of when made by a woman who may flatter herself that she is not altogether defi- cient in personal beauty. I repeat that when first we encountered each other in the streets, I knew not who you were, but you have all along known me ; though you seem to have been playing & part to make me imagine that you did not. Of what use was this proceeding on your part P If at the first you had told me candidly who you were, and that you meant to keep my secret not merely asa man of honour, but likewise through delicate consideration on behalf of my sister, think you that f should have regarded you with hate? No; on the contrary J should have been grateful; and most welcome would you have been at our 343 house. from the very first, your reserved and forced politeness, were intended to humiliate me, though you were careful to abstain from verbal expres- sions of contempt and scorn. —You may conceive, Mr. Ashton, how infinite was my astonishment while Mrs. Maxwell was thus addressing me. I was stricken speechless—and I continued to gaze upon her with a degree of wonderment which she doubtless began to suspect was truly genuine. She now surveyed me with surprise in her turn; and at length she said, ‘Is it possible that I am mis- taken? do you really know nothing ?—and then she stopped short, as if fearful of making an ad- mission in case I was really ignorant with regard to the points to which she was thus mysteriously alluding.—‘On my soul, madam,’ I exclaimed, ‘you are speaking to me in the strangest enigmas; and all that you have said compels me to be expli- cit on certain points, delicate though they are to touch upon. You say that I waseold to you on the first two occasions that we met: but perhaps if my mind had not been full of the loveliness of one who was then a stranger to me, I should have gladly submitted to the influence of your charms. I will ask whether you did not see that I started with surprise on the day that Mr. Maxwell invited me to dine here, and when for the first time L learnt who you were ?’—‘ Enough, Mr. Beverley,’ interrupted Mrs. Maxwell; ‘I have been labouring under a most extraordinary mistake: I have alto- gether misunderstood you: I have attributed to you motives which I now see you could not pos- sibly have entertained. I must crave your for- giveness ; for my conduct has been most ungene- rous. Let us speak no more of the past: let us think only of the purpose that has brought you hither, and of the topie which all along ought to have most interested us.’— Mrs. Maxwell then in- But your chilling coldness towards me ! | vited me to enter the house and partake of break-. fast. Her husband was both pleased and aston- ished when she introduced me into the parlour: but she contented herself with the simple observa- tion that there had been some little misapprehen- sion on her part with regard to me, and that it was now cleared up. Louisa was summoned down stairs; and she could scarcely believe her eyes when she saw me there, nor her ears when her sister repeated the same observation which she had made to her husband. In short, the happiness of Louisa and myself now seemed all but complete: for Mrs. Maxwell was as courteous and kind ag she had formerly been cold and distant. I was utterly at a loss to account forall this: but I cared not to waste time in reflection upon it: I surren- dered myself completely up to the bliss of Louisa’s society and in being recognised as her accepted suitor.” Here Edgar Beverley stopped again for a few moments, and then proceeded as follows :— “In the course of that day I had another pri- vate interview with Mrs. Maxwell: and she then requested me to be explicit with regard to my in- tentions. I said that I would write to my uncle that very day, and that as a proof of my honour- able views I would show her the letter. She was perfectly satisfied, thanked me for the confidence I reposed in her, but did not decline my offer, as me- thought she might have done, to suffer the letter to pass through her hands, I went to my quarters (Cc) S 0)(0)(0) CO)