The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 353: what you’re looking at

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THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. 347 ing together in the garden attached to the villa at Bayswater. A long pause had followed some con- versation on intellectual topics; her Highness fell into a reverie; and Christina was almost as soon absorbed in her own separate thoughts. At length Indora, suddenly arousing herself from her train of meditation, observed in a kind tone, “I am truly glad that your brother has obtained an- other situation: I hope he will be comfortable in it. But rest assured, my dear Christina, that if he had not succeeded in thus employing himself, I should have devised the means to do something for him.” “{ know and deeply appreciate all your lady- ship’s goodness,” answered our young and beautiful heroine. “You gave us botha signal proof of your generous sympathy on our behalf, when your ladyship bade me proffer a sum of money for Christian’s use f “And he declined it,” observed the Princess; *“'because he had been provident and had a pecu- niary resource of his own. That circumstance raised him higher than ever in my estimation. I feel convinced that he will do well: and you have a right to be proud of such a brother.” “We are indeed devotedly attached to each other,” responded Christina. “ Being twins—our orphan condition likewise—the reliance which we had to place in each other f; “T understand it all,”’ said the Princess. “Those circumstances haye combined to strengthen and enhance the love of brother and sister which natu- rally subsisted between you. And I am glad of this opportunity of giving you the assurance, my dear young friend, that should circumstances soon transpire to induce me to retarn to my native land, it shall be my care to place you in a position that will render you independent for the future.” Christina was melted to tears by this evidence of generosity and good feeling on the part of the Indian lady ; and warmly but tremulously she ex- pressed her gratitude. Almost immediately after- wards the Princess entered the house: but Chris- tina lingered in the garden to ramble there a little while longer; for the evening was beautiful—and she was in one of those moods when she wished to be alone with her own thoughts. The reader will not be surprised if when thus alone the image of her beloved friend Zoe rose up in her mind; and that by a very natural association, it likewise con- jured up Lord Octavian Meredith to her thoughts. Jt will be remembered that the young maiden had already so far analyzed her feelings as to be un- able to repel the conviction that Octavian was not altogether indifferent to her: but she was ever doing her best and striving her hardest to expel his image from her mind. Indeed, she never con- templated it fixedly: the immaculate purity of her soul would not suffer her mental vision to dwell with passionate intentness upon that image under existing circumstances. Yet she could not alto- gether prevent it from often and often floating vaguely in her mind: for with all her innocence— with all her anxiety to martyrise her own feelings when she found them passing into a forbidden channel—she could not exercise a complete power over her volition. Christina remained in the garden, as we have said, after the Princess had quitted it on the evening of which we are writing; and for nearly half-an-hour she was occupied with her thoughts. Presently—when near that fence which has already been so often mentioned as overlookiug a contiguous field—she thought she heard a sudden rustling amongst a dense knot of evergreens on one side of the gravel-walk where her delicate feet were tread- ing. Kor a moment she was startled by the cir- cumstance: but the next instant recovering her self-possession, she conjectured it must have been the rush of a cat—for there was not a sufficient breeze thus to agitate the foliage. She thought to herself, as some tale recently told her by the Princess sprang up in her memory, that if she was in that eastern lady’s native land, she would ina momert have fled wildly away from the spot, lest some monstrous reptile should suddenly fling forth its hideous coils around her, or lest some savage animal should spring forth upon her. She could not help thanking heayen for having made her the native of a land whose climate, though so much maligned, renders it impossible for such causes of terror to exist: but little suspected she for an instant that where no monstrous snake can conceal its slimy folds, and where no savage animal cax hide itself in ambush, a human being with scarcely less treacherous intent may find a lurking place. And so it was on the present occa- sion; for scarcely had Christina turned to leave the spot where a sudden alarm had for an instant arrested her steps,—when she was pounced upon by a man who darted forth from amidst the ever- greens. So abrupt was the occurrence—so fright- fully quick did it seem to follow upon those ideas of the serpent and the wild beast which had just been flitting through her mind—that it over- whelmed her with terror; insomuch that the very cry which rose up to her lips, was checked at the moment it was about to burst forth—and she lost all consciousness. Sudden as was that attack—suddenly too as she sank into a swoon—with an equal suddenness was she made aware, when startled back to life, that some violent altercation was taking place. She was inside a common cab : a man was seated next to her—a woman with a thick veil opposite. The vehicle had stopped ; and the cabman was venting his abuse upon the coachman of another equipage. A. glance from the window showed Christina that this scene was taking place close by the Oxford Street entrance to Hyde Park. It was doubtless the sudden shock which the cab sustained on coming into collision with the other vehicle, that had startled Christina back to consciousness. That other vehicle was a private carriage, the coachman of which was throwing the blame of the collision upon the cabman,—while the latter recriminated in a much coarser style; and with a horrible im- precation he demanded to know who was to pay him for his broken shaft? or the first few mo- ments all this appeared to Christina to be nothing but a dream—an illusion which was more or less sustained by the duskiness of the hour and the obscurity which therefore prevailed inside the cab. But the conviction of the scene’s reality soon struck her mind: the man was on her left hand—the veiled woman was opposite—the street lamps were glaring on either side—the altercation was taking place close by. “Sit down, Miss!” said the woman vehemently, as Christina in wild affright was about to lower aa ennnEnnEEEnEIIEIEIEIIEEEnentneenemetnneemee ence CORMELOOO (C S (6)