The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 364: what you’re looking at

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

358 THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. the villa at Bayswater. She knew nothing of Lord Octavian Meredith’s attachment to Christina, nor of the painful incidents connected therewith: she had therefore no reason to hesitate about bringing our heroine into the vicinage of that nobleman’s dwelling,—for she knew that it was situated in the Regent’s Park. On the other hand, when the proposal to visit the Gardens was made to Christina, she had not dared hint that she would rather not proceed into a neighbourhood where she stood a chance of falling in with Lord Octavian; becauso to have raised any objection of the kind, would as a matter of course have necessi- tated the revelation of those circumstances which maiden modesty and virgin bashfulness naturally prompted her to conceal. There were very few visitors at the Zoological Gardens on the occasion when the Princess Indora and Christina, attended by Sagoonah, thus visited them. Her Highness woré an oriental garb—but the very plainest which belonged to her wardrobe ; and she had carefully dispensed with much orna: ment, so as to avoid as much as possible attract- ing notice. The ayah was clad in her habitual white costume: Christina’s toilet displayed an elegant neatness. Three such beings could not possibly enter a public place without striking the notice of those who were also there, few though they were. All three being characterized by a re- markable beauty—that of Indora so magnificent, that of Sagoonah so darkly splendid, and that of cur heroine so exquisitely interesting in its classic perfection—two of them moreover wearing pecu- liar costumes—it was impossible that they could escape special attention. Yet the persons who were there, pressed not rudely upon them—but moved as it were at a respectful distance, until when it was whispered by one of the officials that the principal object of interest was an eastern lady of rank and fortune ; and then this announce- ment was taken as a hint that the little party wished to be as free from observation as possible during their visit to the Gardens. At first Sagoonah kept tolerably close to her mistress and Christina: but gradually she increased the interval between herself and them. This she was easily enabled to do without exciting any par- ticular attention on their part: for it appeared by no means strange that she should linger a little behind them to contemplate some particular animal or bird belonging to a clime far remote and different from her own, and which specimens of natural bistory she had consequently never seen before. We will not dwell upon unnecessary de- tails: suffice 16 to observe that after having in- spected the various objects which presented them- selves to their view in one portion of the Gardens, they passed through the tunnel and entered upon the other division. Facing them was a placard indicating a particular direction—and with these words, “ To the Reptiles.” Sagoonah understood them; and a thrill vi- brated throughout her entire frame. She felt for something that was concealed under her long white dress; and having assured herself that it was all sate there, she looked for a moment as if she had already achieved some grand triumph: then sud- denly relapsing into her wonted demeanour, she followed the Princess and our heroine into the reptile-house. There, in cases of different sizes, —_—— and each having a frontage of thick plate glass, were all the most terrible specimens of the serpent species. In one a huge python, sixteen or seventeen feet long, and as thick in the largest part of its form as a man’s thigh, was creeping lazily out of a tank of water: in another an immense boa- constrictor was coiled round the branch of a tree placed there for his comfort and accommodation : more serpents of the same species were to be seen in other cages,—some winding their slimy lengths over tne gravel strown on the floors—others coiled up on thick blankets, or protruding their heads from amidst the folds of horse-cloths, or licking the glass frontages of their dens with their forked tongues. The venomous reptiles were to be seen in much smaller cases on the opposite side of the room. There was the rattlesnake, with a host of little ones coiling, writhing, and wriggling about their parent—a horrible and loathsome brood! There was the puff-adder, with its hideous bloated head, the most transient glance at which was cal- culated to send a shudder through the frame of the beholder who knew that its bite was death. But not less venomous was the dark cobra, with its head reared up from amidst its coils, its hood ex- panded, and its throat of a shell-like appearance and whiteness. It was upon this object that Sa- goonah’s eyes at once riveted themselves; and if any one had observed her at the time, it would have seemed as if those luminous black orbs of her’s reflected the reptile-fire which gleamed from the pupils of the hooded snake. But there was no one in the room except herself, her mistress, and Christina; and quickly averting her eyes from the object of her vivid interest, she affected to bestow her attention on the more monstrous serpents. **To me, my dear Christina,” said the Princess, “the aspect of the greater portion of these species of reptiles is more or less familiar; and if you had lived a few years in my native country, you would have become sufficiently accustomed to the same spectacles as to be able to look upon them now without so strange a shudder as that which L perceive has just swept through your form.” “IT pray your ladyship to pardon me,” said our heroine,—“ do not deem me foolishly weak, if I assure you that I can remain here no longer to look upon these reptiles.” “Come then, Christina—-we will seek some other and more agreeable objects of interest. Sagoonah,” added the Princess, addressing the ayah in their own native tongue, “ you can follow at your leisure if you have any particular wish to remain here awhile and contemplate these crea- tures, most of which must however be sufficiently familiar to you.” “T will follow almost immediately, my lady,” responded Sagoonah. “ Monsters of this parti- cular species’”—and she looked towards the python —‘* \ have never seen before.” ‘he Princess Indora hurried Christina from the snake-room: and as they passed forth, a glow of triumph and satisfaction again thrilled through Sagoonah’s form. She watched them until they disappeared from her view by suddenly diverging from the straight path leading from the snake- house along the back of the canal: then she hastened to the door—she issued forth a few paces —her eyes were rapidly swept around—no one was nigh—and she hurried back into the reptile-room. Gomicdoo S (C©)