Penny Dreadfuls, 1849 · page 47 of 394
The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 47: what you’re looking at
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— THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. a AEA glimpse of his master’s countenance, saw that it was deadly pale, with the traces of all strongly wrought feelings upon it. Hastily closing the door again, the Duke looked at the address; and not recognising the writing, opened the letter: put the instant his eye settled on the first words of its contents, he dashed it upon the carpet, and trampled it under foot. Ashamed of himself, the very next instant, for this impotent manifestation 6f vindictive fury, the Duke of Marchmont picked the letter up; and prompted by an irresistible feeling of curiosity to see what Bertram could pos- sibly have to adduce in the face of evidence which his Grace regarded as so decisive, he sat down and read the letter through. It consisted chiefly of broken sentences, solemn oaths, sacred adjurations, —all attesting the innocence of the Duchess; and there were some incoherent allusions to a long- existing love between them, as well as to a cruel deception practised by her deceased father and , fondly, No. 6.—FOURTH SERIES. st en 4. — ae <= Mrs. Bailey in order to make her the Duke’s wife; so that a gleam of light began to dawn in unto the comprehension of Eliza’s husband. ‘Good heavens!” he said to himself, with a feeling of horror at the lengths to which he had gone, “if it be indeed true that in a moment of weakness, and under the influence of sorrow’s agony at the idea of parting, Bertram should have caught her in his arms, but that she was innocent ! Yet no—I cannot think it! I was prepared for protestations of innocence ; and I even said that the deeper the guilt, the more impassioned its de- nial. No, no: they are guilty—this viper of.a nephew—that wanton of a woman! But their love of other times—and that deception practised on her ia And the Duke was staggered. He pressed his hand to his brow: he would have given worlds to discover that the wife whom he had loved so and of whom he had been so proud, was ———-+ — —— —— - - 0)(0)(0) (C(O) S CO)