The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 64: what you’re looking at

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ee ee cy sre) sat at the piano: he accompanied her in a duet: He had a fine voice and sang admirably: Zoe’s voice was of silvery softness; and she too sang with exguisite taste—a taste that was all the more apparent from the utter absence of affectation. When Lord Octavian, after haying sat by Zoe’s side at the supper-table, returned at two in the morning to his own lodgings, he thought to him- self that never did Miss Armytage appear. so ravishingly beautiful and so charmingly fascinating in his eyes; so that he mentally ejaculated, “ After all, I think I can love her!” ° On the following day he paid the usual visit of courtesy which follows.an evenine’s entertainment ; and on this oceasion he remained an hour and a half with Zoe,—her father having at the time, or pretending to have, a very pressing appoint- ment with some great nobleman, whow he of course spoke of as his very particular and intimate friend. After this visit Lord Octavian said confidently to himself, “I not only can love her—but I do already love her !” Yet an image rose up before him, and a sigh came up into his very throat. He hurried his pace through the Regent’s Park as if to escape from the image: he stifled the sigh ere giving if vent; and then he endeavoured to persuade him- self that it was all nothine—that the fair unknown had really no hold upon his affections—that it was a mere passing whim or eaprice excited by a pretty face and a sylphid figure—and besides, that it was perfectly ridiculous to entertain’a serious thought of one to whom he had never spoken in his Jife, and whom he might never see again. Still there was a secret voice speaking with its silent elo- quence in the depth of his soul, which told him that he was reasoning not as the truth really was, but according as he wished it to be; and this time the deep-drawn sigh could not be altogether stifled. However, the next day beheld him again a visitor at Mr. Armytage’s house. How could he help going thither on this occasion ?—he hada piece of new music of which he had spoken on the preceding day, and which he had volunteered to bring Zoe. Jt was aduet; and as Mr. Army- tage was present in the drawing-room when Octavian was ushered thither, there was no 1m- propriety in his offering to sing it with the young lady. They did sing it: Octavian thought that never had Miss Armytage displayed her musical accomplishments with so fine an effect—never had her loveliness appeared more angelically charming. When he took his leave after this visit, he had far less difficulty in putting aside the image of the beauteous unknown, or in suppressing the rising sigh, than he had experienced on the preceding day. On the following day he called upon Zoe again; and for nearly each successive day for the ensuing six weeks. On every occasion he became —or fancied that he became, more profoundly enamoured of Miss Armytage: he saw himself received with a gradually increasing cordiality on the part of the father, and with an unchanging affability on that of the daughter. He seldom thought now of the beauteous unknown: less sel- dom too did he find himself sigking when her image did happen to rise up to his mental vision. But did Zoe herself love him ? was he indeed not judiffercnt to her? or did she rezard him merely | eS I I EE YR Tt ee NE ON ee ee ES TT lh, PES | EL A | TT ey SSS LL LL = SS * ee et THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. as a visitor with whom a sort of intellectual friendship had sprung up? This question puz- zled him: he had never seen on Zoe’s part the slightest betrayal of any tender partiality towards him. What if he were to offer and to be refused ? Such a catastrophe would be terribly humiliating to his manly pride ;—and in this frame of mind, hovering between hope and uncertainty, it was by no means difiicult for Octavian Meredith to per- suade himself that he loved Miss Armytage to a degree that his very happiness depended upon their alliance. To do him ample justice, the more he had seen of her and the more he had felt himself attracted towards her, the less he had thought of the pecuniary advantages to be derived from such a marriage. The naturally noble feel- ings of his disposition, by inducing him to scorn the thought of mere selfish interest, led him to believe that his sentiment towards Zoe was now altogether a disinterested and a legitimate one. So easy is it, under certain circumstances, to hug as a positively settled belief that which we really wish to believe in !—so facile is it to cheat at times our own higher intelligence and regard our hopes and our wishes as actual and unmistakable con- victions! There are more false fanaticisms and delusions of the mind than even the most expe- rienced of men are always willing to admit unto themselves. Six weeks, as we have said, had passed since that day on which we first introduced Zoe to our readers: ahd one afternoon Octavian Meredith called at a somewhat earlier hour than usual. He found Zoe alone in the drawing-room; and as he entered, she put down a book which she had been reading. “ Alay I see,’ he inquired, after the usual com- plinents had passed, “ what is the subject of your recreative study ?” “Oh, certainly,” responded the young lady, with her usual affable smile. “‘It is one of my favourite authors.” “ Goldsmith’s ‘ Deserted Village,” said Octa- vian, as he took up the book. “ Miss Armytage, there must be times when, with your intelligence, you view with a feeling which borders on disgust the frivolities of fashionable life. I confess can- didly that Ido. I am convinced:that where there is no intellect there is no heart—but that if the head be hollow, the place where the heart should be is likewise a void.” “YT know not, my lord,” replied Zoe, “that I woula go altogether to such an extreme con- clusion *“ No—because were you to admit it,” he ex- claimed, with irrepressible enthusiasm, “ you would be as it were proclaiming that you are all heart, because you are all intelligence. Ah! Miss Army- tage,” he added, ‘* were I possessed of a fortune, I should sink down upon my knees to lay it at your feet!” Zoe averted her countenance, where the colour went and came in rapid’ transitions. It was evi- dent that she knew not how to reply; and Mere- dith was not altogether sure whether she were offended or pleased by this sort of avowal he had just made. But that sie experienced one or the other of those feelings, he had no doubt: for indifferent and unruffled she assuredly was not. “Tf I have offended you, Miss Armytage,” he jKOOLKS «CO (C (C@©)