The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 80: what you’re looking at

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74, THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. But whe was the occupant of this apartment at once so sumptuous and so elegant? whose form was it tlat sate half-reclined upon the crimson draperies of an ottoman? A female, the reader may be issured: for naught save feminine taste could preside over the appointments of that charm- ing retreat. She was a lady of about thirty years of age; and though the duskiness of her complexion indicated her oriental origin, yet the warm languid clime to which she belonged, had not in any way marred or impaired the dazzling grandeur of her beauty. Her costume was of extraordinary rich- ness, and well fitted for the place in which we find her. It was in some respects a fanciful dress: for those who are best acquainted with the apparel of different nations, could scarcely ascribe it to any one in particular. The taste of the wearer had evidently studied to blend all those details of cos- tume which, belonging to different parts of the East, were most elegant and becoming in such | likened to that of the Spaniard or Italian when in combination. And that same taste, too, had so | its darkest shade of bistre—yet with a skin per- exquisitely presided over these arrangements, that | fectly ‘transparent, and the warm blood showing there was nothing incongruous in the general | through as it mantled with richest carnation tint effect. upon the cheeks. Perhaps the hue of her com- A sort of caftan, of purple velvet, jewelled and | plexion would be even still better understood, if embroidered, formed’ the upper garment—coming |'we describe it as a clear pale brown: for it had up nearly to the throat, and reaching down almost | m it none of the sallowness which blends with the to the knees,—confined at the ‘waist with a| olive skin; and the skin itself had all the fineness diamond-elasp of incalculable price, and again fas- | and polish of a youthful freshness still adhering to tened by a similar though smaller brooch at the | a mature and voluptuous womanhood. The reader throat itself. The interval remaining open, would | may have expected to learn that she wore an have left the bosom almost completely bare, were | oriental turban wpon her head: but it was not so. it not’ for an under-garment of embroidered blue | A golden network, curiously interwoven with dia- silk, which reached up to the middle of the bust, | monds and pearls—the entire ornament itself con- but still left revealed to the eye no inconsiderable | stitutmg a fortume—rested lightly upon that head : portion of those superb contours. The arms were | but the hair was mot gathered up beneath the net- bare to the shoulder; and they might have been | work—it was parted in theemiddle with a careful thought somewhat too robust, were it not for their | exactitude, and flowed down im long heavy tresses faultless sculptural modelling. They were circled | upon her shoulders and her back. Dark as night with bracelets studded with gems, and of the most | was that hair—black as jet too, with no gloss upon curious workmanship. The hands of this lady were | it : yet was it meither harsh nor coarse, but as soft of extraordinary beauty in respect to their chisel- | as silk—without wave or curl, save and except to- ling: the fmgers were long and tapering—the nails exquisitely almond-shaped, ‘and of ‘a pellucid pink. But we must continue with the costume. She wore satin trousers of a pale pink, covered with the richest lace. They were full, in the oriental style, and were tied just below the swell of the leg,— bulging out so as to conceal the robust proportions of the limbs: but the admirable symmetry thereof might be judged by the faultless modelling of the ankles and the feet. Those ankles were bare—for she wore no stockings; and the feet were thrust into delicate red morocco slippers, braided, and ornamented with pearls. The first glance at this lady, as she lounged half-reclining against the floculent massiveness of the crimson-coloured cushions, would show the most superficial observer that no corset imprisoned her. fine form. But then, no observer who had the good fortune to be admitted into her presence, could possibly be a superficial one: he would survey her until his eyes had embraced every fanciful peculiarity of her garb and every charm of her person, He would see, therefore, that if she wore no corset—neither did she require any. No artificial support was needed for those contours which remained, in their rich- ness and firmness, where nature had placed them, like those of a sculptured effigy, yet with the rising and sinking which denoted the animation of the living form. Neither did she need the accessories of art to set off the rounded and flowing outlines of her figure: its own symmetrical proportions imparted the finest shapeliness to the dress, which in its turn so well became them and set them off to such advantage. She was not above the middle height of woman; and yet she appeared taller on account of her remarkably well modelled figure and her apparel, as well as from the statutesque elegance and graceful majesty of her gait and car- riage. Thus far have we described the occupant of that room of oriental luxury. But we must endeavour to render equal justice, by means of minutest de- tail, to the gorgeous splendour of, her personal charms. We have already said that her com- plexion was of eastern duskiness: but yet it had maught of gipsy swarthmess:—it might be better there the curl was rich and natural. Her forehead was not high—but yet expansive enough to give dignity to the countenance: the nose was per- fectly Straight—the nostrils of the tint of the rose- leaf. The upper lip was short: and both lips appeared to have been cut by the sculptor’s chisel into their classical perfection: the shape of the mouth, when the whole face was in a state of repose or of seriousness, was that of Cupid’s bow. The chin was delicately rounded; and the coun- tenance formed a complete oval. The eyes were large and dark—full of a languishing lustre—the orbs set in whites of that bluish tint which seems like mother-of-pearl. The eyebrows were mag- nificently arched—the lashes of exceeding length, and forming the richest fringes that ever shaded those orbs which are at once the mirror and the artillery of woman’s soul. When the mouth, which was so exquisitely formed, parted its rich red lips, teeth were disclosed which were whiter than ivory and faultlessly even. If the hand of this superb creature disturbed the luxuriant 1asses of hair on either side of her head, a small well-folded ear would be revealed; and thus in every respect was she a perfect model of oriental splendour and love- liness, combined in that one female form. It was between nine and ten o'clock in the wards the extremity of the luxuriant tresses, and COMMICLMOOOKS.E© =)