The Seamstress; or, The White Slave of England — page 113: what you’re looking at

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

mn — 106 THE SEAMSTRESS. have become Lovel’s mistress, is probable enough ' could command a view of the interior of the But what on earth can she want with my room. father?” demanded the young nobleman of him-| Crouching down, therefore, as noiselessly as he self, his perplexity becoming all the deeper the : had stolen into the conservatory, Charles beheld more he thought upon the occurrence. ‘“ Where | his father pacing backward and forward in a state is the interview taking place?” he suddenly de- | of evident agitation,—while Julia was seated near manded aloud. _ the open door of the hot-house, but with her back “Your lordship’s father happened to be in the towards it. The Marquis was consequently unable saloon opening on the conservatory, at the moment to obtain a view of her countenance: but that of when Mrs. Loyel called,” said the porter; “and | the Duke was distorted and conyulsed with feelings leave being given for her admission, the lady has of the most painful character. Horror, alarm, accordingly been shown into that apartment, my perplexity, and despair had literally chiselled their lord.” traces and dug their lines upon the pale and The Marquis of Arden reflected for a few mo- | ghastly features of the old nobleman ;—and Charles ments what course he should pursue. It was na- | was stricken with a perfect consternation and an tural that his curiosity should be piqued in no awful dismay as he thus read upon a human coun- ordinary manner by the present proceding on the | tenance feelings so harrowed and thoughts so ex- part of Miss Barnet—or rather Mrs. Lovel, as she | cruciating—and that countenance his own father’s! now styled herself. What could she possibly want “Upon what do you decide, my lord?” asked with his father P—wherefore had the mention of | Julia, in alow hollow voice, which was however her name ensured her immediate access to his pre- | perfectly audible to the eaves-dropping Marquis— sence P—and was she really connected with the | not only because she was seated near the spot forger who had been taken into custody on the | where he was hidden, but also because every faculty r previous evening P which he possessed was sharpened by curiosity to Charles remembered that her face wore an ex- | a keenness neyer experienced before. — pression of grief and her manner was troubled as! “You came to dictate terms, young woman,” she flitted from the cab into the house ;—and this | said the Duke, in a voice so altered—so sepulchral circumstance tended to ratify the suspicion that |—so cayern-like in its intonation that if Charles she was indeed “ the elegant lady of extraordinary had heard it ina crowd he would not have re- beauty,’ mentioned in the newspaper-account of cognized it as that of his father;—‘‘and yet you Lovel’s arrest. In fact, there could no longer be ask me upon what I have decided? Rather de- any doubt upon the subject in the mind of the mand when and how I am to obey the orders which young nobleman; and the conclusion to which he Lovel has sent me through you,” he added, the thus came, only rendered him the more anxious to | deep tomb-like hollowness of his voice becoming learn the purport of her visit to his father. | momentarily marked with an inflection of poignant At first he thought of repairing straight to the | bitterness. saloon where the interview was taking place. Then “ My lord, do not speak thus—do not attempt he recollected that Mrs. Loyel had not sought the | either to reproach or banter me,” exclaimed Mrs. father because the son was absent—but that she Lovel, starting from her seat: and now, as she had not inguired for the son at all. The imterview turned towards the Duke, who had halted in his was consequently a private one between that young troubled walk near the door-way of the conser- woman and the Duke of Belmont: and it waseven vatory, Charles could observe that there was a probable—at least appearances warranted the sur- hectic flush of immense excitement upon her mise—that she was not previously unknown to his cheeks and a wildly fitful fire in her large dark Grace, inasmuch as the moment the name of “ Mrs. | eyes. Lovel” was communicated to him, it proved a| “Ah! would you do me a violence? would you ready passport to his presence. From all these , murder me P” exclaimed the Duke, stepping back reflections, which Charles made much more rapidly | in evident alarm. than we can describe them in words, he drew the “Murder you!” echoed Julia, in a tone so inference that the meeting between his sire and _ strange—so full of meanine—so awfully significant, the young female was a private one, and that it | that the words sank down with a chilling weight would be indiscreet to obtrude himself wpon their into the soul of the listening Charles,—while the presence: and yet, on the other hand, the very | blanched features of the Duke became distorted conclusions to which he thus came relative to the | with mingled anguish and horror. ‘“ Who dares privacy of that interview, only rendered him the | talk of murder? Thank God, my hands are not more anxious to penetrate the mystery. It was | stained with gore i not a mere idle curiosity which animated him: it “Nor mine—nor mine!” shrieked forth the was a dread—almost amounting to a presentiment | Duke hysterically: and he literally wrung his —that some calamity or disgrace threatened the | hands as he spoke—as if he knew that he was family ;—and this feeling rose paramount above all | uttering a falsehood, but did so in a paroxysm of compunction or delicacy as to the means which he | despair. should adopt to put an end to so painful a state of | “This is folly—insanity—imadness!” exclaimed suspense. Julia. “I came not hither to quarrel with your Hastening into the little garden at the back of | lordship—but to demand your succour in extri- the house, Charles passed into the conservatory by | cating from his difficulties a man whom I love the ascent of steps and the glass-door already made | devotedly and sincerely. I know all—eyery- memorable in the earlier portion of our narrative. thing | bP The door between the conservatory and the saloon! Yes, yes—you have already told me so,” said stood open ;—and by concealing himself behind the the Duke, his voice having again relapsed into that orange-trees and the rows of hot-house plants sepulchral hollowness of tone which was so dread- placed on an amphitheatrical stand, the Marquis ful to hear, and the yery sound of which would mm comicbooks-com '