The Mysteries of the Court of London by Pauline Clarendon — page 392: what you’re looking at

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

THE HONOURABLE ARTHUR EATON © 389 countered in carrying out your design. Profound and sin- cere as was Fernanda’s love for you, deep and fervent as it must have been to enable you to triumph over her virtue, it nevertheless survives no longer.’’ ‘And she hates me — she hates me! ”’ exclaimed Arthur, a hectic tinge appearing, faint and evanescent, upon his cheeks. “ Oh, yes, your ladyship need not attempt to con- ceal the truth from me, for I am well acquainted with Fernanda’s disposition; I can imagine every. phase of her character. Ardently as she has loved, with equal bitterness can she hate. In the same way that she would surrender her life to prove her affection, so would she make any sacri- fice to wreak her revenge. You see that | understand her well; and I know that I have wronged her, cruelly wronged her. But, as God.is my Judge, I loved her in the beginning as fervently as she loved me, and she became the victim to no settled scheme of seduction. My crime was not premedi- tated; in the ardour of an impassioned moment I became too bold, and she too weak, and her dishonour was the result. And it was not altogether because I had thus experienced the rights of a husband without having bestowed on her the title of a wife, — it was not on this account alone that I began to repent of my vows and pledges; but it was also because her imperious disposition would brook no control, because, in her changing humours, she sought to render me the victim of her caprices, and because her jealousy and suspicion knew no bounds.” The Honourable Mr. Katon paused to gather breath; for the animation with which he spoke had exhausted him. “JT will frankly and honestly confess,’ he resumed, at length, “ that were I still in the full vigour of youthful health, I should not perhaps have sought to make amends to Fer- nanda for the injury I have inflicted upon her. I do not be- lieve that we were formed for each other. The more our respective thoughts, feelings, habits, and passions were dis- played and developed to each other, the greater appeared the dissimilitude between our minds, the more marked grew the unfitness of our union. But now,’ he continued, in a tone of deep pathos, “‘ now that the tide of my existence is so rapidly ebbing away, bearing on its bosom all the relics of a youthfulness so early wrecked, the shattered remnants of my affections, my hopes; and my aspirations, now, in a GOMGIOOKS (GO)