The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 46: what you’re looking at

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

THE DUCHESS OF MARCHMONT 27 he exclaimed, ‘I thank thee, beloved Eliza, for these assurances. Go, my darling; the moment is come for us to separate. Go, and may a father’s blessing attend thee as a talisman to keep thy mind thus firm, thus nerved.”’ The young duchess was to a certain extent struck by her father’s look, manner, and words, which appeared somewhat singular, but Mrs. Bailey entered at the moment to announce that the carriage was in readiness. She embraced her sire again, she embraced her relative, also; and then issuing forth, found her husband ready to escort her to the mag- nificent equipage. And now she was seated by that husband’s side in the carriage with ducal arms emblazoned on the panels, sym- bolic of the almost princely rank to which that day she had been admitted as a partner. The four horses, guided and urged along by the two expert postilions, dashed through the streets, and in a short space London was left behind. Eliza, while responding with that pensive sweetness which had become habitual to her, to the remarks which the duke made, revolved in her soul all the details of the parting counsel which her father had given to her, and it was not very long before her presence of mind and her fortitude were put to the test. For in the course of an affectionate and endearing speech, the duke gave her to understand that they were on their way to the most splendid of his three country-seats, that it was situated in Hampshire, and that its name was Oaklands. A glacial thrill shot through her like an electric shock at the mention of that name, but she was so completely on her guard that her countenance betrayed nought of what was agitating within. In case, however, that it should, she looked from the window for a few moments, as if contem- plating the scenery by which they were passing, but she gazed on vacancy. Oaklands! that was the country-seat to which Bertram Vivian had repaired when he parted from her at Oxford, and it belonged to the family of which he himself was a scion. How, then, could it now be in the possession of the duke her husband? - | ‘““ We shall be there,”’ continued his Grace, ‘‘ completely by ourselves at first, and this seclusion, my beloved Eliza, I hope will not prove disagreeable or monotonous.”’ ‘““ Nothing, my lord,” she answered, with her accustomed eom (@) IDoOakKs (E(O)