The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 348: what you’re looking at

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

AMY 317 Amy, without seeing you, although my time is not com- pletely my own.” The unfortunate young woman had instinctively risen on the entrance of one whom she regarded as a superior, and then her condition was at once revealed to his view. His sense of delicacy as well as his generosity however prevented him from betraying that he noticed the circum- stance, and in the same considerate mood he at once glided into discourse upon the current topics of the day. He was almost sorry that he had intruded upon the young woman’s privacy, painfully situated as she was, but he had presented himself there with a kind motive, for the tale she had told him in the railway carriage had enlisted his sympathy on her behalf. “You can no longer be ignorant, Mr. Ashton,’ Amy at length said, while her countenance was suffused with the glow of mingled shame and indignation, “ of the reason which led me into this seclusion. I am unhappy — so unhappy, Mr. Ashton, that were it not for the sake of revenge I should not cling to life. But, oh, revenge will be so sweet, — and deadly indeed shall its nature be when the proper time for wreaking it arrives!” “Great. though your wrongs have been, Amy,” said Christian, in a tone of gentle remonstrance, “‘ think you that you do well thus to keep your mind in a state of incessant excitement by brooding over this hoped-for vengeance? ”’ ‘““ It has become to me the sustaining food of existence,”’ answered the unfortunate young woman, “ and if I perish on the scaffold I will have the hfe of that man. Unless indeed it be possible to wreak some vengeance which he may live to feel —”’ ‘“For Heaven’s sake, Amy, speak not in this dreadful manner! ”’ exclaimed Christian. ‘To talk of taking the life of the Duke of Marchmont displays a frightful reckless- ness in respect to your own life.” “And what have I to live for?’’ demanded the young woman, with even a fierce sternness. ‘“‘ Not for the child that will be the offspring of mingled outrage and shame. No,” she added bitterly, ‘‘ I loathe and abhor it even before it is born.” “ You will think differently,” said our young hero, ‘“‘when the babe nestles in your bosom.”’ CORANICLOO© cS (CO)