The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 100: what you’re looking at

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

THE GALLERY IN THE CHATEAU 81 father, the door of the chapel opened. and Marguerite made her appearance. I may as well observe, in order to avoid the interruption of my narrative hereafter, that Marguerite (as I learned that same night, for I knew it not before) was in the habit of occasionally visiting the chapel to say her prayers, for, as you are aware, dear father, her piety borders upon superstition.” “ And Marguerite thus surprised you,” said Monsieur Vol- ney, ‘“‘ with Alfred Delorme? ”’ ‘Yes, and she was more than astonished, — she was more than startled; she was horrified,’’ continued Clarine. ‘‘ She insisted that the viscount should at once take his departure. Vainly did he entreat, plead, and remonstrate; Marguerite was resolute, and she vowed that if he departed not at once, she would unhesitatingly make known his presence to you. All the favour that he could obtain was a permission to return on the following evening to explain those intentions which he was about to make known to me at the instant Marguerite so unexpectantly appeared. He went away, and I was left alone with Marguerite. She then began to up- braid me bitterly for what she termed the wickedness of my conduct. I besought her not to speak so harshly; the tears were streaming down my cheeks; she relented, and she em- braced me. But she bade me discard the image of Alfred Delorme from my heart; she told me it was criminal to love him, for that you, my dear father, entertained the horrible suspicion — But I will not more directly aliude to it. Suf- fice it to say that I myself was horrified. I consented, — yes, willingly consented, to abide by the dictates of Mar- guerite’s guidance, and she bade me pen a letter to Alfred Delorme, to the effect that everything must be considered to be at an end between us. On this condition — and on this condition only — would she agree to place upon her lips the seal of silence in respect to what had occurred. I penned that letter; yesterday morning I gave it to Mar- guerite, and last night she left it in the chapel, so that when Alfred Delorme should penetrate thither he might find it. She herself chose not to have an interview with him; she deemed it useless to learn what had been his intentions, inasmuch as she felt the impossibility of their being carried out.”’ ‘“ And it was after all Alfred Delorme,”’ said Monsieur COMMICLOO© cS (CO)