The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 101: what you’re looking at

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

82 REYNOLDS’ WORKS Volney, ‘‘ whom I saw last night stealing along the passage. It was he, too, whom your ladyship ’’ — addressing himself to Zoe — ‘‘ on two occasions beheld.”’ ‘‘ And now, my dear father,’ continued Clarine, not paus- ing to ask a question nor make a comment in respect to the words which Monsieur Volney had just uttered, ‘‘ can you pardon me for all that I have done? Oh, you know not how my heart was rent when in your study you delivered that solemn injunction in respect to Alfred Delorme. I longed to throw myself at your feet and confess everything, but I dared not. Again I ask, can you forgive me? ”’ ‘Yes, my dear child, I forgive you,’’ exclaimed her father; ‘from the very bottom of my heart do I forgive you.” Clarine threw herself into her sire’s arms, and for several minutes she remained clasped there, weeping upon his breast, and he himself weeping over her. The scene was full of an exquisite pathos, and Zoe was profoundly affected. ‘‘ Retire, my love, retire to your chamber,” said Monsieur Volney at length, and then he added, with accents of deepest fervour, ‘‘ And may Heaven bless you! ”’ ‘‘ But have you nothing more to say to me, dear father? ”’ inquired Clarine, upturning her looks toward Monsieur Vol- ney’s countenance, and with an expression of half-surprise, half-affliction on her features. ‘‘ Will you not put me out of all suspense — ”’ ‘“ Listen, Clarine,”’ interrupted her father, who after an instant’s air of anguish suddenly appeared to nerve himself with the fortitude requisite for the utterance of an inflexible decision. ‘‘ You may as well know the worst at once, and be relieved of all suspense. Clarine, my poor girl, doubly dear to me since that horrible suspicion has been banished from my mind, your union with the Viscount Delorme is an impossibility. God help thee, my poor child! ”’ These last words were spoken with the tremulous accents of deepest emotion, and they were followed by a sob which seemed to convulse Monsieur Volney’s breast. Clarine bent upon him a look full of unutterable misery, and then she fell senseless in the arms of Lady Octavian. Monsieur Volney, half-distracted, flew to fetch restoratives, and when he per- ceived that his unhappy daughter was slowly returning to consciousness, he pressed Zoe’s hand with nervous violence, saying, ‘‘ 1 cannot wait till she is completely restored. For I) ECORNICLIOOKS (E(0)