The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 368: what you’re looking at

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

UNCONSCIOUS REVELATIONS ood had been wont to take place with Madame Angelique, — Christina had reached that spot, we say, when there was a sudden rustling amongst the evergreens, and Lord Octavian Meredith stood before her. All in a moment our heroine’s fullest self-possession came to her aid, all her dignity was summoned up, and what she had last been thinking of in connection with the previous incident was absorbed in that of wounded pride, bordering on resentment, that the young nobleman should thus seek her after his solemn promise at Tudor Lodge. He himself was ashy pale, but labouring under a deep, concentrated, inward excitement; his white lips were compressed, his arms were folded across his breast, he stood confronting her with the air of one who sought an explanation, was determined to have it, and fancied that he had a perfect right to demand it. ‘We meet, Christina,” he said, “‘ for the last time,”’ and his voice sounded unnatural in its lowness and _hollow- ness. “ Our meeting of last night, my lord,’’ responded Christina, firmly, ‘‘ should have no sequence. Remember your pledge, — and you have broken it.”’ ‘“ Listen to me — listen to me but for an instant,” he said, with such concentrated vehemence that he seemed as if scarcely able to restrain the outbreak of feelings tremen- dously agitated. ‘‘ Circumstances would not permit me to depart until to-morrow, and I could not resist the tempta- tion of riding around into this neighbourhood, for accident made me aware of the place of your abode, which I never ‘knew till this morning. I met Sir Frederick Latham, and he spoke of you. That was how I learned your place of resi- dence. I did not mean to seek an interview with you, I respected my pledge, I intended to observe it. God knows,”’ he added, bitterly, ‘“‘it is more than ever my intention to keep it now, after what I have seen.”’ ‘“‘ What have you seen, my lord?” exclaimed Christina, indignantly, and then, the next moment, she was half- suffocated by the feelings which surged up into her throat; but she held back the words to which they would have prompted her to give utterance, for she was suddenly smitten with the conviction that it would be more dangerous and unmaidenly to vindicate herself by explanations than to EOMINGIOOKS (CO)