The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 49: what you’re looking at

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

30 REYNOLDS’ WORKS which the human mind sometimes makes, she summoned up all her courage to her aid, and said to herself, ‘‘ How foolish, how childish of me! It could have been nothing but fancy.” And yet she could not persuade herself that it was so. The conviction was strong in her mind that she had seen something, but whether a spirit from the dead, or a living intruder, she could not tell. The superstitious fear which was still upon her prevented her from altogether repudiating the former belief, on account of the gliding noiselessness with which the form had hurried onward. For an instant she was half-inclined to seek Clarine’s chamber and acquaint her with what had happened, but the next moment she felt ashamed of even allowing such an idea to enter her head. She retired to rest, but 1t was long before sleep visited her eyes; and when slumber at length stole upon her, the whole dismal tragedy associated with the chateau was reénacted before her mental vision. When Lady Octavian Meredith awoke in the morning she hastened to draw aside the window draperies, and the bright September sun poured in so golden a flood of lustre that all her superstitious apprehensions were instantaneously dis- pelled, and she smiled at what she considered to have been her folly of the preceding evening. How glad she was now that she had not sought Mademoiselle Volney’s chamber with the history of her idle fears! ‘“Yes,’”’ said Zoe to herself, ‘ it was nought but the imagi- nation. The discourse I held with Rachel, the circumstance of conducting the girl to her own chamber, and the vivid con- juring up of the legend I had heard in the morning, —these were the causes which operated upon my mind, enfeebled perhaps somewhat by care and indisposition. Yes, truly it was nought but fancy on my part.” It was Rachel’s turn to take the morning duty at the toilet of her mistress, and when the abigail entered the chamber, she found Zoe more cheerful than she had been for some time past, for such was the natural effect of a relief from superstitious terrors. Not another syllable was exchanged upon the subject, and Lady Octavian proceeded to the breakfast-parlour, where she found Clarine, and where Monsieur Volney speedily made his appearance. Zoe could not help thinking that there was a certain dejection in Clarine’s looks, a certain despondency which she was en- ECORMICLIOO KS (E(0)