The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 268: what you’re looking at

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

THE MAIDEN’S BRIDGE 239 which human ambition could aspire to ascend. Looking back but for a comparatively short space of time, Isabella beheld herself a poor and humble dependent upon her uncle’s bounty, inhabiting an obscure lodging, and ap- parently without a friend in the whole world. Under such circumstances was it that she had first known him who was shortly to lead her to the altar. She had become rich before fortune smiled upon him, and her love had existed the same; not for a single instant had she hesitated to assure the poor and dependent Christian that her chiefest joy in inherit- ing wealth was that she might be enabled to bestow it all upon him, and thus the deepest gratitude had become blended with the love which he experienced for her. Then when fortune suddenly showered its choicest gifts upon Christian’s head, how rejoiced, oh, how unfeignedly rejoiced, was our young hero at his ability to prove that he was deserving of all that love which Isabella had cherished for him! Thus, never had the day fixed for the bridal of any young couple approached under more auspicious circum- stances; but before we arrive at the description of that bridal, it is necessary to mention a few incidents of an anterior date. Isabella was at Ramsgate when the intelligence reached her that the death of her cousin, the young Earl of Lascelles, and of her aunt, the countess, had suddenly put her in pos- session of all the wealth of the family to which she belonged. She immediately repaired to the mansion at Kensington, and was duly received as its owner. She was thus scarcely seventeen when she inherited that great wealth. The family solicitor, a man of the highest respectability, undertook the conduct of her affairs, and his professional duties were per- formed with the strictest regard to the best interests of his client. She remained altogether at Kensington until Christian went to Oaklands for the development of the grand but fearful events that were to put him in possession of a dukedom. Then Isabella determined to avail herself of the opportunity to visit her Bloomfield estate, which was situated at a distance of about thirty miles from London. Thither she repaired, and the domestics, together with all the tenantry, were assembled in front of the mansion to receive her. It was already known amongst them that the heiress was young and beautiful, but little had they expected GomiilGcyaooks (SO)