Rose Mortimer; Or, The Ballet-Girl's Revenge — page 129: what you’re looking at

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

THE BALLET-GIRL’S. REVENGE. This time there was no, misunderstanding it, A door was opened close beside her. At once anticipating some foul play, and danger in the event of discovery, the adventurous woman threw herself forward npon her face as far as possible from the opening in the panel. _ A vay of light was admitted which showed some strange doings. . A bloody corpse was thrust forward. The form of an old man, a domestic apparently from his apparel, and grasped by two remarkably white hands. : Those hands Clara St. John never forgot. The left hand, too, was remarkable for one cireum- stance. A rich diamond ring of priceless value was upon the little finger. Not the faintest glimpse could Clara catch of the person owning the white hand and the rich diamond. The body of the bleeding servant fell upon the prostrate form of Clara. “‘Ugh!” she exclaimed, burying her face in her hands. ‘‘ Horror, horror !?’ The warm blood of the body trickled upon her face, causing her a painful sensation. A feeling of horror never, never to be effaced from her mind until her dying day. ‘<< Great Heavens!’ she murmured, ‘This it too too fearful. Oh! horror }” CHAPTER XLIX, THE DARK PASSAGE — THE ASSASSINATION —A TERRIBLE COMPANION—HORRORS ACCUMULATE '—THE TALE OF BLOOD—THE SECRET CLOSET— EAVESDROPPING—THE PROJECTED JOURNEY— POISON DISCUSSED — CLARA’S RETURN — THE DEATH CLUTCH—MERCY—THE DYING SERVANT —CLARA’S NEW SCHEME—BUT HOW TO EXECUTE IT?—A PRISONER, ~ - W1TH an averted gaze Clara St. John endeavoured to thrust the bleeding corpse of the domestic from her. The pushing of the body near the hurt which had eaused the man’s death had a most terrifying effect. The blood spurted out like a water jet, sprinkling the face and clothes of the shrinking trembling woman. Clara St. John, as we have shown, was no novice in crime, and yet this caused her the most agonising feelings. ' | With her eyes closed she rose to her feet, and made for the spot whence the object of terror which she had now to endure so close beside her had been thrust. She at once, in spite of the terror conjured up, per- ceived how she had been so thoroughly mistaken with regard to the secret door. She had directed all her searches straight before her, and the secret door lay to the left. The secret spring was yet very difficult to discover. _ And now her search was continued in the utmost feverish haste. She would not retrace her steps after all she had ventured without gaining’ her purpose. No, let the horror, upon horrors here accumulate -until they deprived her of her reason, she, would yet keep to it until she had obtained some result, She struggled to repress a sickening sensation which was creeping over her. Snddenly a faint sound caught her ear. What was it? ) A sigh of agony—a faint’ but long-drawn wail of suffering. Glaza shivered from head to foot like one palsied. The bloody object yet breathed. Could it be this? But she never paused to see if she could render any assistance. No thought of sympathy or anything like female weaknesses troubled her. Another instant, and her fingers touched.a pro- jecting knob. A wild hope possessed her. It yielded to the touch, and the door which she had seen opened so shortly before, and for such a fatal office, again revolved, like the entrance to the passage from her own sleeping apartment, It opened into a small closet. Upon the right was asecond door, and this she was just about to pull open, when the sound of voices caught her ear again. She paused in the act. Listened eagerly, with her ear touching the door panels. ‘It is the earl!” An expression of triumph, almost of joy, passed over her countenance. She felt that she was about to learn the secret 'she had striven for. i Her reward for the horrors which she had ‘endured in that secret passage. ** Alice,”’ she could hear him say in low but_per- fectly distinct. tones. | ‘‘ Alice, one obstacle is now removed from;our path. Two only, remain to:be dis- posed of, and then we are free.”’ ii *‘True, Spencer,’ replied a familar ‘voice,; which Clara recognised as her cousin’s. iT ‘¢ All that remains to secure ‘to.us an undisturbed enjoyment of all this for which we. have yentured so much.”’ Clara started. “‘ Ventured so much,” she repeated deliberately, as if to infix it upon her memory the more effectually. Tt is dreadful, Spencer,” continued Lady Bellisle, so lowly that the listener with difficulty could dis- tinguish what'she said. ‘¢ What is ?” 66 Allthis.”’ “Tut, tut, Alice,’’ said the earl, with a sneer. “‘ You are growing scrupulous.” ‘“No, Spencer. Yet I feel. a horror of all ‘these crimes, believe me.” ce Pah Fad ‘¢ Spare me your sneers.’’: ‘ ‘* Pshaw, woman !” said the earl. ‘f If you continue to bore me thus eternally with your humbugging pricking of conscience, I shall wish myself heartily rid of the business.” The woman, his destined bride, uttered a cry of sorrow. “Ah, Spencer, how gladly would I resign all if it were only possible to undo what we have done!” e* Fool? ‘S Hush 12? “Your pardon,”? said the earl, coarsely. “‘ But you put too much upon my patience. We are in for it now. and it were worse than useless to. retract. It is impossible to undo the past.” “Alas! yes. But I do not. feel so sure of our security as. you appear to be.?? ‘* Pshaw! Wherefore ?”’ ‘** Do not two eye-witnesses of the—two eye-wit- nesses yet live?” “¢'Possibly.’? *‘ Nay, it is proved beyond a doubt.” ‘¢ What then ?”’ ! ‘Why, we are not safe one moment, and then—” ‘Nonsense! If they knew all, as you appear to think, why have they not yet spoken?” _ ‘IT know not.” | CORMMCE!OOO