Rose Mortimer; Or, The Ballet-Girl's Revenge — page 146: what you’re looking at

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

; 140 ‘¢ She’s a dead ’un now, for a thousand pounds, your honour.” ‘“Pshaw! Pullaway, and there may yet be achance of saving her.’’ ‘It’s a warm job, and I count on your honour’s generosity.” “Of course, of course,’ answered the Arab. Half a crown if we fail—five pounds if you succeed in saving her life.”’ ‘¢ Five pounds ?”’ “Yes.” ““ Down?” te¥ O8e- Without another word the boatman bent double, burying his oars deep in the water, and pulled with such a will that the boat appeared to be lifted clean out of the water. “‘Stay,’? said Mermet. spot.”’ ‘Yous, bitea “‘ What’s that ?” ‘Oh! that’s nothing but a buoy.”’ ‘©] don’t mean that. There’s something white— just there.” ‘°T see.” He turned round and pulled sharply to the spot. They found it to be simply a piece of light silk clinging to the chain of the buoy to which the boat- man had at first presumed his fare to be alluding. ** Ah!” cried the necromancer. ‘‘Thisis something like evidence.”’ ‘¢ What’s that, sir ?” But Mermet was too much engrossed by his own thoughts to notice what the boatman said to him. “Yes, yes!” he continued. ‘‘ This is indeed hers. I have seen her wear such a dress as this. There now is no doubt.’’ He was here startled into his presence of mind by a remark of the boatman. ‘‘ What, sir! Do you know the young party as jamped overboard ?”’ ‘Oh! What? No, no. I was merely passing in a cab over the bridge, and I saw—but no matter for that—see if we can recover the body which has disap- peared about here.”’ ‘If she fell athwart that chain, sir, she’s as good as smashed.”’ Mermet ae not appear at all troubled about the suicide’s sufferings. It was only her death which could spoil her en- tirely ! ‘¢ What’s that ?”’ Both spoke together. Both had perceived some dark object rise slowly to the surface of the water upon the other side of the _ buoy. It was a human head. ‘6 Tis she !?’ ‘By Heaven it is!’’ They spoke in hoarse hasty whispers now. The presence of death generally awes the most callous. It was but an instant that the head—that alarming token of the suicide’s grave—appeared. Then it was gone again. For a second the boatman paused irresolutely. He was as Startled as if he had seen some ap- parition. Mermet saw with an eagle glance the fellow’s in- decision, and hastened to remove it. “Twenty pounds if she is saved!” he ejaculated. “I’m after her!’’ cried the boatman, in the same undertone. " Hastily shipping his oars, he sprang over the boat’s side, and disappeared with a plunge beneath the muddy waters. ‘¢ This should be about the ROSE MORTIMER ; OR, But now a misfortune occurred to the necromancer, The boat, so suddenly released of its burthen, rocked ominously. Mermet, rather startled, hastily endeavoured to turn it by jumping to the other side, and his weight, added to the side of the boat when the reaction of the rocking upon that side was already so great, caused it to cap- size altogether. The next instant the necromancer was scrambling in the water, and looked in great danger. ‘Help! help!” he cried. “TI drown! help !” And now matters look serious. Three human souls are struggling in the Thames, and it appears more than doubtful if either will be saved! We shall see. Help! CHAPTER LVI. CLARA’S SEARCHES — A NEW DISCOVERY —A FORMER MYSTERY EXPLAINED—THE SUBTER- RANEAN PASSAGE — THE DEATH CHAMBER — FAMILY RECORDS — THE TRAIL OF BLOOD — THE SECRET DRAWER—STILL ON THE TRAIL— THE SCREEN—THE RECESS—THE WRITING ON THE WALL—THE ASSASSIN’S NAME—CONCLU- SIVE EVIDENCE. QuITTING Mermet the Arab necromancer for a while at this critical juncture, we must take a further glance at the movements of Clara St. John at Sloeford House. By slow degrees the old servant recovered. — The hurt he had received was serious, yet by con-~ tinued care and unremitting attention upon the part of his self-elected nurse, Clara St. John, he proceeded by slow yet none the less sure degrees towards conya- lescence. The Earl of Sloeford and his cousin, Lady Bellisle, had departed. Clara St. John and her new spouse, Edgar Deyille,- reigned supreme in Sloeford House. The old steward was kept out of the way, and Clara was not a little surprised at the indifference manifested by the household as to his disappearance. She took an opportunity, therefore, of questioning one of the servants upon the matter. Clara was of course far too smart to put a ques- tion of this nature plainly to any one. She contrived to lead the servant to it naturally, and then pro- fessed ignorance of the person of the old steward even. “T think that I’ve missed somebody, Parker,” she began. ‘* Missed, miss? Whom do you mean ?” “* One of the servants.” “Oh! you mean old Martin, perhaps.” ‘’ Ah! perhaps.” : “Oh! he’s gone away. My lady sent him off to Scotland for the benefit of his health. He’s been in a very bad way ever since my lord, the late earl, was found murdered in his bed. It seemed to shake him so, and—’’ “But I don’t really know of whom you speak, Parker,”’ said Clara St. John, with a well-feigned look of wonder. ** Of old Martin the steward.” ‘Steward? Oh! no, I mean a gardener—a young man with light hair.’ ; ‘Oh! I know, miss. You mean Brock. Red whiskers, ain’t he, miss ? Robert calls ’em ‘ Brock- ley sprouts ’—ha, ha!”’ Clara cut the ehatterer short. u Comicoooks. conn O ——— oe | i