The Young Duchess; or, Memoirs of a Lady of Quality — page 318: what you’re looking at

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eet 304 favourable. ‘‘ Nothing suspicious in that quarter —you know what I mean 2” ‘* What! Hester?” said Mrs. Grills. ‘“No— nothing to fear there. The ‘gal has no more idea of what’s been going on in the house for the two last nights than the man in the moon—and p’rhaps not half so much,” added the woman, with a coarse laugh. “That is to say,” observed Ponchard inquir- ingly, ‘‘she is just the same as usual ?” “Except that she complained a good deal of headache to day,” responded the woman, ‘and wouldn’t take no brandy.” ‘‘ But did she go out ?” asked Ponchard. “Yes she went and took a walk; but I did as you told me—I followed her at a distance. I took very good care she shouldn’t see me——” ‘‘And there was nothing peculiar in her pro- ceedings ?” asked the Frenchman. “ Did she look about her as if she thought she might be watched ?” ‘Not a bit of it,” replied Mrs. Grills. * Did she go into any place where she might meet any one unknown to you ?” ‘She never entered any house at all, not even so much as a shop; and I'll take my hoath,” added Mrs. Grills, helping herself to some brandy, “ that she did not speak to a policeman.” ‘‘ Has she mentioned my name since the night before last ?” inquired Ponchard. “6 Well, I don’t think she was the first to men- tion it,”” resumed Mrs. Grills; ‘‘ but this morning, at breakfast-time, I said something, as if quite promiscuous—and I watched the al, but her face never changed.” ‘** She dropped her roll, though, at the moment, now I recollect,” said Grills. ‘Stuff and nonsense! it was an accident,” ex- claimed the woman. ‘‘ Trust me for knowing how to tell what’s. passing in people’s minds by their looks—pertikler young gals such as Hester. I said you was likely to be here this evening, sir ; and 1l’m sure she never suspected for,a moment that you was here the best part of; all last night.” Henri Ponchard was reflecting deeply; and he gave no immediate answer to the information he had just received. Though daring and intrepid, yet was he of all men the very first to adopt as many precautions as possible; and it was that very self-possession on his part which constituted the cautiousness of his disposition, even when he might appear to be callous, flippant, or indifferent in certain circumstances. “What isit you're thinking on?” asked Mr. Grills, at length breaking the silence which for some minutes prevailed. 6é Hester dropped her roll when my name was m4 THE YOUNG DUCHESS 5 tioned ?” said Ponchard thoughtfully : ‘' Hester pa a headache, and would not drink brandy ? ester “went out for a walk, and went wandering about in a sort of vague uncertain manner ?” “‘T didn’t say so,” interjected Mrs. Grills, with a slight expression of alarm upon her bloated countenance. ‘‘ Perhaps not,” observed Ponchard; “ and per- haps I may be wrong. But I do not like the aspect of the thing. In a word, I suspect the girl.” “By jingo!” said Grills, in a low, savage, concentrated tone, as he clutched a knife that lay upon the table: Gt] thought—— ee OR, MEMOIRS OF A LADY OF QUALITY, ~ —_ ++. ‘“‘ Nonsense !” ejaculated Mrs. Grills: “ I don’t for a moment believe there’s anything wrong about the gal. If I did, I shouldn’t be fool enough to blind my eyes to it, because it might just be the weiry same thing as wilfully thrusting one’s neck into a halter. But of course when people are en- gaged in things, that might get them into trouble, they’re always suspicious, and they make mole- hills into mountains. It’s like poor timid cree- turs which sees ghostesses when if they went straight up to’em and touched ’em they'd prove to be postesses. For my part I’m no more afeerd of Hester than I am of that strange cat which came a-sniffin’ in at the scullery door last night when you was cutting up the rest of the stiff’un.” “And I don’t say I’m afeard,” interjected Mr. Grills ; “but what I meant is that if so be there’s any risk to run on the part of that gal, why the sooner she’s put out of the way the better.” The Frenchman gave a sudden start, and the word “ miscreant !” in his own language wavered for a moment upon his lips: but quickly compos- ing himself, he said, ‘No, no! not for the world! At all events such a crime should not be perpe- trated unless it were to be found absolutely ne- .cessary. In politics one cares not how the blood of tyrants or traitors may be spilt; but apart from that However, no matter!” and he sud- denly checked himself; for contrary to his habitual caution, he was giving audible vent to his musings. ‘ But at all events,” he said, turn- ing towards Mrs. Grills, “you ought to know Hester. better than I; and if you are satisfied that she is all safe, it is not for me to give way to mis- givings.” “Tm go satisfied,” answered the woman, “ that I don’t flinch a bit from what I’ve got to do pre- sently.” “Well and bravely spoken !” cried Ponchard. “‘ At all events when once the business is finished according to our plan, there will be nothing to fear. It’s the English law that the remains of the dead must be discovered and produced—aye, and identified too, by some means or another— before a charge of murder or complicity therein can be sustained. Well,” added the Frenchman, with a grim smile, ‘‘I think we have destroyed the identity of Ivan Zadouski ‘* You have at least!” interjected Mrs. Grills, with a chuckle. “Ah! what a thing it is to be a surgeon !” “It ain't a bad name which we sometimes gives the genelmen of your profession,” remarked Mr. Grills. ‘‘ We calls ’em sawbones.” ‘But as I was saying,” pursued Ponchard, ‘we have destroyed the identity of the deceased ; and by midnight at latest let us hope that all the remains will have been consigned whence they are never likely to be fished up.” ‘‘ And after all,” said Mr. Grills, “ me and my old ’ooman here had nothink to do with the killin’ of the Polish genelman.” ‘‘Ah, my good fellow,” exclaimed Ponchard, ‘don’t begin talking in that strain, or else I shall think your courage is failing and you want to sneak out of the business.” “ Not I, by jingo !"—and Mr. Grills gave vent to two or three other imprecations of a nature not to be expressed in print. “So much the better,” resumed Ponchard a A SET TTL EO SS IEE. fT cE TPT OP veer, oO Connicloooks Colin