The Young Duchess; or, Memoirs of a Lady of Quality — page 322: what you’re looking at

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

Ne a —_- i osgee a 308 have it in their power to give me the information —or they will not. If it be the latter, a painful interview will have taken place for nothing.” “ But if the former ?” asked the Frenchman. “ Oh, then of what avail for me to discover who my parents are? Ils it not most probable that I was the child of shame ?—or else wherefore the mystery with which my parentage was enveloped ? And this being so, shall I put myself in the track of discovering a mother who will have to blush in, a two-fold sense ?—yes, blush for her own shame in the presence of .her daughter—and blush to ac- knowledge a’ ‘daughter ‘who is herself steeped to the very lips:in shame!” - “ ‘Extraordinary girl!” ejaculated Ponchard, gazing upon Hester with mingled astonishment and admiration. . “ And therefore,” she continued, not heeding the interruption on his part, complimentary to herself though it were—“ and thus,” she said, ‘it would be a source of sorrow instead of. happiness’ for me to discover ‘the’ secret of my birth ;—and at all events Iwill not :run the risk of plunging a dag- ger into the heart of a mother !” “But on.the other hand, Hester,” said Pon- chard, ‘is it not possible that a mother may be yearning for a daughter ?—and even if you be the child of shame, you may yet be dear to the parent who would behold in you the pledge of her un- requited love for another! Or is it even impos- sible that you may be the offspring of a secret mar- riage, over which circumstances no longer render it compulsory or expedient that the veil of mystery should be thrown? and may not fond parents be pining in bitterness for the lost child whom they would now so gladly welcome to their arms? , In any case,” pursued the Frenchman, who saw that the girl was becoming more and more. deeply touched by:the ‘language he. was addressing unto her,—‘‘in any case, it would be as well for you to ascertain whatsoever, particulars’ these old women may be.enabled to furnish relative to your birth—supposing them to possess any knowledge upon the point at all;—and it will then be~for you to judge whether you choose to prosecute the inquiry any. farther, or whether you shall stop short at‘some: particular point.” “True!” said Hester, in a low murmuring tone: “true! . The, advice is good !—And you who give it to me,” she. ejaculated abruptly; darting a quick look upon the Frenchman’s coun- tenance, ‘‘must be my friend and well-wisher! You cannot be otherwise!”—and. now she fixed her gaze upon him, as if by the reading of his features she sought to find corroboration for the opinion she had just uttered, or else’ that she might be enabled to undeceive herself altogether. ; “Tam your friend, Hester—I swear that I am!” he emphatically responded.. ‘And now retire to your own roon—think over all that has been said—and prepare for an interview - to- ‘morrow with those women,—an interview which may probably produce results of no mean import- ‘ance to yourself ?” The young woman said not a word i in reply ; but she bent upon Ponchard a look of unmistak- able gratitude—she seized one of his hands, and pressed it with fervid violence—and the next in- stant she glided from the room. parentage—will it not? Well, they will either were not: appalled ! that might be seen there ! chopped in pieces—the - ‘flesh hacked and hewed e0ff, and disposed of by some means or another— any, portion of it. copper until all the flesh came from the bones ; THE YOUNG DUCIIESS; OR, MEMOIRS OF A LADY OF QUALITY, i CHAPTER LXIX. THE BRIDGE. Henri PoncuArp looked at his watch : it wat now a quarter to eleven 7) ‘clock: ; ; and he said to himself, ‘It is time,” | _ He descended. gently into. die scullery, where he, found Mr. .and,Mrs. Grills ; and a glance at ~ their proceedings ‘showed him that they were making all requisite preparations for the next step ‘towards the complete _ concealment of the corpse. — ‘“ Well,” said the woman, as Ponchard. inade | his appearance, : what do you make of Hester now?” =... “ That she has a suspicion ‘of some sort or an- other, I feel convinced,” replied the Frenchman ; but whether it amounts to any actual knowledge or not, I cannot say.” ,. ‘Then gwhat’s tobe done?” demanded Grills savagely. CTE woula be. a. deuce of a thing if we was to get-into any trouble after, all the pains we've teok Me “ Bear nothing,” Sritereuned Péadiard” “ Cir- cumstances have given me some insight not only into Hester's strange character, but - also into her past history’; ; and I have obtained a sort of hold upon her—no matter how nor what it is 7 “Well, Grills,”, said. his wife, “if so be the genelman i is, satisfied, what's the use of bothering ourselves any more upon the pint ?” “Not .a-bit,” answered the man in his gruff voice. ‘So there’s a end of it.” We must now direct the reader’s attention to the proceedings in which the horrible man and woman were occupied-at the moment when Pon- chard: thus joined them. A revolting spectacle was before them: but they recoiled not from it! Hideous objects lay upon a table: but they ‘The fragments of a. human form !—these were scattered there! But heavens ! what appearances did they wear! The table of the anatomist never could have displayed ghast- lier horrors !—the work which the scalpel does on behalf of science, ‘would be deemed pleasant and agreeable to the eye, in comparison with the re- sults of dark expediency and criminal precaution | The bones sawed or “the disjointed, severed. parts flung pell mell about, —-this was the spectacle that presented itself ! But the head of the deceased was not there ; nor It had been boiled in the and then the bones themselves had been burnt — and this was the precaution, 30 deliberate and so -horrible, that had been taken to prevent the iden- tity of that corpse from ever being: established ! And in that same copper the flesh.which had been hacked and hewed away from, the bones, had like- wise been boiled down ere thrown away along with the usual household refuse. The chemical know- ledge of Ponchard had furnished the means of destroying every disagreeable odour during the appalling process. But we will not linger at unnecessary length upon this revolting scene we will hasten to.in- — form our readers that the corpse, or rather the | a pn rp er ll iN o # . COMO oO S.co@m