The Mysteries of London, Vol. IV — page 355: what you’re looking at

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oer re 350 TIN WYSTORIES OF LONDON. ° pf tc PC I ne a put to my intimate frind his lor-r-dship, and my —and he accordingly consigned me to the care of parthicular frind the baronet!” ejaculated Captain | Dr. Swinton—the old gentleman whom you saw in O’Blunderbuss, bestowing upon Frank’s ribs such an dressing-gown and night-cap at the foot of the unmerciful nudge with his elbow that the gentlo- stairs.” man who was made the recipient of tho said poke writhed horribly in his scat, lor-r-d, I mane,” added the gallant officer, who, in “An arrant ould scounthrel, I’ve no doubt,” “Prosade, sir—my interjected the Captain. “Tt was necessary, under the circumstances,” spite of his civility towards the nobleman and tho, resumed Trevelyan, “to fight Sir Gilbert’s enemies baronet, firmly believed that they were lunatics, aud’ with their own weapons, Cunning against cun-" had usurped titles to which they had not the slight- ‘ning—duplicity against duplicity! That was tho est claim nor right. ! plan I adopted; and I affected insanity so well, “Your companion asked me who were the luna- | that the Doctor was completely deceived.” tics,” suid Trevelyan, beginning to be somewhat as- “ Be the power-rs! this is excellent,” ejaculated tonished at the manner of his new friends: “well, Captain O’Blunderbuss. “It’s not ivery one that to tall yon the candid truth, myself and Sir Gilbert could desayve a mad-docthor so well.” TIeathcote were supposed to be—although I leavo “Y really believe that ho imagined mo to be as you hoth to judge whethcr thero could have been mad as a March hare,” said Trevelyan. the slightest ground for such an idea.” “O Lord !—O Lord!” murmured Frank Cartis; and again his hand, which he had withdrawn when tho captain nudged him, was thrust out of the win- dow to grasp the door-latch. "Are you unwell, my dear cir?” inquired Sir Gilbert Heathcote, in a cone of much concern—for, being seated procisely opposite to Curtis, le had heard the murmured ejaculations which had eseaped that individual’s lips, “Yos— very,” replied Frank, with a hollow groan. “Bo asy, thin, can’t ye?’ whispered tho Captain savagely in his ear, at the same timo favouring him with another barbarous nudgo in the ribs. “Oh! it’s nothin’ at all, at all, with my frind, I can as- sure ye, my lor-r-d and Sir Gilbert,” exclaimed the gallant officcr aloud: “lie’s throubled with whaz- ing in the throat when he's been afthor dhrinking an exthra dhrop of potheen—and may bo the imotion of the cab don’t quite agree with him, bad luck to his nonsense! Wel!, my lor-r-d, ye were afther telling us that your lor-r-dship’s ownself and Sir Gilbert were belaved to be the lunatics?” “Just so,” answered Trevelyan; “and had not the affair proved a very serious onc to my friend Mecathcote, I should be. inclined to laugh at the lu- dicrous manner in which it terminated, Ilcathcote was immured in that asylum under most treacher- ous circumstanees a short time ago—although, I need scarcely inform you, there was not the slight- est pretence for tho imputation of insanity om “ Bo tho holy poker-r{ and any ono that’s blind could sco that same!” ejaculated Captain O'Blun- derbuss. “O Lord!” again moaned Frank Curtis; and he slily and stealthily turned the handle of the cab door. “Determined to rescue my friend,” continued Lord William Trevelyan, “I induced two medical gentlemen, who are under some obligations to me, and whom I admitted into my confidence, to sign the necessary certificates to consign mo toa lunatic asylum——” ‘“‘O Lord—O Lord !” groaned Curtis, moro deeply than before; for even if ho had hitherto entertained ary doubt as to tho state of Trevelyan’s mind, the singular avermont just made was quite sufficient to confiim him in tho opinion that he was in company with adecided lunatic. “Wh: tho divvel ails ye, man?” growled Cap- tain FBlunderbuss, 4‘ Prosade, my lor-red, I’m dapelsintheristed in your lor-rdship’s narrative.” “ Hiving thus obtained the certificates,” con- inner Crovolyan, “I tutored my valet how to act rg nl gr gy te i TE AE PT Le Ey | “SN “And so you are!” yelled forth Frank Curtis, suddenly throwing the door wide open and making adcsperate attempt to leap from the cab, even at the risk of breaking his neck or fracturing his skull —for his terrors had risen to such a pitch that con- finement in the vehicle along with two persons whom he firmly believed to bo downright mad-men, had becomo uttorly uncndurablo:—but tho iron grasp of the Captain clutched him by tho back part of his collar jast as ho was on tho point of bounding franticly forth into the road—and hoe was com. pelled; not however without a strugglo, to resume his seat, This proceeding on tho part of Frank Curtis sud- denly opened the eyes of both Trevelyan and tho baronet to the impressions which tho recent pro- ceedings had unmistakeably and naturally made on tho minds of their new friends: as if a light had darted in upon them, they now comprehended tho eause of Frank Curtis’s singular manner almost cycr since they first entered the vehicle;—and they likewise perceived (though they did not rightly in- terpret) the courtesy which had not only rendered Captain O'’Blunderbuss so good a listener to the caplanations given by Trevelyan, but had also prompted him to silence and coerce his companion as much as possible. Accordingly, Trevelyan and Sir Gilbert Heath- cote simultancously broke out into such a hearty fit of laughter that Frank Curtis began to console himsolf with tho idea that thoy were at least harm- less; while Captain O’Blunderbuss sot them down as the merriest lunatics he had over encountered ix all his life, and joined with unfeigned cordiality in their glee. “ And so you really thought that we wero mad %” exclaimed Trevelyan, as soon as he could compose himsclf sufficiently to speak, “Oh! not at all, at all!” cricd the Captain. “Dut Mr. Curtis firmly belicves that we aro neither more nor less than Junatics’”’ said the’ young nobleman, enjoying the scene. Be Jasus! and if ho darrs insulth your lor, ,« dship and your lor-ra_ ~ -’s frind by even suspicting such a thing, he shall , ~ tomorrow mornin’ at twelve paces on V aon Common” es- claimed tho gallant and warlike gentleman. * Really you excite yourself too much in our be- half, Captain,” observed Trovelyan, who saw plainly enough that O'Blunderbuss was adopting just such a tono and manner es ono would use to conciliato and soothe lunatics. “Now tell us tho truth, my dear sir,” continued the young nobleman: “do you not think that if wo are actually and positively EConnicloooks (CO)