The Mysteries of the Court of London Vol. 7 — page 257: what you’re looking at

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344 “ All these facts now speak for themselves,” sacd Lord Octavian, “after the knowledge we have pro- cured of the miscreant’s true character. But let us pursue the journey: the town where you ori- ginally to halt is but a few miles beyond the village where I first gave information to the sounfdipal suthority. It is no doubt at the town iteelf that the examination of the prisoners ‘will take place.” the journey wes resumed accordingly: the forest was traversed without interruption; and while the cavalcade was passing through it, the intelligence was communicated to the travellers that the whole of the band had been arrested by the gendarmerie and that Dame Roquette herself bad been teken into custody: so that all Lord Octavian’s moasures were thus shown to have been well taken and his policy was carried out with effect. wet. gig a CHAPTER CXXXII. ¢ FINHTTE. * MsBypiru’s idea was correct in respect to the place where the examination of the prisoners was to be conducted. The band consisted of about a dozen persons, most of whom were woodmen in- habiting the forest, and who during the daytime appeared to be engaged in the most peaceful pur- suits. They had been organised by De Margaux himeelf; and under his leadership they had con- ducted all their proceedings with so much caution and prudence that the eye of suspicion had never once settled on any of these individuals. Often- times had they carried their depredations to a con- siderable distance,—-their absence from their homes even for several days being unnoticed in a vast forest-district where every hut was isolated, and where the rural police seldem passed through the same quarter of the shady wilderness more than once or twice in the course of a week. It may be asked by the reader what advan the woodmen reaped by performing the parte Uf banditti when the necessities of their position com- pelled an outward show of poverty and forced them to a continual existence in those wretched hovels? And again it may be inquired what good Dame Roquette did herself by her connekion with the band?’ We may commence our explanations by stating that at the cottage of every criminal arrested on this oocasion, considerable sums of money were fuund hidden in various places: sup- plies of wines and spirituous liquors were also dragged forth to light; and on the shelves of cup- boards, luxuries appeared where only the most frugal fare might have been expected to meet the eye. Thus the members of the banditti had an interior luxury of their own, veiled by the dila- pidated walls and wretched thatghed roofs of their dwellings: they had the means of rioting in sen- suous enjoymeat—-while the isolated position of each amidst the mases of that forest, with no jealous neighbour's ourious regards ever upon the watch, averted all suspicion. Then they aceamulatid treasure; and their wily chief had phed’-to them that when they had all ex- vichéd? ves they could one by one depart to : obhek’ 6 enjoy their ill-gotten wealth for the a re ey ae qa aque di ¢ THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. remainder of their days. It would seem that the attack upon the bridal party was intended to be the last exploit of the kind: it was expected to reap a considerable harvest thereby; and several of the band hed arranged for a precipitate de- parture from the forest on the following day. Their hopes were however frustrated and their iniquitous career was cut short, through the wisdom and presence of mind of Lord Ootavian Meredith. ° ¢ The bridal party reached in safety the town where ions were made for ite reception at the principal hotel; and on the following dey Lord Octavian, Viscount Delorme, and the notary at- tended before the authoritics to make their re- spective depositions in the criminal cases then pending. The false Baron De Margaux had re- covered all his wonted hardihood when brought up into the presence of the examining magistrate,— though he studiously kept his eyes averted from that part of the crowded police-office which was allotted to the witnesses. There were two distinct cases to be entered into. One was the murder of the two postilions and Ooctavian’s valet: the other was the wneditated attack upon the bridal party. In respect to the former crime, Meredith was the only witness; and his evidence tended merely to criminate the false Baron and Dame Roquette, in- asmuch as he could not possibly signalise amongst the band those individuafs who bad assisted in that stupendous enormity. The false Baron and the infamous old woman were accordingly ordered to be committed for trial on that capital charge. In respect to the other offence, the fact of the as- semblage of the entire gang was sufficient to in- culpate them all; while Meredith, Delorme, and the notary were enabled to give their several testi- monies. [¢ was Lord Octavian, however, whose evidence was most, important,—that of Delorme and the notary merely tending to show under what circumstances the false Baron had joined. their party at the old Chateau and subsequently tra- velied with it. The result was that th€ entire were committed for trial on the second charge; and that the whole posse of prisoners were sent off under a strong escort of gendarmerie to the prison of the principal assise town in the dis- trict. It is our purpose to follow the false Baron De Margaux for the present. Arrived at the prison, he was separated from his companions; and being heavily ironed, was lodged in a cell by himeelf. The prison was situated on the outekirt of the town: @ portion of it was the remnant of an old castle; and there was a deep moat on that side of the building. De Margaux's dungeon was in a round tower oveflooking the moat, the stagnant water ‘of which washed its foundations. A single window, with massive iron bars, afforded air and light; and the prisoner through his window could behold the open country stretehing far away. There was a court-yard belonging to that portion of the prison to which the tower iteelf pertained ; and there, «¢ stated hours, the captives were per- mitted to take exercise. Two sentinels were fure nished by the garrison of the town to keep watch upon the gaol dey and night. One sentinel paced in front of the principal entrance 3 the other was sta- tioned on the opposite side of the moat to which we have already alluded. ieee Wiener ECOMRniclacae SS (CO)