The Mysteries of the Court of London Vol. 7 — page 339: what you’re looking at

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

curred unti] the grand disclosure at excite in their minds a suspicion that this story of their birth was otherwise than completely true. They were born at tho end of May, 1830; and their birthday had always been regularly kept by Mr. Ashton. Some time before he died, he had given them certain relics which he represented as having belonged to their deceased muther ; and these Christian produced. There was a long trees of raven hairsenext there was a beautiful gold watch of delicate fashiot and exquisite workmanship, with the cipher EK graven upon the case: then there were two rings, one of which was a wedding-ring—the other of peculiar work- manship, with the cipher B graven upun a stone. Christian proceeded to relate that about threo years previously Mr. Ashton had diefl suddenly, being stricken with an apdpleotic fit; and for some httle while after his death the twins eontinued to reside at the same house in the village. Then a oortain Mr, Joseph Preston—of whom they had somo little previous acquaintance, as ho wes a friend of Mr. Ashton’s—signified to them that they muet repair to London, so that they might be in the same city where he dwelt and that he might be enabled to attend to their welfare. He made them a liberal allowance, considering that their very reverse of being extravagant: but ho never gave thom any information relative to their private affairs nor the pecuniary circumstances in which they had been left; nor did he explain the views which, if any, he entertained with regard to their future position. At the expiration of a few months ‘Mr. Preston suddenly dieappeared; and the twins wore reduced to considerablo temporary difficultive. In anever to certain leadibg questions whioh were purposely put in order to elicit all the parti- culars that might bear upom his case,—Cbristian stated that be had recently been shown some papers represented to be in the handwriting of the late Mr. Ashton, and which regarded the cireumstance of the birth of himself and sister; and ho coul vouch that these papers were positively in the handwriting of the said deceased Me. Ashton. Depositivos of all that had vecurred at Oaklands in the month of September and beginurtat of Oc- tober 1829, were now put in and read Lords forming the Committee of Privileges. The next witness who wascalled, was avewering to the name of Jane Barclay. This was none other than she whom the reader has previously known as Cragy Jane: but she deserved the epithet no longer. Under a judicious system of treatment in the Louse of an eminent psycho- logical physician, she had completely regained her intellect; and the poor mad wanderer of many yeare had, through the liberality and kindness of Lord Clandon, become restored (® the posseasiun of all ber reasoning faculties. She was nuw de- cently, indeeg handsomely apparelled ; and though care, and suffering, and fatigues during that errant lite which ale bad led, had déstroyed the beauty with whick im ber youth she was endowed,—yot was hex aspect marvellously improved, and no une who: had known ber as Crazy Jane would have re- Oaklands, to | ore the ‘female THE MYSTERIES OF THE OOURT. the Duchess Eliza had intimated to her that she fancied she was in, a way to become a mother—but that she should not immediately inform the Duke thereof, ae she could not be altogether certain in eo early a stage of pregnancy. ‘In answer to quee- tions that were put to hor, Jane Barclay was posi- tively enabled tuo state that if the Duchess were correct in her idea, and if ‘she had really lived to become a mother, the time of ‘her confinement must have been about the very date mentioned by our young hero as that of the birthday of bimeelf and his twin dister. Jane Barclay was enabled to swear that the watch, marked with the letter E had belonged to tho Duchess Eliza: but she did not remember ever tv have geen the ring graven with the letter Bin the possession of her Grace. As for the wedding-ring, she could not of course pretend to assert’ that it was her ladyship’s, as there is so much similitude between the generality of such rings. The noxt*witness who appeared before the Com- méttee, wis a réspectable-luoking olderly woman, whu deposed that her name was Mra. Hutton, and thateshe had fur meny years resided in Oumber- land near the Scottish border. She perfectly well recollected that in the Autumn of 1829, a pentle. man and a lady arrived at her house, and that the lady made an arrangement for,her unoccupied apart- ménts. The lady seemed plungod into the decpost distress: the gentleman had a strango wild Jouk— and both wero youug. The gentleman took his departure almost immediately aft-r the engages ment for the rooms was made. As the now ludver came tutally uoprovided with any effects beyund thote which she had on hor—and as the circun- stances of their arrival, as well as their looks ex- cited her suspicion that thero was something wrong —Mrs. Hutton had listened at the door of the parlour where they bade each other farewell. She distinctly heard the youug gentleman say, “ Adieu, Hlisa, for ever /’—but she could not cdtch the reply which the laddy made. The gentleman went away. For some hours after he was gone, the lady sat statue-hike as if plunged into the decpest despair. After a while she inquired for a needle and thread : she took a small piece of velvet —~and therewith she made a little bag. Into this sho put her watch and her wedding-ring, as well as another tiog, which she took frum her bosoms she¢out off a long lock of her hair—which was of raven darkness; and this likewise she put into the little bag—wlHich she then sewed up. To the bag she attached a black ribbon, which she put round her neck, securing the bag in her busom. All this she did 1n the presence of Mrs. Hutton — not amidgt weeping, but in the silence of cold blank despair. When hor task was finished, she raised ber countenance, luoked at Mrs. Hutton, and said, “ This shall be for my babe, if I live to give birth to it. Tho contents of that bag may some day scrve as a vlue, if ever such be needed, when I shalt be dead and gone!” —Mre. Htton geutly asked, “4 clue to what 7"—whereat tho lady sud- deoly started up and fixed upon her a look so full of wild suspicion that she was frightened lest the unfortunate being was going mad. In the middle of the ensuing night the stranger lady—for she wants were small and that thir habits were the ., Skanes took place at Oaklands, in the year 1820, ; Mrs. Hutton now felt convinced that eoguiséd: her now as Miss Barclay. She deposed ‘had given no namo~—abruptly quitted the house, . 00 the fact that only a few days before the terrible leaving the front door wide open; so that gtiel bad ECOMRniclacae SS (CO)