The Mysteries of the Court of London Vol. 7 — page 355: what you’re looking at

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

$42 immediately repaired to the mansion at Kensing- ton, and was duly received as its owner. She was thus scarcely seventeen when she inherited that great ‘wealth. The family solicitor—a man of the highest respectability—undertook the conduct of her affairs; and his professional duties were per- furmed with the strictest regerd to the best in- terests of bis client. She remained altogether at Kensington, until Christien went to Oaklands for the development of the grand but fearful events that were to put him! in possessign of a dukedom. Then Ieabella determined to avail herself of the opportunity to visit her Bloomfield estate, which was situated at a distance of aboyt thirty miles from Londop. Thither ehe repaired; end the do- mnesticy, together with ql] the tenantry, were sssem- bleu in froat of the mansion te receive her. It was already kpown amonget them that the heiress was young end beautiful : but little bad they expected to bebold one go beutiful. She wes cled in a raourning garb for those relatives whose death had enriched her; aud the sable garments ssamed ad- mnirgbly to set off the sylphid symmetry of ‘that tall slender figure which was so grapije and elo- gant. But the eweetness and atabijity of her manner, 69 she acknowledged the felicitations of her tenants and of her méniale, interested them evommores than the exquisite beguty of ber person ; and she was et ance endeared to their hearta. Boing already well acquainted with the affairs of the Bloomfield estate, she experienced infinite peasure in confirming the domeatics in their re- spective sifustions, and in dealing forth promises amongst the tenants, Improvements were to bo elfected at her own cost upon their Jande—leages abuut to expire were to be renewed on terms most advantageous to the recipients of these favours; and, in 9 word, thease who bad gathered to wel- come Misa Vincent's presence, hed eyery reason to be satisfies with her demeanour, her conduct, aud ler language towards them. On the day after ber arrival at Bloomfield, the youthful heiyess went furth, attended by her steward, to visit those pointe of intorest which belonged to the grounds immediately attached tv the mansion. She wished to see the sput where her cousig and her aunt had perished—and like- wise the village-church whefo their regains slum- bered in the fawily vault. Although the* wintry ecasvn was close at band, yet atill the sconery waa ‘sufficiently picturesque to interest Jsaballa; and her imagination could easily: supply the charms with which it was invested in the summer, As sho propeeded with the stewarc in the direction of tho acene of the tragedy, she conversed with him in respegt to its detail. “To tell you the truth, Miss,” seid the steward, “I purposely suppressed some few facts when examined at the Coroner's Inquest. I did not however wilfully tell uny fulsghoods : but I thought that the ‘family honoyr would be sayed by keeping back somo of the truth, And 0, as you doubtless read, Miss, 9 verdict of Accidental Degth was fe- turned— a there is every reasup to belipve that the truth was otherwise.” werp those facts: which you sup- it uirod Isabella, who could not poss- P : by aogry with the steward fur his conduct on cbr eapae mped. , inasmuch 6s his motives were purely pha _burror. THE MYSTERIEG OF THE COURT. “I happened, Miss, to be the frst to discover the tragic event,” he replied. “I hed some busi- nese to transact with Farmer Jobneon at bis house yonder-——yaqu see if near that windmlll, Miss. and [ was returning on horseback by the side of the dell, From a height overlooking that abyss, I perceived an object that st.once struck me as einister, I sprang from my harse—tastened the bridle to a tree-—and desoeaded igto the dell, As I with some dilficylty orept down the almast pre- cipitqus height, I discovered with horror end con- sternation what the object wag—or rather I should say what the objects were which had attracted my notice, There, ine abullow part of the stream— their farther progress stapped by atones, or frag- ments of the height which had fallen down—lay the young Karl and the Countess. The arms of her ladyship were claspad tightly around his nook : the hands were joined by the intertwining fingers as firmly as if they were an jron yice !” “ Guood heavens!” exclaimed Igabella, with a feeling of, horror and affright; “ what oould it hdve meant P Was it really a double suicide after all?—for a rumour, you know, to that effect pre- vaileti at the time, until the Coroner's Inquest set it wt reat.” “Tt must have been a double suicide, Miss,” answered the steward: “for how olse can we ac- count for the fact which I am relating ?” “ But suppose,’ suggested Isabella, “that the Conntoss might have first accidentally fallen into the stream—the Hurl may have precipitated hime self into the water to save her — she in hep desperation way have clung to him in the manuor in which you found them—and thus they both met with their death.” “It may have been so, Miss,” responded the stoward; ‘“‘aud I sincerely hope it was, for the sake of their souls’ repose. It would be better to be enabled to imagine that it was allan accident, rather than wilful self-destruction. At all events, it is certain that jt touk place from the bridge, which you will presently eec.’’ * And how was that certainty acquired P” askad Teqbejla. “ Because the Countess’s kerchief was after- wards found in the middle of the bridge; and « picce of her dress was fluttering to a nail thyt projected from the side of a plank. The kerchief itself had caught a splinter of an upright pust which supported tho rail jo the middie; and 16 was just there thet the piece of the dress wag fuund fluttering. het therefore wae tho spot whence the Counteus Lad plunged into the foam- ing tide beneath--but whetbor accidentally or wilfully is a point which perbaps can never be with oertitude cleared up. At all events, Miss, I was determined to auppress thet fact to which I have already alluded, and which could not buve failed tu strengthen the suspicion which prevailed at the timp that it was a suicide. The two furms were partly out of the water and pertly ia it, when [ found them. The countenance of her ladysbip was sfagularly placid and serone: that of the young Earl was expressive of an indescribable It seemed as if having died with that ex- pression upon his teatures, it romained indelibly stamped there. I separated the arme of the Ouun- teas from his neck; and I can assure you, Miss, it wae no vasy task; for the flagers were rigid, aud EO NOG SS (CO)