The Mysteries of the Court of London Vol. 7 — page 77: what you’re looking at

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

; f bead clear: for it can assuredly be no ordinary 18 @aster on which your lordship is about to speak.” i 64 acquainted with every inch of the ground ; and be soon reached the spacious gardens belogging to the ducal country-seat. He halted at the pedi- ment of a particular statue; dod there in a few minutes he was joined by the old steward Purvis. - Only a few words were exchanged between them; and they proceeded together towards the mansion. ‘They reached a large greenhouse or conservatory, which was built against the length of one entire side of the edifice, and into which the windows of a suite of three rooms opened. The reader will therefore understand that there were eans of communication from those rooms with She conservatory: but we must add that there was likewise a door opesing from the conservatory itself into the garden. It was towards tis door that Purvis and Mr. Redoliffe proceeded ; and the old stoward opened it by means of a key which he had taken care to have about him. Mr. Redcliffe entered: Purvis gently closed the door behind him~—and hurrying away, re-entered the mansiop by another mode of ingress. ta Into the conservatory looked the windows of the dining-room that was used on ordinary ooca- sions, as well as those of the librarf and billiard. room. From one of these apartments only were lights now shining; and this was the dining-room. Within that room two individuals were seated at a table covered with dessert and wine: these indi- viduals were the Dake of Marchmont and the Hon. Wilson Stanhope. Mr. Redcliffe advanced cautiously and noise- lessly—-amidet the rare exotics, the choice plants, and the tropical trees with which the conservatory was crowded — towards the window which was nearest to the table where the Duke and his guest were seated. The draperics were so far drawn over all the windows that they only suffered the light to penetrate through parrow openings; and thus, as the reader will understand, the casements themeelves were almost completely veiled from the eyes of those who were seated inside the apart- ment. Through the opening in the curtains Mr. Redcliffe noticed them; and with the utmost cau- tion he unfastened the casetnent. Doubtless he had been already informed by Purvis that he might risk this much; and he had also received the assurance that the casement would yield to his touch. It did so: and opening it to the ex- tent of two or three inches, he could now over- | b hear whatecever passed betwixt the Duke and bis guest. So well built was the conservatory, and so warm was the air therein from the effect of arti- ficial heat, that no draught could penetrate through the o of the casement; and thus there was nothing to the Duke or Mr. Stanhope to sus- pect that the window was open ab all. We must add that Stanhope sate with his beck to Mr. Red- cliffe; and consequently the Duke of Marchmont had his face towards him. . : “And now will your Grace at length be ez- plicit ?’ inquired Stanhope, as he filled his glass from one of the exquistely out decanters. | “Let us take a little more wine,” Duke, “ before we get to the dry details of business.” “So far from taking say more wine,” said Wilson » “TI I ought to keep my Fd 6 ee. GE .2e SHE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. “I admit that it is important,” rejoined. the Dukes “I have already told you so.” “ But more important, I fancy,” observed Stan- hope, “ than your Grace has hitherto given me to understand. At first you were to enter into ex- planations the other night at the Clerendon Hotel, when I dined #ith you-——” ,; “TI do-not think that I promised to be explicit on that occasion,” anstwered the Duke, “I merely told you that after our wihe, on that particular evening, I would take and introduce you to your intended mistress, the beautiful Marion; and I ful- filled my promise. Ina word, Stanhope, I have been true to every promise I made you; the five hundred pounds were paid into a banker's to your account———"”” “Yes, my lord,” interrupted Stanhope, “ you have done all this; and it is because you have done so much that I can judge of the importance of the service, whatever it may be, in which you seek to engage me, ‘You could not, or you would not, tell me in London: but you make an appointment for me to meet you privately down here-——" “To be sure!” ejaculated Marchmont,—“ where we could dine together téte-d-téte, as we have done —and where without fear of being interrupted or overheard, we may discuss the service that I need at your bands.” . “And now, the sooner, that discussion com- wiences, the better,” observed Stanhope. “I am open to almost anything: but I love not suspense. It is like groping one’s way in the dark———And, ah! by the bye, my lord, I hope that whatsoever new task you are about to confide to me, will not be baffled and defeated so completely as the former one was——-I mean with respect to that affair of the Duches——” “ Enough |” interrupted the Duke impatiently. “Think you that I could for a moment misunder- atand your meaning ?” “And now with regard to the present busi- ness?” said Stanhope. * You are a man,” resumed the Duke of March- mont, “ of expensive habite—acoustomed to luxu- rious living; and the sum of five hundred pounds which I paid into your account the other day, will prove but as a drop to the ocean in comparison with your lavish mode of expenditure. Indeed, you are a man, Stanhope, who ought to be able to reckon your money: by thousands instead of by € “If all this,” exclaimed Stanhope, “is to lead to the assurance thet your Grace can put me in the way of gaining thousands, it will assuredly be the most welcome intelligence that I shall have heard for a very long time past.” “It is the truth that I am telling you!” re- joined the Duke of Marchmont: and then he added after a pause, in a lower tone, and fixing his looks significantly upon his guest, “It is not five, nor ten, nor fifteen thousand that I should hesitate to place ia your hands, if you could only accomplish the aim which I have in view.” Redcliffe fancied that Wilson Stanhope the | must have been astounded by this announcement: for althougt he ae a judge tr individual’s face, he ne manner, ©: well as by bis prolonged silence, that he was gesing in a sort of stupefied amasement upon the Duke of Marchmont. As for the Duke himself, be kept ECOMRniclacae SS (CO)