The Mysteries of the Court of London Vol. 7 — page 82: what you’re looking at

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

at once bade her banish all alarm from her mind, for that she was where she would be taken care of well: she then showed her that her money and her trinkete were safe. But the stranger-woman de- manded the sealed packet which she bad had about her person; and then the mistress of the cottage stated what Mr. Redeliffe Rad bidden her “announce: namely, that it was taken care of on ber behalf by the gentleman who had picked her up in the road, and that he wished to have some conversation with her on the subject. The atranger-woman demanded, who the gentleman was—but the mistress of the cottage, acoustomed to he vory discreet in all that regarded her occa- sional lodger, gave some evasive reaponse, which only had the effect of increasing the stranger's apprehonsions. She vowed that she must depart that instant—that she had a long journey to per- form, and important business on hand—that she ‘could not therefore’ wait. The eldgrly female, fancying that her unfortunate guest was half bereft of reason, entreated her to remain: but nothing could induce her—and she took her precipitate departure, forcing upon her hostess a few shillings in payment of a pair of shoes which the latter in- sisted upon her taking as substitutes for her own worn-out ones. Thus, when the surgeon arrived, the woman who was to haye been his patient had taken her departure. » “Thore is something exceedingly mysterious in all this,” said Mr. Redoliffe. ‘That woman is no unfortunate idiot, as I had at first supposed: she must be conecious cf some misdeed that she has fled thus precipitately. Did she give you no ex- planation of bow she came to sink down upon the road P” “She said something about exhaustion,” was the reply given by the mistress of the cottage; “bat she would not tarry to eat so much es 8 morsel of bread: she merely took a cup of milk—and when I offered to put some food into a little basket for her, she did not appear to listen: she seemed all in a flurry, as if afraid of something, so that I myself thought she could not be altogether ri ht.” “And the surgeon?” said Mr. Redcliffe, in- quiring.y. “He rode across an his pony; and on finding that tha woman had gone, he grumbled a littlh— until I assured him that there was a gentleman here who would*pay him handsomely. .He then went away better pleased. But my husband is not come back from the village yet; and I can’t think what detains him.” Scarcely had the woman thus spoken, when the outer door of the cottage was heard to yield to the entrance of some one; and this proved to be the husband on whose account she had been getting anxious. “Why, what has detained youf’ she asked, “You never yet have been given to tippling at the alehouse——” . “And I’m not going to do so now, wife,” he replied. “ But in the first place there’s so thick a mist one can hardly see a yard in front 2f one; and then Smithere the carrier had just arrived, and he had brought with him some handbills from Guildford, which we all got reading at the bar of the Blue Lion.” “ And what are tho bandbills about ?” Qn GES 4. 2 es eb 24, FS On WHT ee oe - THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT, 60 “Oh! about some dreadful things that have been disgovered up in London yonder—a house whore it’s au three or four people have been murdered at different times, and buried with quick- lime in a pit. And #0 these bills are to offer a hundred pgunds’ reward to any body who gives the people into custody-~-what'’s their names again? Oh, bere it is in large print-—John Smedley and his wife Barbara—or fifty pounds for either of them separate.” “Tet’s look,” said the woman: and she pro- ceéded to read one of the handbills which her bus- band had brought with him. “ Well now, this is odd I” she ejaculated in a voice of mingled wonder and terror: “ why, the description of the woman~> dear me! &% is the vory,same! Tall—dark— fine eyes—good teeth—age about three or four and thirty-—~” Here the woman's ejaculations were suddenly interrupted by the appearance of Mr. Redcliffe. The colloquy between the husband and wife had ken place in the ; and the door of Mr cliffe’s parlour stood. ajar. He could not there- fore help overhearing what thus passed ; and when the conversation took the turn just described, he ae forth, *inquiring, “ Where are these hand- bills Pp” . One was irmomodiately given to him: he hastily scanned its contents; and not # doabt rested in his mind that the woman who had been the object of so much kind attention on his part, was pro- claimed as a murderess. The old man of the cot- tage—who, be it recollected, had not seen the woman at all—was stricken with dismay on learne ing what sort of a character had been within the walls of hie dwelling; and he was by no means sorry to Gnd that her stay had been comparatively so brief. ; “It were madnose,” said Mr. Redoliffe, after a few moments’ reflection, “ to think of overtaking her through thie dense fog. Besides, she has got at least an hour and a half’s start of us; and then, as she hag money too, she will And moans of conveyance. My good friends,” added Mr. Red- cliffe, “as you are well aware that I have no ‘n- clination to be talld about, and do not want my name mentioned, it would be quite as well if nothing were said about the vile woman having been in your cottage, The cause of justice will not suffer on that account: for with this distribu- tion of handbilljall over the , and with the other means whgh the police are doubtless taking for the detection, of herself and her husband, those wretches cannot possibly escape,” The cottager and his wife, who were accustomed to pay implicit obe ience to Mr. Redcliffe, pro- mised to be silent in respect to the subject he had named; and when he touk his departure at an early hour on the following morning, he rewarded them with even more than his accustomed liberality, Bat in respect to the paper which bad fallen into his possession, what could he toiuk? That its writer had been murdered, and taat he was one of the victims to whom the contents of - the handbill so terribly pointed. Yes—this wes the natural though fearful conjecture which sug- gested itself to Mr. Redoliffe’s mind: but he re- solved to vef inquiries on foot in order to ascortain if any certain clue could possibly be discovered t? the fate of the writer of that letter. Sad fee te ie 2 i eee eee 8 eee ere Ee? Gules faye a COMMUC OOO) SS (CO)