The Mysteries of the Court of London Vol. 4 — page 191: what you’re looking at

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

| | = | eee eee, ee Ne ee NS a Re. Mee ee ee Ee Oe ee ~le eee, Ue 6 ee ee eee ee eee eee ee eee eee eee eee eee eee Ene in ES! TOO a, Sepa a 9 TT. ap bys aGwee nia, nee THE MYSTERIES OF THE OOURT. Ponecess whourhe deliv red, he must have known {suffering mental azyouies so acute that even to that it was me! And he is not making a secret of it—he has told i: to Loftus — Loftus has told it to this Lady Prescoti—and now Bergami will go and find it alf out! © God! exposure is imminent— ruin hangs over our heads” Clasping her white hands in despair, the unhappy voung lady threw herself upon a sofa in the bed- chamber, and gave way to an effusion of the wildest anguish, Julia became equally terrified; and though Enima could not but feel all the danger of her eidest sister's position, and also of her own and Julia’s as accoinplices in the concealment of the child-birth, she nevertheless showed more presence of mind than they on this trying occasion. She acdéordingly hur- ried to Mus. Ranger's room, where she found that’ lady very busy in examining a new set of false teeth which had just been sent home by a famous dentist in Geneva, HPutthe hag speedily forvut all about endure them) Tor a few minutes wonld appear almost sufficient to turn those dark brown masses of hair silver white—dim all the lustre of \hose fine hagel eyes—and render those damask cheeks wrin- kled, haggard, and ghastly! ‘What is to be done? what is to be done?” they repeated, addressing their words in the most piteous accents to Mrs. Ranger: and it was as if three despairing beauties were adjuring some withered witch to work her apells on their behalf. “ What isto be done?” said Mrs. Ranger, “ What . is to be done %” she repeated slowly and deliberately : then suddenly fixing her eyes upon the three young ladies with a look which had a horrible fascination ia it, she said in a deep tone but with accents that trembled not, “Murder must be done, if we would save ourselves !”’ The three girls, who had been leaning forward— her arhficial embellishynents, when the aflrighted | hanging as it were upon the slightest syllable to inmma nastily sk-iched the cuilue of what had ocenrred within the last hour, and the fearful results Which might ensue Accompanying Buima to the chamber where Agatha and Juiia were sitting in despair upon the nota, Mrs. Ranger arged them to collect all their fortitude aud presence of mind, so that they might Jouk the present danger boidly in the face fi they ineant to grapple with it at all. The old woman and the three young ladies now satin solemn conclave to deliverate ‘ipon the course (hal wasto be pursued: but the mare they weighed the perils of thew position, the darker seemed the siorm-clouds that were gather.uy around them. “Now, girls,” sail Mrs. Ranger. suddenly adopt- Ing an air ef sach stern deision that this uvervous, frivulous, affected old woman seemed in & momett to rise high above all hee assumed weakuesses and trunpery yavities, when tue pravity of the occa. son demanded the development vf her best ener- res: “Saow, gins, there is no use Lt mune). g Metter, and wemust sce exactly how we .stamd Loftus is our evel gens: he is at Geneva—and the dovil hea torown bim jn the way uf Marayvel. They are tage hers-and it is pictly ve.taia tha: Moiravellit has suld our seeret to kim. Depend Yoon oat, he will ferret aut every ching,—your accouchement, Agatiai—the disposal of the chi d -~id all! ‘Then, even if tie sitvuld be Incimed tu show wercy wod spare us, that Wwollan whom you have node your mortal enginy - this Lady Pres- cott, f mean—will expose us plilessly, This is natural: of wili be tr for tat -a wuman’s ven- geance | Repubiti at least two years’ unpusonment for the prince pal— that 1s yourself, Avatha — and crrhteen mouths for your two sstrs and me— bs does utter ruin and eterual di g-ace ter us all! Ahisis ie position we ate in; and those are the peris wich new sture us i the face f° “Good heavens!” murmured the three sisters, eaepmg their hands: “what is to be done? what Ir to be dune ” Tne rader beheld them im the morning ~—vay, cs Well then, what foliows? Concealinent of Birth is a crime of magn'tude in the Genevese | whish the hag was to give utterance—-started sud- denly back as if shie had changed all in a moment into a hideous reptile from which they recoiled Joathingls’: and though ejaculations of horror seemed to waver upon their lips, yet were they atifled ere sent forth. “ Yes—I mean what I ¢ay,” continued Mrs. Ran- ger. “But Iam not going to ask you to do the murderous ceed. No—this Loftus and that Lady Prescott must be removed from our path: but 1c is Maravell1 upon whose fears [ will work ——Yeg, ’tis Maravelli,” she added emphatically, “who shal! become the executioner for us!” With these words Mrs. Ranger rose from her seat, her eyes remaining fixed with a cold, glistening, rep- tile-like gaze upon the three girls, who, horror- siricken and dismayed, were huddling together as if in ‘he presence of sone spectral shape. Thex, having thus gazed as if to convince them that sne was inspired with ali the energy now needed for the working out of her desperate plans, Mrs, Ranger hurried from the room with a step as light and swift as that of youthfulness itself; and as the door closed beiiud her, the three sisters slowly turned their eyes upon each other with looks expressive of a horror beyond all power of deacription. » CHAPTER CLVI. THE CRIME DEBATED, STERN, resolute, and implacable in the purpose she had formed, Mra. Ranger betook herself direct to the city; and on reaching the neighbourhood of Maravelli’s abode, she entered a wine-shop, answer- ing to the description of a London public-house, and desired to be shown toa private apartment. This demants wasimmediately com plied with ; and having ordered refreshments for the sake of appearances— though heaven knows she was in no humour to eat— she likewise directed writing-materials to be brought up. Then, having penued a haaty note to Maravelli, i she despatched it by the waiter of the wine-shop, bright, and be:uuful—as they stood i the balcony, | whom she charged to anawer no questions which might be put to him by any person save the doctor lumself. ‘ . The man departed to execute his commissiony aid in ten minutes he returned, followed by Dr calling them-eives Graecs and Goddesses: aud now be aay beheld them with tite wall, of that! chamber pale, tfreminuy, eo.sulsid indeed from | head to fvot with tue cruc:fiaian of anguish, and— eee Pe ie STP ee td COMMU CY) AOC) < = CO