The Mysteries of the Court of London Vol. 4 — page 193: what you’re looking at

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

nie lhe, whew == «s- -—60 viet peewee Goo pets ERS Seo 6 eee Ra Os aw vam = an] - a -_— = 6 1280 THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. . that she is a lady of rank, and that she until re- cently held a situation at the English Court. She is a fine handsome woman—five months advanced in pregnancy ———" “Ah! then it is evidently Lady Prescott,” said (Mra. Ruoger, “Though I have never seen her ladyship, yet, all things considered, she it must be! Did you notice whether the bas been out this | morning ft” al ee ee *Ye,—she was absent for upwards of an hour,” answered the doctor; “and she had not returned more than twenty minutes when your note was delivered at my house. She looked agitated-—= “Ah! it is the same then,” ejaculated Mra, } Ranger. “A deep mysterious understanding exists between her and Jocelyn Loftus——=—" * Methought so,” exclaimed the doctor: “for this morning they were alone together,in the drawing- rooin with writing niaterflals, before she went out; and immediately she returned he was evidently wailing about in the hall to receive ber.” “ Has any visitor called for Mr. Loftus within the Jast half-hour?” inquired Mrs. Ranger, now thiuk- ing of Bergam. “Yes a few minutea before your note came :"— and the physician proceeded to give a description of the royal equerry. “ Tnis individual,” be added, “was closetted with Mr. Loftus at the moment ] left my house. But now, for heaven’s sake ! reheve my impatience and tell me what mean all these questions ?— what has been found out—what penis wenace Wie” “ Answer me one query first,” said Mrs. Ranger: then fixing ber eyes steadily and searchingly upon the doctor, she asked, “ Who do you xow believe was the mother of that clild——” “From what Mr. Lofius said, and considering all the evideuces,” au»ewered Maravelli, “J can no longer believe thut the Princess-—— * Enough! Well, it ia useless to sustain the cheat any longer. No, it is useless! Instead of study- ing how to implicate the Princess,” she contiuued a wusing tune, “the Owens and I must think how we are best to géc outof this scrape. Ductur,” sle weut on to say, “ Agalia O en, the eldest of tue three sisters, Was your patient on that night when upwards of three weeks ago you were intro- duced tu the villa. It matters not now to explain why a cheat was practised on you, and wherefgre it was Sought to wake you believe that i: was the Princess herself whom you were evgaged to assist through the ordeal of maternity——" = a aD 0 PO ET a ira EG I SL TCE a ee I TS ata Ty, =A Ea ee A — “But the dangers which meuace us—what of: them?” asked Maiavelli, his impatience, or rather his terrors, now once more risiug tv a feverish puch, “Who was that handsome mau who came ere now tu call upoa Mr. Loftus? He gave uo name, but iniroduced himeelf as one baying inm- portant bAisiness.” “It 18 the Baron Bergami, the Princess's equerry,” answered Mrs. Rauger. “Have yuu never seen tin betore?” “ Methought I recoliected his features—Dbut I was not sure,” auswered Maravelli, “Ihave been so aysitated all the morning — so full of misgivingsand apprehensions alter that fearful iucideut of laat tight-Z mean the bringing home of that child’s curpse—that my braiu bas been clouded and my seculievtions all thrown into disorder, Yes—now esteemed ee ae TeqQuya SY 2h yr ayia —« Hees a oe - eee TAH —_ “No,” replied Maravelli: “but she has told me | I remember—l,have seen that handsome man at distauce on one occasion, following the Princess's retinue. But what, in heaven's name, does he seek with Loftus ?7 “Lady Prescott--that is your Mrs. Roberts,” resumed Mrs Ranger, “has been to the villa this morning ——” “And all is discovered—a'l is exposed?” ex- claimed Maravelli, trembling from head to foot. “* Yes—no—that is, it will be—-and ruin must overtake us all——” “Then what is to be done?” interrupted Ma- ravelli. “But jet us fly—-let us fly!” ‘hastily resumed the frigtitened physician. “We will vepart together —i will help you to escape—for escape we must! . Do you know the penalties which we have incurred? | 4, bra.ding—yes, branding with a red hot iron—— O God! searing deep down into the fesh——be- sides imprisonment——and you imprisoument also —and those three giils——Qh! it is too horrible | to ci. ntemplate——Let us fly !” “Fly! Coward, fool!” said Mrs. Ranger, again | making use of those epithets of scorn, and again speaking in # voloe that was thick aud husky; “whither can we fly ? Must we not go with pass. ports ?—should we not be truced—pursued—over- taken———” “Trnune——My God! too true,” groaned Mara- velli, now wringing bis hands ia despair. “Will you be calm ?” ‘asked Mra. Ranger, once more griping him by the wrist, but now shakiog him violently. “Lovk you—-I am not cast down— IT am not yielding to despair. And why? Because I know that, desperate as are the«erils which menace us, they may be averted—counteracted ! The game is not altogether in the hands of our enemies: we can yet play it out for ourselves— aye, and win it tou,” she added with a malignant lucr. “Oh! if this be really true?” said Maravelli, clasping in hopefulne:s the hands which he had a few moments back wruug in despair. “ But what makes you think that the dangers can be averted ?” “ Because,” replied Mra. Rauyer, in a tone of as- surance, “1 can penetrate to o certain extent the policy which Loftus is pursuing. He does not ineah to expose aud ruin us fally—uoless as a last resource: but, he purposes to intimidate—to ter- rify-———” “Yes, I seq!” exclaimed the doctor! “If he had really meant mischief he would at once have | gone’ to thé police-authorities and told all he knew. But what guaran:ee have we that he will not do so even now before we cau possibly adopt any coun- teractive plan?” ‘Rest assured,” returned Mrs. Ranger, “that Jucelya will do nothing of a decisive cuaracter.for the present moment. Bergami is now with him, you say? Well, there will be consu‘tatious— neg utiations —intimidatious—and so torth. These will spread over sowe hours. Jt is aow nearly three o'clock in the aftearnoon—night is not very far distant—aud when night does arrive———” Bat here Mra. Raoger stopped short, aud her looks simultaneously becamewo awfully sinister and darkly siguificant that Maravelli shuddered as if the words whioh she had yet to speak were already epuken. ECOMNIE OG O) cS) CO