The Mysteries of the Court of London Vol. 4 — page 194: what you’re looking at

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

———_— —_—, a Sree eee See ee a a CE I FL IT NE ED, “I I a TT RSE en LS co, Se oe ee ee ie ee ees ee ee ee ee et a za Os pe Si sin ee A ee ° THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. — “ This night?” be murmured in a scarcely audi- ble voice. ; “Yess-this night, Loftus and Lady Prescott | must die!” rejoined Mrs. Ranger, in a low deep tone. ; “ls there nothing else to be done but that?” asked Maravelli, whose voice had now sunk to a whisper. ® “Nothing!” replied the dreadful woman, who was thus inciting him to a deed of darkest horror. “If you would escape branding with a red hot | jron———” “ Enough!" murmured Maravelli, writhing. “I do indeed comprehend that there is no alternative. But Beryami—— “Leave Aim to me,” answered Mrs. Ranger. “You do your part of the work and I will do mine. Let Louftus aud Lady Prescott die this night— mind, thia night that is coming—without fail—and I promise that never again shall you hear a sylla- ble of these startling thingg. Surely you have some subtle poison which you can cuaningly mingle with their drink ?” “There are many ways of dealing death,” answered Maravelli: “and you may rest assured that I shall adopt the one that is safest.” “Then hasten back now to your own abode,” said Mrs. Ranger: “and again I say, if you wish to avoid the searing-iron, flinch not—fail not!” “Loftus and the English lady have but a few hours to live!" repld&tl Maravelli, throwing upon Mrs. Ranger a look full of the darkest and most ominous meaning. He then took his departure from the wine-shop, and Mrs. Ranger likewise issued forth at the ex- piration-of &oout five minutes. But although she returned in the direction of the villa, she did not immediately re-enter it, but wa'ked about at a little distance and in a spot where she might observe the two or three approaches from the city —namely, the main road that passed in front of the house, the shore of the lake, and the bye road which led at the back through the fields—so that she knew that Baron Bergami could not possibly return to the villa woperceived by her, uuless indeed he remained out till is wasdark. But this «he did not anticipate. Astute, deep, and penetrating, she calculated that Bergami would hear, from Jocelyn all that the latter had to aay —that théy would then confer deliberately upon the course to be adopted under the circumstances—but that whatever was resolved upon, would be with a view of avoiding scandal and exposure as much ag pos- sible for all parties. Mrs. Ranger therefore felf tolerably well assured that after Bergami had seen -Loftus he would return direct to the villa; aod under tifis impression was it that she now waited to intercept him i the manner described. ~ Bat in theinterval we must see what was really taking place between the royal equerry and Jocelyn Cofius. = "Ne Peak, “= we aw § =e eee a Ts EY “eos Eee me iG Ant PT ere Ae 181 al eh Pt cia (ie ona RSIE CHAPTER CLVIL THE OONFESSION OF ROMANTIC LOVE. Our hero was fa earnest conversation with Lady Prescott, whom wo shalf no longer call Mra. Roberts, in the drawing-room at the physician's house, when a servant entered to announce that a gentleman desired to see him on the most par- ticular business, Thereupon Lady Preseott said, “You had better see him here, whoever he may be: for indeed I have a presentiment that it -is some one from the royal villa. I will repair in tho meantime to Mrs. Moutague’s chamber and have a conversatiun with her.” Lady Prescott used the name of Mrs. Montague because she did not kuow that Jocelyn was aware who this said Mrs. Montague really was. But the truth is that the moment he had seen her that morn- ing he did recognize her: for he had beheld her on the mimic stage that night when circumstances made him a spectator of the private theatricals at Carlton House. But the self-styled Mrs. Montague herself did not know Jocelyn Loftus: sor had she noticed him amongst the spectators, concealed as he was under the gallery, on the occasion referred to. Of course Jocelyn had not appeared to recognize her, but had passed through the ceremony of iutro- duction (which was performed by Lady Prescott) with every semblance of being a perfeot stranger and entirely ignorant who she really was. Nevertheless, we mnust add he had been much astonished at be- holding that lady as an inmate of Dr. Maravelli’s ose, Having parenthetically recorded these few but necessary observations, We May return to the thread cf our narrative. Jocelyn Loftus, acting upon Lady Preseott’s suz- gestion, desired the servant to show up the gentle- man at once—while her ladyship repaired to the chamber of Mrs. Montague. In a tew minutes Baron Bergamini was introduced; and on announciug hie name, he was welcomed with becoming courteay by our young hero. ° “Her Royal Highness the Princess of Walea haa commanded me to seek you, Mr. Loftus,” began the equerry, “for the purpose of conferring with you cee ‘ e‘*In pursuance of the letter which I wrote, and the one which mine euclosed?”’ said Loftus, whose joy at the progressive success of his plans rendered him impatient to enter upon the requisite explana- lions. , = ® “The one which you wrote!” observed Baron Bergami ia surprise: then instantaneously recol- lecting how Agatha Owen had picked up the enve- lope, he exclaimed with an unwonted degree of ex- citement, “Ah! I understand! You must have written on the paper serving as the envélope of the epistle froin the Princess Sophia %” “[ did so,” rejoined Loftus: “for I was fearful that if there were several enclosares, one might so easily drep or be mislaid.” “Then what you partially apprehended, did really occur,” continued the Baron: “ for the envelope was dropped unread=-picked up by Miss Agatha Owen --ard taken away by her.” “Ah! then perhaps you are unacquainted with its contenta?” said Jocelyn inquiringly: and ag aq oe - “< Td 5 i é esr 90 50 ig, epee Ae AOC) Cy COMMU cS) CO