The Mysteries of the Court of London Vol. 4 — page 210: what you’re looking at

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

SN ot THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. ° 197 3 Thug conversing, Lord Curzon and Colonel Malpas strolled away-from the vicinage of the pier, in the direction of the-city. ) == > CHAPTER CLX.,. / THE YASTENERS.—THE OLD HARRIDAN. ~ Tue plot of our tale is thickening rapidly; inci- dents are multiplying, and episodes are growing out of the adventures which we are now cbroni- cling. It therefore requires a clear head on our part to keep these varied and yet ramified occur- rences 2° distinctly; defined as possible, each in the special chanuel in which it is flowing—while thé reader must carefully follow us as we advance io the seeming Jabyrinth, through which we shall howevor conduct him in a way to render all the objects he may encounter perfectly intelligible and elear. But ere we return to’ the tiree sisters whom we left wending their way back to the villa, we must pause fora little space to inform our >seaders that the whole scene which we have just described as having taken place on the part of Curzon, Malpas, Agatha, and Julia, was witnessed by two Jadies who were concealed behind the piles of the jetty. These two ladies were Lady Prescott and the Countess of Curzon—for such was really Maravelli’s new lodger, who had chosen to call, herself Mfrs. Montague. When Curgon and Malpas were at a sufficient distance from the pier, Lady Prescott and the Countess issued forth from their hiding-place; and for some minutes they walked along the bank of the lake, side by side, in the deepest silence, But their countenances shofed bow violent, or rather how intense, were the feelings that agitated their hearts— the passions which swayed their souls. ,Kach was of an olive complexion; but a dead paMor now sat upon their features, and the strangeness of their looks marred even their beauty and gave them at the moment a ghastly—almost a hideous aspect. “This is a strange—a wonderful coincidence !” said Lady Prescott, at length breaking silence. “'Yes—a coincidence that seems as if it were pre- pared by Satan!” responded the Countess of Curzon, in a tone full of deep and sinister meaning. “T understand you,” said Lady Prescott, aséf her own voice had caught up precisely the same intona- tion, which was indeed natural enough, as the same furies were gnawing at either heart and their souls were tortured by kindred fires. ‘‘ Now,” said the Countess of Curson, after ae brief pause, “that man on whose head you have invoked an implacable vengeance isin your power !” “ But that man,” rejoined Lady Prescott, “is you husband.” “My husband,” echoed Editha, with-a mocking laugh and a fiendish look: “ my mortal enemy, you mean! If you refuse to slay him, [ will do the deed myself. Heartless villain—miscreant: that he is, he has covered me with disgrace and plunged me into ruin. Ob! with what fierd-like malice did he gloat over my fall and expose me even to <he very servants on that dreadful night when everything wae discovered! Aye, and that demoniac vengeance which he wreaked upon my faithful, ny Joving Ger- trude——But | have already told you everything, Lady Prescott, and need not recapitulate.” °¢ “Then you are decided upcn abandoning your hus- band unto my vengeance?” asked the lattér. «JT am,” replied Editha, in-a deep voice, but the accents of which were full of a frightful and im- placable resolution. “Vengeance for me then !” exclaimed Lady Pres- cott, in a tone suddeniy thrilling with exultation: “and vengeance likewise for you, inasmuch as Malpas—that man of whom you have told me so many things—is within your reach {” “Yes: Malpas—the vile, sneaking, pitiful coward,” resumed Editha, with a terrible accentuation qn the words,—"he who gave my husband ail the infor- mation which enabled him to unmask the stratagem carried on through the agency of Lady Lechmere— he who furnished the clue to those arrangements which had been so admirably combined and which without such betrayal would have defied all his penetration,—that Malpas who has worked so much mischief after als the love J once bestowed on him— that villain is at Jength in my power, and he shall die!” Having given uttexance to these words with a ter- rible emphasis, Editha remained silent for two or three minutes, during which interval Lady Prescott also held her peace, being absorbed in her own re- flections. “Does it not seem,” at length continued the Countess of Curzon, “aa if some superior power Were guiding us on both alike to the consum- mation of that vengeance which we had so much longed to wreak, but the accomplishment of which until this last half-hour seemed so distant, even if it were ever possible at allf But as I have already told you, some secret and unaccountable presenti- ment urged me, when flying from disgrace in Eng. land and seeking refuge on the Continent, to visit Geneva. It was not so much on account of the tranquillity of this little republic that I came hither: but impelled by that feeling to which I have just alluded-——" ° * But,” interrupted Lady Prescott, “ in recount- ing your histury to me yesterday, did you not mention that during the long absence of your husband from home, you zecuived two letters— one bearing the pust-mark of Milan, and the other of Geneva ?” ; “ Yea—it was so,” answered Lady Curzon: “and perhaps this circumstance was fluating uppermost in my mind, though unconsciously at the time, when I resolved upon coming to Geneva, Bus far—-very far was I from anticipating that I should meet my husbaud here! Equally little did I ex. pect to encqunater this hated Mulpas, against whom all my rage is now concentrated! Wheu we came forth to walk this evening and bent our steps to- wards the jet: y——” “ You wou'd not believe, when from a distance I recognized your husband approaching,’ inter- rupted Lady Prescott. “But I knew him at once—knew him by his gait—his walk so noble, so dignified, so commanding, and yet so elegaut !” “ Heavens! can you thus praise him whom you have doomed to death?” cried Editha, almost savagely. “True! I was wrong to call up any memory that might possibly serve to weaken ane in my purpose. Aud yet it was not through a transi- tory failing im my resolve,” continued Lady Prea- oott: “ior that is stern—inexorable; but it was CONNIE OOO cS) CO