The Mysteries of the Court of London Vol. 4 — page 216: what you’re looking at

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ss eg some smegma eet As for the Countess of Curzon and Lady Prescott, they were also sittihg up: for they had not as yet dared to retire to rest, cach deeply feeling that after thé crime which had been consummated no sleep would visit their pillows. They were there- fore holding companionship inthe drawing-room, endeavouring to look satished at the tremendous work they hadi done, but unable to conceal from eavh other the fact that they now would give worlds to have it all undone again | Return we however to Maravelli, who was alone in his parlour. But what was he doing there? Upon the table at which he’ was seated stood a phial labelled “Porson.” That venomous drug had he been compofnding in his secret Jaboratory up-stairs; and having brought it down with him to the parlour, he was now contemplating it with the air of a man who has obtained the means of accomplishing a certain object but trembles at the bare idea of using it. Not that i€ was so much | the criminallty of the contemplated deed which 2 oe ee ee ee eg oe i ED ee mee thus mide him waver in his purpose; but it was the dread of being found out. Nevertheless, having duly weighed all the considerations that presented themselves to his mentil view, he made up his mind to do the deed: for imagination sug- gested no other avenue of escape from the perils which threatened him, and which involved the hideous punishment of branding wfth a red-hot iron, to be followed hy along term of imprisonment. Bat how was he to @ccumplish his murderous ‘purpose? He thought df a thousand different plans. One was to mix some ayreeable drink, in- | fuse the poison therein, and take it up to his in- gn Ore eee gf OP pee ey ee eo ee ee ee ee ee ee = eee ee ee ee tended victims as if it were an act of a host's courtesy tha he was performing. But no: this would not do. They might suspect—or they might refuse to drink at all—or the draughta might be partaken of by others beneath the roofe More- over, a3 Lady Prescott was not alaue, But had the other lady-lodger with her in the drawing-room, such a plan could not be carried out now; and the doctor felt that he could not visit her with a draught in her bedroom after she had retired to rest, without exciting guspicion by the very im- propriety of the act itself. Much less dared he send her up a draught by his housekeeper, whom he would not trust in these dark schemes which he was now contemplating. Then how was he to prodbed » To wait till the morning and poison the coffee, which Loftus and Lady Prescott would partake of at breakfast! No—this plan was nat feasible: op- portunity might nut serve—and moreover it would be dangerous to delay the deed and let the night pass without consummating it. Then how was he toacu? He knew of no better, safer, or surer course than to enter thelr rooms respectively when they slept, and pour the poison between their lips: for it was of so fatal a nature that a single drop reaching the tongue would be followed by instan- taneous death. Yes—this must be the plan which he would adopt: and having resolved upon it, he was about to secure the bottle in a cupbbard, when & some- what violent ring at the bell startled him. So often, at about the same period of the night, had juat euch a sharp hasty ring been viven before, that ite mean. ing instantaneously struck him; and as he always made it a point to angwer in person all summonses after a certain hour, he sped forth from his parfour re aa THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. — 203 and opened the front door. As he bad anticipated, he beheld the three figures of the fishers of men, with their cart in the uarrow street. . “Ah!” he said in ahasty whisper; “it is nnfor. tunate you shodld coms hither to-night for I ain particularly enzaged——” “But what are we to do, then?” demanded Ko- bolt gruffly. “We can’t go and fling them back again iuto the lake; and as for taking them to our own lodgings, is out of the question.” “ Them?” echoed Maravelli, “Have you more than one?” “ Yes—two fins fresh subjects—-murdered too.” “Thea indeed,” ejaculated the ductor nervously, “does it béoume ali the more requisite to get them out of the way. In with them—haste—louse no time !” The three men did not require to be thus urged on; they eoon dragged the two corpses into the hail, and bore them ‘6 the dissecting-room, Maravelli carrying the candle to light them. “Ah!” ejaculated Kobolt, as he beheld the corpse of the infant already lying on the leaden table; “ao you have got that herc—eh ? ” “We have not a minute for unnecessary dis- course,’ said the doctor. “I have lodgers in the house——” “Well, well,” said Kobolt, “not another word; give us the money, and we are off,” This the doctor did in euch haste that he dropped a few more gold pieces than he meant to do into Kobolt’s hand; but the fellow did not choose to tell him of the mistake. He and his two comrades accordingly sped away, while the doctor hastened to summon Mavolta to mop up the marks of the wet where the corpses had been dragged through the hall. Scarcely was all this done, when Loftus came down stairs; for it was now twelve o'clock. En- countering the doctor in the hall the moment after Mavolta had retired, he waf struck by the agitated appearance of his countenance: and at once de- manded—* Eas anything happend?” “ Only that those fishers of men have brought me wo subjects,” replied Maravelli; “and 1 was of course obliged to have them taken into the di-sécting-room.” , * Well, it cannot be helped—you could not do otherwise, I suppose,” said Loftus. * And now giye me the key of that room.” “What! to-night?” asked the physician, who was utterly onicquainted with Jocelyn’s iuten- tion relative to the Mi-ses Owen, and who even did not know that he was expecting them. “ Yes—give ine the key, I repeat,” rejoined our hero sternly, “1 have visitors coming here to-nicht.” . * Visitors?” echoed Maravelli, struck with a mortal terror: for he fancied that these visitors would prove to be the officers of justicoseuming to arrest him. “ Ah! they are not such visitors as you fear,” said Loftus, at once penetrating his alarms. « Have 1 not promised that you shall be held scatheless if you de my bidding?” “Yes, yes—you promised me,” murmured the doctor, trembling from ‘head to foot: “ but--——” At this momeut there was another ring at the front-oor bell. “There! these are my visitors,” said Loftus, . 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