The Mysteries of the Court of London Vol. 4 — page 219: what you’re looking at

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

Z06 ble feelings, and passed forth into the hall again. As they proceeded side vy side along the passage, they‘ threw quick shuddering glances over their shoulders, in dire apprehension lest something should be following close belind ! In the cunfusion and dismay which prevailed inside the diming-room,—where Mavolta and the doctor were administering restoratives to Emma and Julin, and where Agatha was giving veut to her hysterical revealings,—the door, as already stated, had been Jeft opcn, The eldest sister's coutes-ious were at thia moment absorbing the entire attention of Jocelyn Lofius; and he ob- served not that the door was thus open—neither did he hear the sounds of footateps nor the rust- ling of garments, as Lady Prescott and the Countess of Curzon were staggering past that open door, scarcely knowiug whither they went, but both alike a prey to feelings which defied description. . The door of the sombre-looking little parlour, of which we have frequently spoken, was also standing ajar, and a light glimmered from within. Mechanically did the two Indies enter there; fur they fet that their Jimbs were failing them and that they must sink with the exhaustion of terror and dismay, unless they reached some place wliere | they could sit down. Lidy Prescott threw Her-elf a ed ee Ee oe Sees Ge eet Ce] inte an arm.-chair, au example which was instau- taneously followed by the Countess of Curzon, Then with hollow eyes did they gaze upon each Other, as if to ask what was to be done: fur they both felt profoundly and terribly conscious of Gauger, although they kucw not how to define it or whence it was to come, “The lake hes given up its dead!” whispered Lady Prescott, in aceents low aud hollow. “Iv not this ominous of something dreadful ?” “ Yes—my God! dreadful, dreadful!” returned Editha, wringing her ha:ds.* Oh! that the work of the list few hours could be undone !” “Know you,” asked Lady Prescott, under the influence of a tremendous consternation, “ what is the punishment in Geneva—for — for——” “ For the crime of‘murder ?” added Lady Cur- zon, mechanically. “ Yes—the guillotine !’ answered Lady Prescott, wit wild staring cyes. “Q horror!” rejoined the wretched Kditha, shudiering with au ice-chill from head to foot, . “Al” ejaculated Lacy Presrott, as her eye fell upon the bottle which stood on the table. “What is it?” quickly demanded the Countess: then as she also caught sight of the label, she said, “Here! give it to mo! It is Satan himself who has put it in my way!—I am ti-ed of life—tI am frightened to live! The guillotine—my God! the yuillotine—Oh! no,no-—”" And seizing the bottle from Lady Prescott's haud, thé Countess of Curzon applied it to her lips. “Ah! leave enough for me also,” cricd Lady Prescott, suatching the phial from her: but for a momeut she stood transfixed with horrur as she beheld the Countess of Curzon siuk suddenly back in her chair and with one deep groan give up the ghost—for t.c poisun was rapid and fatal in it. eff-cts as the dict of the Angel of Death: Allimoiginable horrers, ten thons.ad times more THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. wretched Lady Prescott, now crowded in upon her. Death'id every shap¢ seemed to be within that house !—death in the dissecting room—death now in this gloomy parlour—befure her 6yes and in hee imagination—death out-of-doors, in the iniddle uf the grea’ square of Geneva, aud on the scaffold of the guillotine! Oh! the guillotme—hea- vens! what a thrill of ice-like agonydid the idea, as it ayain flashed to her mind, send through her entire form !—so that maddened, frenzied, driven wild with the pressure of intolerable thoughts, the unhappy Jady raised the phial to her lips and poured the residue of its contents down her throat. The effect was blasting as a flash of lightning. Not more quickly does the thender-stroke of apo- plexy perform its tremendous work——and dowa she fell, a corpse! Meantime the hysterical cries which still came thrilling from Agatha’s lips and went penetrating through the entire house, reached the ears of the Countess of Curzon’s Jady’s-maid, who slept on an upper storéy. This was none other than Gertrude—the handsome and wily Gertrude, who is already so well known to our readers. Terri- fied and dismayed at those suunds of female angush which struck cry after cry, and with shre': tollowmg shriel, in quick succession upon her earay—she leaped forth fruim her couch, has- ti'y threw of some clothing, aud descended the stairs. Guided by the cries, she came down as far aS the hall; ard halting, near the diming-rvow dour, listened to whattwas taking place witlhun. She heard Agatha’s uaconscivus and ‘hysterical confessions - huw it was indeed she who hud given birth to the child whose corpse was in the dissect. my-roum; and Gertrude shudderedcas she thas listened to those wild ravings reviative to the dead! While casting her eyes in the vagucness of a growing:terror arouud, che observed the other doors whick stood open; and catching a ghmpse of the sinister shapes that lay on the table in the dissecting-room, thither was she impelled by a fearful curiosity, as terrible as it was irresistible. Entering that room, she beheld the child tu which wlusion had just been inade in her hearing; aud she also beheld tho two cérpses that lay stretched on the same table. Heavens! one was Malpas, her mistress’s enemy—and the other was her enisitess’s husband! Yes—there was the Earl of Curzon, stark and hfeless,—he who had revelled in ‘the virgiuity of Gert: ude’s own charms—there he lay, 4 mere inauimate heap ! Gertrude stoud confounded, Of the double crime perpetrated that might by her mistress and Lady Prescott at the old jetty, she kuew not: theretore well indeed might she be amazed and thus transfixed with mingled wonderment and horror on beholding those two corpses stietched out there, Staggering away—not knowing what to think—-scarcely daring to think at all—but with terrible suspicions springing up in her mind, she retraced her steps into the hall; and still guided by the irresistible feeling of cu- riosity which amounted almost to a preaentiment she advanced towards the parlour-door. But now, aa she reached the threshold of that sombre-looking litle room, a cry—a wild and terrible cr), thrilling high above the hysterical outpourings of Agatha in ihe dining-rpom—burst agonisingly from the lips of the lady’s-maid, as with the first glanee her eyes fearful than any which had yet seized on the | embraced all the horrors of the acene. For there ( CY) AOC) < =