The Mysteries of the Court of London, Vol. 5 — page 154: what you’re looking at

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

WEEE. cee CE tees Pe Seas cet eee SP Om eke. THE MYSIERIES OF TILK COURT. 141 eee eee Birra ' where he was for the instapt, the Cannibal passed; For an instant Lady Suxondalo waa paris aul stcalthily into the room. with torror: but her naturally strung mind almost So deep was Lady Saxondale’s abstraction, that immediately regained its self-possession—aad she eloeperceived him n¥t. Her looks were fixed on the | said in a voico that was strangely calm under suc!s book which lay open bofore her : but she saw not the |.circumstances, “Remove that weapon: 1 will not pages. thomeelves—all her faculty ofevision wes as it | creato an alerm.” were turned inward with the absorbing nature of | Tony Wilkins now made his appearance; and her meditations. or Lady Saxondale had this Lady Saxondale, peresiving that there were two night experienced no inclination®to rotire to rost. | ruffians, and thinking it quite probable that there The image of Walliam Deveril appeared to haunt | might bo even more, felt that anything like reyist- her. She loved him—and she hated him at ono and | ance would be altogethor vain, and thut if sho ate , tho same time. . Sho feared that she had taken a | tempted to raise the household her life wuuld be in- false step and compromised herself seriously, *in | evitably fortvited. For it was impossible to glanco having made the round of all her. acquaintances leven for a single instant at Chiifinethe Cannibul's and friends during tho: day and promulgated her | countenance, without reading in its hidevus linea- story rolative to that young man. Cunningly. de- | ments the most bloodthirsty propensities aud a vised as tho tale was, sho. trembled lost the refuta- | brutal capacity for mischief. . tatio® which Devgril would give when it reached | “Well,” he said, pointing the muzzlo of his ristol his cars, might obtain credit; and thus though ; downwards, but not putting it away from her sight, great was tho satisfaction she had experiencad at the | “you seem an unvommon brave lady; and so J. sup- time, not only in torturing Lady Vora, bat like. | pose you are just as prudentaonc. Therctoro we wise in propagating the same, scandal elsewhero, | shall have no nonsense iv dealing with you.” she wé8 now apprehensive that the blow shehad| ‘ What do fou requiroP? asked Lady Saxonilule. endeavoured to deal might rebound upon herself. | “ But thatequestion I neod ‘scarcély put: your looks In short, her feclings having béen unnaturally ex- | bespeak your crrand. You see I tront tho matter cited during the day, had since experienced a pro. | with frankness; and therefore there is no necJ tu portionate reaction ; aud conscience, which “ makes | keep that weapon in your mang in 8o threatening 4 cowards of us all,” was not permitting Lady Saxon- | manner.” . dale to be an excuplion to that rule. e ® | “How uncommon nico she speaks, don't she?” B@hides, she was not only fearful that the tangled | said ony Wilkins in an under-tono as he sidled up web she had been thus weaving, would in the long | to his companion. run cnmesh herself; but she was tortured with the| ‘’Cause she’s a lady of sense and knows what's pangs of joalousy towards Florina. What was sho} what,” obserfed Chéffin aloud. “Now, ma‘au, to do in respect to her whom she thus regarded as | please to toll us which wofild be must convenient-— her rival? Even apart from that hatred which tho | to let ue walk off with the plato and jewellery, or spirit of jealously had suddenly make her experienco | ‘for you to pay us over such a handsome sum that fur Flora, how could sho possibly . permit the en- | we shall go away happy and contented with our gagement to continue between her”son and that ; night's work, and be ablo to drink your ladyship’s young lady ?—and yet, on the other hand, upor} hoalth every day for the next six munths?” . w@at pretext could she break off tha engagemont?| “Finding myself completely in your “power,” Altogether, Lady Saxondalo’s position was one of ' returned Lady Saxondate, at the same instant fling- apprehension, bewilderment, torture, and. per- : ) Ing a quick and scargcly perceptible glance | owards plexity; and in addition to the circumstances con- | the mantel- piece, os if 8uking for some vbject, “k nected with Devoril and: Florinagwhich bad thus | should profer giving you a sum of money. Sut I combined to make her wretched, there were othere | must.tell you beforehand, that I have not much in which struck their viper stings into her heart. © the shape of gold about my porson, and sliould have This is not however the time nor place to analyse i to go to my own chamber to felch the arnuuut that at any great length the feolings And thoughts of ! you may require.” Lady Saxondalé. The little which we have just; And how muoh,” demanded Chiffin, “may your ‘| ‘said upon this subject, was merely for the purpose | ladyafip happen to have i in your own chamber ¢” ‘/, of accounting for why sho had not as yet sourht her}. “ Porhape four Or five hundred pounds alto- couch, and wherefore we find her seatod alone ia, gether,” returned Lady Saxondale, altar a teow tv- that abstracted mood and at so late an hour of the | ments’ cobsideration? . . . night—or rather at so easly a poriod of the morn-|. “That's little ehough, 7 obererod Chift. “Aud, ing. In tho dopth of her disagrecable meditations now, how mu¢h in the purse P” it was no wondor that sho obsesved not the pre-/ Lady Saxondale, who still preserved hor presence esnce of Chiffin the Cannibal; and as he, by making | of min@ with an. agtonishing calutuess, drew forth a shorP circuit in the room, was enabled to steal as | her purse from a roticul? which hung at tho back of _ it were close up behind her before she was aware of | the chair; and handing it to Chiflin, said, “Cuunt the intrusion, i¢ was with a sudden start ang a hor. /-its contents for yourself.” rible access of terror sha she felt a hand ‘muddenty | i. ‘Bleven soveroigns, two ten-pound notes, one laid upon her shoulder. |. , fivet and somo ailver,” sail tho Cannibal, as he Wildly she sprang up; ‘aad on belolding herself ‘emptied the: contents of the purso inlo his hand conironted by that. ‘ hideous-looking wretch, 4 | Well, but all this is: a poor lot, pho tarmily plate scream was about. to. burst. from her lps: but it | must-be worth ten times ay much. What's to pre was stifled ere it broke forth, by the suddennesa with | vent us sutling your ° throat, ma’ara, and then rar- which the Cannibal exclaimed, “ Silouca, or you aro | sacking the place = ‘or vcurselves ?” a dead woman!”—and 8 pistol, gleaming in his} “The plate is iv ihe buticr’a own rcom,” was baud, was presented close to oer forehead. Lady Saxondalv’s ealm and collected response. i ee ee ee te ie tT) iS ine oh @5 a ee : | ! | | ~ . ee ee eS , ee a = os ee ene rE Ct apy % wre a Ga eres: 0 SE ee eee EE oe miiagiotn ae Kai GE aneb—s—0 SEES 9 8 OU * Gon orl ee Oreo EGE = Ona ep a COMIC OOO© SS (CO)