The Mysteries of the Court of London, Vol. 5 — page 341: what you’re looking at

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e ; @ 6 ae a a a é a Qe. oe vere Harold Staunton made no retort; but- took hig departure from Evergreen Villa—crostfallen, dis- eomfited, bailed in every way CHAPTER LXVIIL THR PSIYSICIAN AND WIS NIGHT'S ADVENTURES. ‘Ir was the samo night es that on which the in- cidents of the two proceding chapters occurred, and between eleven and twelve o'clock, that Dr. Forney was engaged i in his dissocting-room. Several apart- ments in the eminenf physician’s mansion,—which was situated in Conduit Street, Hanover Square,— have been minutely described in an earlier chapter : but the one to which we are now introducing the reader, was not noticed upon that, ocqgsions It had © grim and ghastly appearance, as all diseecting- | x@! rooms have; and the atmosphere was damp, raw, and sickly, like that of death. All the paraphernalia necessary for anatomical purposes, met the eye;— and tho floor, though carefully sco after each dissection, retained upon its deal boards the inefface- able marks of the fluids which flow from a corpse. For some years past Dr. Ferney had seldom prosecuted this brangh of his studies—unless indeed under some peculiar circumstances he obtained pos- session of a “subject.” Such was the case on the occasion when wo now ponetrate into the, dissecting. room; and thore, by the light of a powerful gas- lamp suspended over the table jn“the centre, shall we find the medical man engaged in the disseotion of a corpse. ¢ It was the body of an elderly fomale, and was but little decomposed. Nevertheless, ‘there was a certain discolouration of the skin, which the phy- sician had not failed to obsorve the moment the corpse was drawn forth from the sack by the body- snatchers who had brought it to the house half-an- hour previously. That certain suspicions had en- tered Dr. Ferney’s mind, was evident enough from the peculiar gravity which sat upon his pale pensive cowntenance: but with the imperturbability cha- racteristic of lris profession generally, and of him- self in particular, he pursued his work steadily and apart from all excitoment. For about an hour did he continue to use the scalpel,—laying open the throat which he carefully pxamined, and subjected to several tests—likewise the atomach, which he treated in a similar manner. At length he put aside his instrumonts—washed his hands in a bason that stood rgady for the purpose—and ali the while seemed to be reflecting profound]y what course he eught to pursue under circumstances of an em- | barrassing and perplexing nature. * When ho had perftmed his ablutions, he looked at his watch and found it was near one’o’clock in the morning. For a moment ke hesitated whother to retire to his chamber and postpone till day-time the purpose which he had in view: put he felt that he should not be able to sleep until ho had got it off his mind ;—and issuing forth from the dissecting- room, he locked the door, putting the key in Kis pocket. He thence proceeded to his laboratory, ‘where ho anlocked a drawer, and taking out a phial with a soaled cork, assured himeelf that this scal had not been _ broken. Returnirg tho phial to the : j THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. drawer, Dr. Ferney now desdendeg the stairs ; and taking a latch-key with him, quitted the house. Proceeding to the nearest cab-stand, he entered one of the vehicles, and ordered the driver to take him to John Street, Clerkenwell. On arriving in the*vicjnage of Cow Cross, Dr. : . | Ferney alighted from the cab—desired the driver to wait for him—and entering a narrow dark alley, speedily reached that same knacker’s yard which Lady Bess had fisited when seeking an interview with old Bob Shakerly. This was likewise the in- dividual whom the doctor came to visit. The old - man was in bed; and not a gifmmering of a light shone forth from any window of tho wretched litt house which he inhabited ‘close by the gate of his yard. However, Dr. Ferney was resolved not to be disappointed; and he accordingly knocked at the door until a window. was opyned—a head, with a night-cap on, was thrust out—and Bob Shaker! y's eice demanded who was there? “Ié is I, Dr, Ferney. I wish to spoak to you most*particularly.” ° ‘Coming, dr—coming in a few minutes,” at once responded the old man; and drawing in bia licad, he closed the window, whence, almost immediately afterwards a lighteglimmored forth. In a minute or two steps were heard descending the* stairs withfh. The door was opened—and Bub Shakerly appeared, his scraggy form enveloped in an old dressing-gown, and his dirty cotton nightcap upon his head. “Walk: in, sir. Sorry to keep you waiting. Nothink wrong, I hope? Tho traps hav'n't gut scent of tiie job?’—and he surveyed the doctor ‘with some degree of anxicty. No—nothing of that kind,” answered Ferney, as he entered dhe house. “That's all right, then,” said Shakerly, much relioved. “ Walk into this rovm, sir: it’s not over tidy—Wor as I’m a bachelor, I’ve got nobody to make things neat and comfortabic.” “No apology is nacessary,” answered the doctor, as he entered a little apartment where everything was dirty toa defree, although it was by no means poor in furniture. ‘Sit down, sir—pray sit down :”—and Shakerly placed upon the table the candle which be had held in his hand. “Now, sir, what is it?” “TI wish to ask you a few questions,” said tho doctor. “ Were you present with your men when that cerpse was cxhumed ?” “To be suro I was. It’s very littlh—as you knows, doctor—that I docs in that way now: but when any of my chaps tells mo of a chance, why, I don’t ehoose to let it slip through my fingers.” “Well, well,’ interrupted the physician ; “we will not waste ‘words. Did you notice whose name was upon the coffin-lid?” “T always does,” replied Shakerly; “and what's more, I makeg.a memorandum of it when I comes home, just fof the fun of the thing—to see how many stiff ‘uns I have had up in my time.” “What is the name of this woman you jiave brought mo to-night?” demanded Ferney. orb it be, sit,” answered Shakerly, taking out an ole well-thumbed dog’s-eared book from the table. drawer, and turning over some of the pares, “There, sir—you can copy it,—and there’s pen, ink, and paper. But is there summut wrong f” Pad ee ee OF. ae eee aera aeeeamneen manent que weetgen-dhalhpe oes - oe —— Or oe ee Se wee Gq Geet ECOMMICOOOKS.EO