The Mysteries of the Court of London, Vol. 5 — page 395: what you’re looking at

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

er Gp “ Ee. ee ee EE RES 9 GY EES AS eS ea tN SS age ee —_ 382 eens a epee ee eee wee serenngaes « —s animated me in dealing with the petty tyrants of | the family which I had eo recently left, inspired mae | pow with courage to meet iny misturtunes, , TIE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT | Eas | = <a SD Ot of gp eee s these circuinstances was it that we arrived at Barce. jlona. I do nut pause to say anything particular At first ‘relative to the children entrusted to my charge, as 1 thought of writing at once to Sir Juin Marston, | I remained so short a time with Mrs. Knight: but telling him how [ was situated and requesting his’; L now come to the incident, which caused me to lvave her abruptly. On arriving at Barcelona, wo. pecuniary assistance. But when L reflected on tho independent manner in which 1 had lett him, my soul recviled trom the idea of such self-humilintion. The only course open to me appeared to be that of ob- ‘aining ® situation as a governess; and this I thou sit would not be so very dillicult, as there were wany English residents in [{avro, as well as re- epectable French tradesmen, who knew that 1 had eon a year with Sir Jolin Marston's lumnily. I ac- cordingly set about instituting immediate inquiries. Lhe robbery of the dilivence was ef courso gene- rally known in Havre; and it being likewiso known ‘that I was one of the vicliins, my position excited aome degree of sympathy. An Englist laily, named Knight, ‘who had recently been lott @ widow, 4nd bad soveral childran, was staying at Havro at the time; and she offered to receive me as a governess. Sne frankly told me that she was not very well off, and that.she could not afford to give me a hafudsome salay: but my circumstanecs dil not permit me te. be over particular—and I therefore accepted her proposition. She was a woman of about forty: her wteay oot, Whose christijn name was Jaines, was jest upe-tnd-twenty ; and she had four other chil- aren—-two boys and two gitls, whose ayes ranged trom ten to eighteen. She was a good-natured person — somewhat weak-minded — and entirely under the empire of her son Jaimtls, who, I must observe, was «handsome young man.¢ Her husband had been dead abuut cight mouths: be was a mer- shant—but had left his circumstances 9 &# less ilourishing condition than bad been expected from his mole of life. He had sume little property at Lurcelona in Spain: and it required tho widow’s pre- gence there for her to take possessiun of it. She had arrived trom Enzland ua her way thither; and as [ found, ruore frum co:mpassivu in respect to myself than beeause her views were sullictently settled to enable ler to engage a governess at the time, she received me into her family. Inu few weeks we set off by the dilizence tuwards the Spanish frontier. T soon found’that dames Kni: lit had taken it inte his head to make a conquest of ine, if pussible—and notin an honourable way. When unperecived by his mother, he besieged mo with attentiotis; and even in ber presence he sometimes looked and spoke in & manner thatit was tinpossible to misunderstand. On these ocgasions I saw that she reproved him with a plunce, for which however hoe cared bug litile. Sho was however gvon satistied that hg, received no cncuurayement frum me: for [ gave him to under, stand as plaiuly as I could that his attentions were must disogrceable. But he persevered in them: and on one occasion It became necessary fur me to “present his impertinence wiih a sound box on the ears, which I hesitated not to bestow He was of ‘an evil disposition —treacherous, malignant, and spitefal to a degree; and finding that su far from making any tender irapression on me, I treated him in ‘this manner, he mensood me with hia looks. For these however I cared but little; and G&eported mv- golf tuwards him with aversion and contempt. He _grew sullen und morose; and I saw full well that, "he had conceived a bitter hatred against me. Umer | took up our quurters at an h-icel preparatory to the. hiring of suitable apartments duriug the period éhat it would be requisite fur Mrg. Knight tu roniuin in that city. The very «lay alter our arrival, wud at ‘about vighto'clock in, the ovening, Mrs. Kuight discovered that some articles of jewellery had been abatrac¢ed from her truuk. Ths anngunvement was made in the presence of her son J ames! and he immediately turned towards me, asking with a malignant louk ‘what 1 wad doing in his mother’s chamber about an ehour back?’ Inctantanevudy understanding the nature of the aspersion he in- tended to throw wpon,gme, my indignation burst forth in no measured terms: for it was totally faleo that I had been to his mother’s room at all. He vowed that t had; and iisisted that my boxes should be searched. This [ at once assented to: where. upon Mrs. Knight, who, poor weak - minded woman, had begun to gruw suspicious concerae ing me, lei the way to my chamber, ful- luwed by her son and myself. On our way thither, tho thouglt—the’ terrible thought, flashed to my mind that if James Knizht were villain enough to accuse mo thus wronglully, he was alo sugicientl y treacherous agy maliznant tu have place the jewels in my box in order to ruin me. I beheld at a glance all the danger of my position; and in fie swilt brief moments that were passing, I rocolved 1m wy inind the two alternatives that lay before ma --cither to daro the accusation boldly on the ons hand,—or to fly froin it precipitately on the ctor, Though perfectly innocent; as God is my judge, yt I chuse the latter alternative: tore: L could not ev dure the thought of being plupaged ing aprison. — ri therefure determined to. escape, Wo entered my chamber; and in order tu throw the treachervus young man entirely off his guard with respect to my intention, Lutlectedt pot, to entertain the alizhtest suspicion that the jewels would’ really be found in my box. I was thus enubled, when he was busily engaged in turning out all the things, to snatch up a bounet and shawl and glide troin the room. Lucking the door upon Mrs. Knight and her son, I slipped on the bonnet and shuwl—reached tho staircase~— descended 1 raptdly—and issued forth fro: the hotel. Tt was sow dusk; and ‘sped precfpitately along the streeb—gained the postern—passed the fortifications without hindrance—and was soon on the wide open epuain stretching towards the Cutalc- nian Hills. T° proceeded onward with but lites relaxatiun of speed for nearly two hours,;—when IT was compelled to sit down and rest. It was now 3 beautiful mnvonlit night; and I cvuld see to a eon- siderable distance. Three or four habitations were disvernible amidst tho sylvan scenery which forined a lurge portion of the landscape: but L dared not seck shelter at any of these, for fear thatif informa. tion had been given to the Barcelonese police, the entire neighbuurhood might be sevured by those officers and I should be arrested I therefure rae solved to walk onward throughout the whule night, and thus place as grest a distance as possible betycen myself and the city which 1 had loft. ELOOO SS (CO)