The Mysteries of the Court of London, Vol. 5 — page 90: what you’re looking at

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message well: for the two marks were made In; the corner of te papet—wete they not?” = “Yos—in the usual way,” responded ‘Kate “and therefore there is no doubt that the pigeon _ stoppe® both at Gravesend and Boughton.” % “ Woll, you can go up to bed again, Kate,” sald her father. “ But be up by’six o'clock, an@ then we will arrange what is to be edid.” “'Yos—but did you not observe,” asked the young woman, that something ie to be done at once, to prov ooo, e ee “To be ur have i,@exciaimed the astnte Marshall. “I kn all to mo—~and you go up to bed, Kate.” His daughter accordingly left the rodm, and Mr. Marshall at once proceeded to‘ dress himself with the utmost despatch. He then quitted the chamber, tolling his wifo that, he. should not be- many minutes absent. Descending the stairs, be. oponed the front door of the tavern, taking the key in his pocket so as to be able to let himeelf in again; and hurrying along the stteet, af length stopped at a house where the poloured lamp burn- nig av&8r the door Indfcated the abode of a surgeon. Marshall gang the. night-bell : with some degree of violence; and 4n a few minutes the door was opened by the medica! men’s assiat- anf. “Hallo! is that your Mr. Marshaji?” he ex-. claimed, immediately récognizing the tavern- keoper, “ Is there anything the matter up at¢he Admiral's Head *" - — “ Yes—a lady who arrived last evening has heen seized with a fit. She's a little better now, as my daughters aro attending upon her: but I: want you to give nie a composing draught, or something of the kind, eo as tu prevent a relapse. I am sorry to have disturbed youm——-" ‘* Don’t mention it, Mr. Marshall,? immediately exclaimed the assistant: “ it's ell in the way of business. Come into the surgery, and I will seo ‘what I can do for yon—unless you think it isa: caso for which I had better call up Mr, Hood :"— alluding to his master. ; “ No, not at all,” rejoined the tavern-keeper, “ I dare say you can give something shat will answer the purpose, if I describe what sort of a fit it WAaé, e “ Oh, certainly!” replied the assistant; “and thon Mr. Hood will call round*in the morning and see the, lady.” | While thus speaking, the assistant led the way {nto the surgery; and old Marshall described the ordinary symptoms of an hysterical fit. The assistant apecdily corapounded a draught ; and as he wrote out the label to put i the bottle, he’ asked, ‘‘ What name shall! I say 7" a “Mrs. Chandos,” was old Marshall's prompt Written upon the answer, The namo was accérdingly : } label; and Marshall, thanking the sasistant for his attention, took his depnrédré.. Returning to his house, he ascended. tof his chamber, un- dressed hi:mself again, and wens to bed. tv ? @ ' 6 ® « @ @ ® a what I pill'do. Leave it. THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. . like the wind, The little bird has performed its . a ed ' OHAPTER XIX, THE JOURNEY. . We mnet now return to Lady Bess, whom °wo loft at the moment whon soated on hor gallant steed sho fled from her cottage in tho manner already described. Making the best of her way into London, slie crossed Biackfriar's Bridge, and wroceeded straight for the Kent Road. In an qur and aquarter from the time she had quitted the cottage she entered upon Blackheath. ‘I'horo she walked her horse—although tho noble animal, as if instinctively aware. of its mistress’s need, appeared jinpationt to career Onward again. _. The datntléess amazon wag in the highest. pos- sible sptrita, not only at the achievement ahe had already performed in effecting her cscapq from the lawyers, but likewize at the menasuros sho had taken to disentangle herself in the long run from the meshes of the law and be able to turn round and laugh {n'their faces. She thought of Tur- pin’s memorable ride to York—an exploit which had'saved. him from the etrong arm of justico on that oocaglon, it being held impossible for a man who appeared at York at daybreak to have committed a crime in London on the preceding evoning-—the distance being close on two hun- dred miles! Bat Lady Boss@-stratagem, as she had devised {t, was if possible still more inge- nious ; and the evidence to be eventually given in her favour, would be still more conclusive, as the reader will presently see. It was nay three o’clock in the morning—and she had sixty-four® miles to ride! But this dia- tance she was confident of being able to achicvo within a very few hours, although {t formed no part of her plan to imitate Dick Turpin in tho astounding feat of accomplishing the journey with the same horse. . ’ Having breathed her gallant coursor: for a fow minutes on Blackheath, Lady Bess gayo it the rein ; and away, away it flew with an astonishing e “ Fifteen mileggfiom this point to Gravesend— or rather sixteen hence to the Dancing Bear—and I must do the distance in an hour!” ‘Thus she spoke aloud, hor flute-like voice ‘gounding melodiously. through the fres) air of morning. The twilight was glimmering in tho east—very faintly as yet, but still it was appear- ing sand sho thought to herself that sho would yet rido many a*mile ere the sun rose—ayo, and Many a long milo more too, ere it should bo very high above the horizon. Tie exhilaration which she felt amounted almost to an intoxica- tion, She was as happy as if not the slightest danger hung over her head,—happicr indeed, for it.was in consequence of that danger she was Dow pursuing an advonturo eé’thorouglily con- . genial to her daring, dauntless, reckless character. Her horse needed not the touch of spur or whip: on occasional carpss with the hand and the cn- cotffaging voice of its mistress impolled tho animal to the development of all its powers of swiftness— and nevor did the lithe and graceful Arab courscr dash with a more lightning specd over the arid desert than Lady Beas's gallaut horgo along the high rdadto Dover. The weather at that hour in the morning and in the genial month of June war ‘ 6S & ne COLUM LOAO© SS (CO)