The Mysteries of the Court of London, Vol. 7 — page 280: what you’re looking at

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

—_, ee Ae ApS re Sie es 2 awe cee oe ~~ eee owe —_ wwe? es = —_ — Sw we ee eee = eee = ee, = ee mA Se tn & - alain owe @uarers A ween = = =_=—ws@eus> = ~ ay aoe aca tanss OG ant e4 = ont ah to the old nobleman’s ideas, we may as well at once state that his misgivings reached such a pitch he tossed down the pen—left himeelf, eo far as His momoirs were Concerned, in the grasp of tho lion, with a boa-constrictor picturesquely thrown in, and represented as looking down from a tree ready to spring upon them both :—and issuing from the library, he stole into the garden, treading noise- lessly amongst the evergreens. Heo drew near that very identiéal arbour where he had eurprised Christian and Isabella, and where he had received so smart a blow upon the nose: but all wae silent there. Le diverged elsewhere; and now bis wan- dering steps brought him in the immediate vicinage of the private door. Footsteps rapidly approaching along the avenue, fell upon his ear; and just at that spot close by the dvor, there were no high trees to intercept the star- light, All therefore was clear; and the ancient Earl popped down behind a abrub to see who the individual was that now approaciicd the gate. It was Christian Ashton; and in the sudden surprise with which the nubleman was thus emitten, he gave such a start as to rustle the shrub :~-but Christian heard it not. The Earl tarried where be was, crouching down like a frog: he per- ceived our hero insert the key in the lock—open the gate -—- pass forth-— shut it again ; and then the relocking thereof fell on his lordship’s ear. * Well, am I really awake?” asked tho Earl of himeclf: “or is thisa dream? I have either dis- eovered something extraordinary to a degree; or else I am the silliest young dotard that ever existed.” Bewildered and confused, the Earl wended his : way back to the library—filled a bumper—tossed - - — it ofF—and threw himself back in his chair to meditate. Sleep stole upon bim; and he was presently awakened by the entrance of Make- peace. His first impulse was to tell the valet everything that had happened: bis second thought was to hold bis tongue; for the idea slipped into his head that he had drunk too much wine and had been dreaming. He inquired what o’clock it was: and was told it was puet eleven. Lord Os- mond and the ladies bad already retired to their respective chambers; and the Earl accordingly went up to bigs own. On entering his dressing- room, the firat thing he did was to glance ate particular nail to which the key of the private garden-door was wont to be bung:—and there, sure enough, i¢ was. Nor need this be at all astonishing to the reader,—inasmuch as Make- peace had during the day procured a counterpart kev, in accordance with instructions given by Lord Osmond, who remunerated him liberally for every- thing he did. But when tke Earl thus caught sight of that key, his suspicion was strengthened to the effect that he had dreant this new incident of the garden ; and as nothing would bave been more galling to his mean petty vanity than tu appear nidiculoys ' in the eyes of his servant, he breathed not a eyl- able relative to his supposed dream. Yet when Makepeace had retired, the Karl of Lascelles re- flected more and more on the vceurrence; and he _ was haunted by the apprehension that there might ~ be something wore in it than a mere dream—espe- OE we eer i EE ae =a Tey ee: 0 ae See eially as it had occurred on the very evening that the garden-ramble was reucwed. Ce Pd Qmewers eer res fs user eRe 4 om ties | ee OEE ee FU MYSTERIES OF THE COURT, Sy CEfiiewe CR eos: so 2 yer gee ad a = -_ ea Mamtae & mw ae ee Geta ot te ow” ~ “The key is certainly here,” he aaid to himself; “and not for moment would Make remove it from its nail. I know the fellow ia fidelity it- self: I am too keen and shrewd to be deceived by any man’s countenance. Noone could have pure loined the key, becuuse Makepeace alwaya keepe my dressing-room locked, But it ia quite possible for that young scoundrel Ashton to bave had a false key made. Perhaps he came of his own accord, hoping to see Isabella. Yos—it must have been so: for Advulpbus could not possibly so far forget bimeelf as to connive at such a proceeding, Very good, Master Ashton! So you will persist in looking after my nicce-—will you? We'll see if we can't put a stop to it. Dm almost sorry I didn’t pounce upon him: but perbaps it is all for the best. I'll go to the magistrate in the mornfhg —or I'll set a detective to watch. But no! there’s something better than that——~-and, by Jove! Fil do it.” Whatever this last idea might have been, it oer- tainly seemed to tickle the ailly old nobleman’s fancy very much: fur he rubbed his hands and chuckled—griuning most ludicrously at the sams time; and putting un bis night-cap with the fringe of falso hair, he sought bis couch. On the following day Lord Osmond, emboldened by the success of the previous evening's adventure, called upon @hristian to inform him that he might, if he thought fit, have another interview with Isa- bella; and our hero, who was enthusiastically de- voted to the charminy girl, was only too willing to accept an offer which he believed to arise from the kindest and most disintercsted feeling. During this same day, too, the Earl of Lascelles bad a little private conversation with the under-gardener, —giving him certain instructions, and charging him to observe the strictest secrecy. This the man faithfully promined,—all the more readily too, as the Earl slipped a couple of guineas intu his hand. The old nobleman, when in the presence of the family, suffered not his countenance to betray that there was any sccrot scheme which he was hatch- ing: but nevertheless he was too full of it to bo enabled to settle hia mind to dictate to his son; and thus the proffered services of Adolphus were dispena:' with. Indeed, so far as the memoirs were concerned, the Earl continued ‘in the grasp of the lipn, and the huge’ boa-couatrictor was atill coiled round the branch of the tree, wailing to spring. When the evening came, the Earl and Countess, ord Osmond and Isabella, were assembled as usual in the drawing-room to take coffee; and &t about half-past eight o'clock, the Earl, rising from hie seat, said that he should go to the library and prepare for the next day’s work, as he was pusi- lively determined to proceed with bis book on the morrow. “And as the heat has provented you from going out all day,” said Adulphus to the ladies, “ I offer, hike a gay gallant, to escort you for a strull in the grounds.” The proposal was accepted: the bell was rang for the shaw; and the Karl, chuckling with ine ward sativfuction, exclaimed, “ Well, the evening is really beautiful; and instead of shutting myself up in the libfary, I will take « lounge with you.” Adolphus abd Ethel acre enabled, from a course of dissimulation, to maintain the strictest guard A A Ce ee ep Same © at BD Oy AU o- en~ ees GU” ECONNIC I OOO© SS