The Mysteries of the Court of London, Vol. 7 — page 289: what you’re looking at

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a a a cat 078 Adolphus to maintain his usual demeanour, so that the Kurl might believe bin anxivud to avoid the rivlc of showing the ladics by his looks that any- thing extraopdinary had taken place. As fur Isa- hella, -- she was inwardly sad at having been compellud by a senso of sig to pen that note to Chistian Ashton tu which we have already alluded; and not being versed in the arte of dissimulation, she ooyld not outwardly oppceal this mournful penaiyeness. The dinner passed away; and when tho Indies retired to the drawing-room, the Earl accompanied thein,—not from any particular mytive, but merely because on this occasinn he had no inclination to sit cvor his wine. A‘jolphus wont out to take a short ramble by himeelf: for ho again felt the necussiby uf giving way to hia reflections. Thus the evening passed without Adolphus and Ethel being left alono togeihor even for a single in- Start. We must observe, for the better comprehension of what is to follow, that the Countess of Laserclles atill slept apart from hor husband; and though the Kurl was becoming impatient of thig sep ira- tion of chambers, he had not ag yet insisted that it should cease. Night cane: silence prevailed throughouf the palatinl mansion of the Earl of Lascelles. Wore all uleeping there? Who can say? eWhen the world retire to rest in the evening, they know not what may transpire during tho many hours of darkness ore they awaken to the light again. And during thuse hours what desds of mystery and horror aro ofton perpetrated! Whorelore to the ti nid-minied 16 night. more or leas torrible, even thauch ¢hejrown gousciouces be withowg reproach ? Jt aa beenuse they know that cruaog@gavses the hour of darkness wherein to achieve if¥ purpose : they know that gudté shrouds itself beneath thut sombre ved when creeping steslthdy along its path of iniquity. They know that if their iutel- ligence can divest mht of its superstitious terrors, yet that nevertheless real ohjcots of horror are stalking abroad, uud that the votaries of crime constitute frightful shapes. Thoy know that inur- der, aud burglary, and violence of every descrip- tion aro fearfatly personifetl during the hours of darkgess; and*that the breezo which, sighs or thht "the wind which howls arfund thor dwollings, nay be wafting tho last low moan or else the loud ery ut the murdered viotitn’s agony. Yes—myht hus its terrers: 16 18 peopled wath foarful shapos ;— und the dark pasgjous of man accomplish all this! The night passed—and morging dawned upon the palatial mansion of the Karl of Lascelles. It was a benutiful day to which that night bad thus given Dicth: the heame of the orient sun shone upou the crovrald verdare of the gardeds, and made the fruitage glow as if goms were appended to every hough, The birds were caroulling in the trega: window after window on the domestics’ storry was opened fa admit the breeze of morn, ns tho opcupants of those rovms rose from their couches to apparel theinselves for the work o/ another day. And pow a litte later, as eight o'vloek approsehed, the casements of other chawm- berg wero opengd,—Jxebella’s here—that of Adol- | phuy thoro—and Bthel’s ou the gronud-deour, The raperies duttored gendly to éhat surtly breathing oe THE MYSTERIES 08 THE COURT. e-mee 64 2288S wee: eonumoew rp ry ES ay gE Dh ae ES auphyr, Which carried the blithe song of birds upon its wing, and penetrating to every ear, wight have infused serene happiness: into every heart, But, ah! what horrible rumour is this which towards nine o'clock begins to circulate like wild- fira throughout the palatial mansioa P—has murder been dotng its dread work durtoy the darkness of the past nighl? or js it sume frightful error ? No: it is all but too true; and the unfortunate Earl of Lascelles has been made the victim of s foul and mysterious assassination. It appeared, from the statement of Makepenco, that he went as usual to his master’s suite of rooms a little before nine o’olock ; and that on cn- tering the bed-chamber, he was horrified an be- holding the sheet deluged with plouj. IIe approached—~and found the Warl lying on his back, with his throat literally out from ear to cnr. Seized with a mortul terror, be rushed forth on the landing, and raised that ery of murder, which awaking such terrible echues, speedily’reverberated throughout the mansion. Then the other ser- vants bogan Mocking thither, with ehastly horror depicted on their countonances: Adolphus, the Countess, and Is bella, from their own respertive chambers, sped with wild distructed looks in the samo Ccircofion ;—aud that morning of such serene bhissfulnags out of doors, wags ons fraught with dread capfasion, trouble, mystery, and alfricht within those walls. Who could have done the deal? Whore was the weapon with which 16 was accomplished P This was not to be found. Tho veurest surzean of the neighbourhood, wie was quickly sent for, and who was speedily on the spot, declared that | (ho Earl must have been dead some hours --and Ghat it was consequently in the depth of the mht when the red right arm of Murder pared itsel! sor (hig tremendous deed. Furthermore, the medical anthority afirmed that the fatal wound ways 1n- heted by some very sharp instrument; but that from certain appearances, he was convinced it was nob with a razor, —— hiv optuion being that at was 8 large knife. Whatever tho instrument were, death must lave been instantaneous: the unfortunate old nobleman must have died al- most without a groan. But that instrument, as we have already said, was not to bo found; and when the police arrived upon the spot, notaing . was discovered to attach suspicion tu gny partie cular individual. Every room throughout the anaugion was strictly searched, —-Adolphus, the Quuntess, and Isabela dowiring that thers might turin ne exception, as they did not ehooyve tu draw u line of demareation betwoen themselves and the domestics under such circumstances. But ia none of the many apartinents of that houso was there discovered the slightest scintillation of a clue to the assassin. Yet the conviction was strong that the porpetrator of the decd must be an inmate of the mansion. No burglarious eutry had been elected: no doar had been foreod—n. window had been found open, when the servants first descended ° from their awn chambers. If therefore tne assnasin was not a dweller within those walls, could he have been secreted for hours beneath the erl’s bed awaiting hie opportunity to comnut the dreadful crime? But in that case, how did he escape after tho teed was dene? Certainly ee Cee Cees COMIC OOO© SS CO