The Mysteries of the Court of London, Vol. 7 — page 290: what you’re looking at

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

Pet 1 See ere ~, ee repre ee ee ene net ee | | | | | | AGRIC Ar es <o Nips Dee ed 2g) agen eee eg THE MYSTERIES OF THRE corrr. 279 = ee ee = ie = —_— eens —Ceememtas Te ay ree en sere eee gto ay amen ae ORES? yO ‘= not during the night: for, as alroacy stated, no dismay, and the consternation which prevailed doar nor window was found ppen in the morning ; | throughout the house: yet no one oferad to leave aud such assassin could not have slipped forth it; for such a proceeding, by itsolf alone mn cht frum the premises after the servants had risen | bave at onco drawn down suspicion on the head of without being perceived by those who were moving | such person. about within tho walls, or by the gardeners in the} There was a Coroner's inquest: but nothitig grounds. No—it appeared incontestable that the | transpired to throw the faintest light on this ap+ murderer wis an inmate of the mansion: but on] palling mystery. The proceedings terminated whom could suspicion alight P There seemed to | without afixiug tho remotest Suspicion upan any be no reason to imagine that any one bad a mofive | individual. Not a garment had been found baar- for such & crime ; or at Jeast such was the opiniod | ing a blood-stain in any room, save that whore the formod by the police after carefully and minutely | tragedy itself oocurred: no kuife, nor woapon of inquirtmg into the case. | any other description, bad beon specially pointed But if the author of the deed were thus involved | at as the one which hnd been used by the mur in an obscurity which seomed impenetrable, not | derer’s hand, Tho tragedy created an immense less wyeterious was the motivo itself. Could it! sensation out of doors: the mystery in which it have been plunder? There was no evidence in | was enveloped, struck with awe the myriad readers the Earl’s suite of apartinents that n single thing | of newapapors. Everything appeared to be out of of any value bad been removed. THis purse, con. | the ordinary course in reference to this foul crimo; taining some thirty or forty pounds in notes and | for nut oven did the whisper of scandal sugigest a guld, was on the toilet-table,—as were his super} | single naroo as that of tho probable author of the watch and ufagsive chain, his diamond ring:, avd | deed. Conjecture iteolf was stupiied—surmise several other articles of jewellery. A box con- | was prustrate. It appeared to be ono of those taining other jewels stood on a chest of drawers; | deeds which, terrible in their mystery and inv- and though unlocked, it had not been rifled, | scrutable in their motive, now and then vccur upon Plunder therefore was assuredly not the assassin’s | the theatre of the world as if to prove that things object. Then, what could have been his motive? | may take place on éarth defying tho power of man Private vengeance? No: this idea acemed alto- | to fathom, and which are to remain entombed in gether incompatible with the harmless, frivolous, ! darkness uwtil the finger of heaven for its own wise invilensive character of the murdered nobleinan, , purposes shall draw aside the veil and bring all to The wystery was great: 1 seemed as if it would | lyrht. remain impenetrable. In ninety-nine cases out of | Throughout the day when tho murder was dis- every hundred where a foul ernme has been com- ; covered aad the two folluwing ones, the Countess mitted, suspicion at once attaches itscl! to some | of Lascelles kept her ehamber,-—a physician being individual? the circumstances of the deed present ‘in almost constant attondance upon her, as ale was a clue --or there 1g a known motive which might | in a stnte of fever, and Frequently hyaterical, The have mfluenced the suspected person. But in tho | Earl of Lasuelles,—aa wo must now denominate present case there was nothing of all this--no clue | AdoJphus, tor he refused not to adopt tle rank to left belund by any want of caution on the asgas-) which the world believed him entitled, and which sin’s part—~no visible object which any one had to | there seemed noboly to dispute,-kept his own gain by such a deed-—~no known motive that might | room for the greater portion of the rat day: but have served as an impulse to any particular indi-| on the second he attended at the inguest; and villual. afterwards he assumed the pusition of hoad of the After tho discovery of the terrific crime, tho | establishinent. But be appeared deeply to foel ountess of Lascelles was borne in a swoon back | tho terrific tragedy which had taken plaen: his tu her own ehamber, whence she bad hurried to) counten.ice boro every indication of profound the tragic scene, as above doscribed. Isabella, on | sorrow - “is step was languid and slow— bie voice learming that it was all too true, likewiso fell | wda mournful and subducd: he appeared as F he juto uncuuseivusuess, apd was conveyed tu her} wero mercly oxerting alittle energy for duty’s apurtiucnt,— a seriuus indisposition supervening, | sake, but that it cost him the most painful offurte Aduiphus appeared most profoundly horrified and {tu do so. As for poor [sabella,—she continued shocked s and for sume hours he was quite incapas | seriously indisposed ; and we 1oay as well here re- ble ot issuing any instructions, Makepeace Lee q’mark at onco thatit was vot walilafter the funoral waned the loss of the master who had alvays been | of her deceased uncle that she erussed the throghold so hind and indulgent to him; and ail ths «vher ! of her own apartment. servants of that extensive catablishment sage to But it was before that funeral took place—nand be stricken with consternation aud griet, Indeed | on the fourth day fulloWing the night of the mys- these teely.gs appeared to Le universal wituin those | terfous murder—that Adolphus and Ethel wot for walls ;~- and set many doubtless sad to themselves, | the first time sinco the mument when, on tho ‘oer must be one accomplished uissembler Mornings of the foul deed’s discovery, they had amongst us- one being whose hypocrisy is as per- | rushed from theit respective chainbers to the sceno fect as hia crimo is tremendous.” of the ervac to ascertain whether tho frightful im. lt was therefore a fearful thing for those who jtellize:ce which had reached thum was indeed ‘were innocent, to be compelled thus to reasua/truc. it was id the drawing-room that they now within themselves. Aa one looked upon another, ; met on this dourth day, as dbove stated; and they he said to himself, “At this moment I may be | were slone there tégother. Ethel bad so far reco. gaziny on the assassin :”—and that other was with | vered that éhe is enabled to ascend without equal probability saying the same thing within his‘ assistance t) that apartment: bit she was much own heart as he looked in the fuce of the former. | changed —the colour had totally forsaken her Such & state of things aggravated the Lortor, the checks, which were haggard and sunken ;—and the ECONNIC I OOO© “eee CO