The Mysteries of the Court of London, Vol. 7 — page 345: what you’re looking at

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

| | | | | a N dba wien ugse Ys bere 834 Qawermee and raising his voice ta @ higher key, he oxelaimed, | the intention on the part o! “You had ought to say what busingss you have-— | Withers to arrest that individual. a swindling scoundrel like you-—coming to a re- spectable hotel, giving your orders like a priuce, robbing everybody, and not so much as paying the poor devile of servants which has run their legs off to wait upon you, A presious nice thing to get into the local papors amonyet the Fashionable Intelligence :—' The Hon, Talbot Sycamore re- movel on Wednesday last from the Royal Hotel ub Hamegute to his tawn house of Newgute.’ Dash my wig, euch an Honourable !”’—and the waiter in order to vent his indignant feelings upon something, dashed his white uapkin frantically down upon the unoffending carpet. Cumiorted by thie procedure, he took up the two young gontlomen'’s hats, and stalked out of the rogn, leaving the door wide epen. “DTot’'a gu at onee,’ saul Syeanoras “ar the Whole hutel will be up ju aring.” “T think you havo a servant, sir f™ oaid Mr. Bhacbolt. “ Pordition take the servant!” rejoined Byca- more sharply, “ Let him shift for himeslf.” The waiter was holding furth to the two young gentlemen in the adjacent apartment, on the ira- propriety of seoundrela in general and Ale. Syoamore in purticulur, taking up their quarters at ret-rato hotels,—so that tha culprit was enabled to slip out of the establishmdat, closely acovrapanird however by the two detectives. Lo the atrest they mot the dapper groom; and he at ouco comprehended that something was the matter. Lt was impoasiblo to avoid giving him a guitable explanation : whereupon ho darted away, —-thinking perhapa that it was impolitie fur him to re-onter the hetel, as he might stand a ehance of being given into enstody as an aider and abettor of his master in the process of gwindling whieh had been carried on. Neither did he deem it ex- padient to accompany his master to Loudon; and thus he did indeed fulfil Mr. Sycamoro’s reeom- mendation— that bo should shift for hinsell. Barely five minutes had clapaed after Syeamore’s departure with tho two detectives—and while the Wuitor was acquainting the Lermaid and ail the other domestios with the details of the explomon ‘that had just occurrad—when a telegraphic de, epatel was hurriedly brought into the hotel {rea the railway atation. [6 contained simply thesy wurda :~-“ Give Sycamore and the grou tuto cus- tudy. Leave Mr. Ashton unwuleated: he is inno- eent. J shall be down by the next train.” This was from the lindlerd of the hotel, who had. gono up to London, where bo had instituted inquiries with such rapidity and effect, as to be en- abled to arrive at the wunclusions contained in that telegraphic deapatch. 1¢ waa howerer too late te act upon it——for the hand of justice had already laid ite grasp upon une of the scoundrels, and the other had decamped. Christian Ashton entered the hotel at this con- juncture. Hoe was apectlily made acquainted with what had occurred; an.! the telegraphic despatch was shown to him. He was infinitely delighted thus to discover thet his own reputation remained periectly undamaged: ‘and he proceeded to explain the circuthstances under whieh Le hnd withdrawn himeelf in the forenqot, Trou Mr. Sycamoro’s en- ployment, und how he bad-overheard at the tavern rrephis j 1s THE MYSTERIES OF THE COVET. a a a a ee aan i A i = om na - m4 wae of Messrs. Shadbolt and The bar-maid now understood wherefore our young hero had asked for his bill soparately from Sycamore's account; and this circumstance, together with the promptitade exhibited by Christian in eettling it, confirmed the favourable intinatioa forwarded by the landlord frum London. rower CHAPTER LXIV. VERNER ROUSE. Werew he had retired to his own chamwber at night, after the exeiting events of the stirring day through which he had passed, Christian Ashton reflected upon all those occurrences—and not the least on the mysterious adventure of which he had obtained an initiative gligipse in the neighbour- heod of Sir John Steward'’s resrlenes. As tho reader is aware, our young hero’s heart was ene gaged with an unalterable devotion to the charm- ing Tsaballa Vineent; and therefore it was merely with a gonuine compassion and a pure sympathy that he thought of the beauteous and afflieted Laura. He trombled on her behalf for more rea. sons than one: the character lhe had heard of Sir Juhn Steward, and which seemed fully justified by the old libertine’s glonting lovks, was alone eufli- eient to fill him with such apprehensions: but in addition therato, be by no moans hiked the appear- ance of Mrs. Oxunden. That she was exceedingly handsome, we have already sad: but she hada cortain bold and resolute luck, fully indicating the firmness and perseverance with which she would prosecute any onterprise, even though a bad one. Stie had the thickly pencilled ebon brows and the fiery eves which denote streng passions: the confivura- tion of her countenance was essentially voluptuous, She was nut a woman to inspire love by her be auty—only to excite passiun: vor did she herself appear susceptable af the former in ite chastess aud purest sense—though on the other hand, she scerued fully capable of expericuciny tho latter wilua glowing and devouring ardour. Between that old man of libertine character, aud this woman ot sternest purpuse, the hapless Laura appeared in the eyea of Christian to be as helpless asa lamb . butween two wolves bent on its destruction. The reader may have already gleaned a suffi- gioncy of our hero’s character, to be aware that it was marked by chivalrous maguanimity. ilis experiences of life were wondrously enlarged siuce we first beheld him seated with iis amiable sister in the lodging at Mrs. Macauley’s house in London. Ue had seen enough of the villanies of the world to fill him with a generous longing to baffie and frustrate thera whensoever the opportunity should present itself; and apart from his own naturally nvble impulses, he had not failed to profit by the example of Mr. Redcliffe. It is not therefore astoniahing if Christian lay awake a considerable time, pondering all be had scen io the close vici- nage of Verner House—and that he should also rack his brain for the means of affording Leura that assistance which he felt convinced she re- quired. But sicep came over bim ere his mind was settled to any positive suurse; and whea be - Re etree ep ee ns neers ester ee eS EP SS — a we eee ee em eee ee eqs - = -- —P wo eee Se eRe Wl eee ee —_ wmire-mae™= ~~. 69 yyw? aR ees =~ wa SS CO