The Mysteries of the Court of London, Vol. 7 — page 371: what you’re looking at

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

— —™ 2a eee _ ome = ome eee eee ie ~—iweeee Se ee es —e ~~ Oe ee ee om ie oman a a a ay el a a -—a St ay —_- eens aaa ed creche ETAT DTT EGET aA ee SHE MYSTERLES OF THE COVERT. ag FO pais. ae a ee —e ne Se ee ee pee, Tee oe eee eee o‘glock in the evening—and in « short time the | up with the bed-clothes, and retreated tuwards the Princess would retire to ber cuuch. Sagoonab had | door of the dressing-room—but never once avert- the principal charge of ber mistress’a bed-chamber; | 1ng ber eyes from the couch, leat the deadly ser. and she knew perfectly well that the Euylish maid | pent should be gliding after ber. It did not make servants would not enter it after she herself had | ite appearance: sie entered the dressing room ; performed tho last oflicvus there. She likewise felt | and the dour closed between herself and the tulerably certain that the cobra when once placed | chamber in which she had left the venomvuus in the bed, woul! be tov well satisfied with its, cubra. Ascenling tu her own room, she depo- warm comfortable quartors to leave them spevdily, | sited the leathero bag in her truok, which she At all events when tie door should be clued, Sa- | relucked ; and then proceeded to juin her felluw- goonah knew full woll that the anake cvuld nut possibly get out; and therefure even if it should leave the bed and ovil itself up in any other part of the roum, the ayab cilculated upun the hideous certainty that the Princess must beourme the victim Of its fangs. Sbe was all the more contilent io this respect from certain littl: circumstances which we maycas Well moentivo. Iodura’s dressing room jwined the bed-vhamber; thero was, as a matter of cuurse, a duor of communication between’ them ; but the dressing-room was hkewise entered by a door frum tie passage. Tt was by this latter door that the Princess was wont to acek her dressing- room of au evening; aud Sagvonuh’s presence was never required for any length of time in aiding the Princess with her night-toilot. Thus, by keeping the door of communication closed, 54 goonal knew that the enake would be confined ty the bed chamber, and that she herself would incur uo danger, while in the dreasing-roum, of becoming its victim anstead of her mistress. Such were the culd-blooded, Hendish, diabolical calculations which the vile Mindeo woman weighed in her mind while pondering the fearful deed of imiquity that she contemplated. Ite was cluso upon ten o'clock when Sagoonah had oumpleted the wonted arrangements in the dressing-roum and the bed-chamber. She was careful to place in the dressing-ruvm every article that her mistress might need in order that there should be no chance of requiring anything to be fetched from the bed-chamwber. Tuo arrangements being completed, Sagouneh ascended tu her own room—unsluched ber box ~and stuod carefully back for a moment to convince herself that the deadly roptile had not by any means eacaped from the leathern bag. Nor had it. Then Sagoonah ao- ‘quired the further certainty that the strings of the bag were tight; and concealing it beneath the folds of her white drapery, she descended ‘to In- dura’s chamber. Approaching the bed she drew down the cluthes, and with exceeding caution ehe relaxed the strings of the bag somowhat, —keoping dumestica, with ap air as svttled ani composed as that which she bad worn when Overtaking her mistress and Christina ia the Zovlugwal Gardens after her final issue from the snake house. Meanwhile the Princess Indora and our heroine were seated tugether in the elegantly-furnished drawing-room; and the time-piece on the mantel proclaimed with its silver tunzue the hour of ten. Svarcely had it finished striking, when the sounds of a vehicle stupping at the garden-gate were heard ; and these were iomediately fullowed by the loud ringing of thut pate-bell. The summons was answered; aod the Princess Indura expressed to Curistina her wonder who could possibly b> coming at that hour of the night. In a minute or two Sagoonsh made her appearance ; and having nerfurmed the wonted luw eulutation, she stuod in the attitude of a alave in the presence of the Princess, waiting to be questioned. * What is it, Sugvonah ?” asked Indora, who, since Christina had been with her, was accuse tomed to speak to ber ayah in the Ba slish lan- quae when tn the young lady's preseace —not merely because qhe was unwilling to seem to have any secrets with our heroine, but likewise because she wished tv enable Sagovuah to have as much practice as possible in that tongue in which Curis- tina was her tutoress. “* May it please your ladyship,” answered the ayah, “two messengers from your royal father humbly soloit an immediate audience.” “ Messengera frum my dear father?’ said lndora, clasping ber hands with a gush of filial emotions. “ Let them at once be admitted.” Sagoonah bowed and withdrew. Curistiaa rose from her seat, and was hkewise about to retire from motives of delicacy ~when the Princess re- tained her, saying, “Sit down, my dear friend. These messengers can have nv secret to communi- cate which you may nut hear; and even it they had, they would converse with me in a language which you cannot understand.” Qur heroine accordingly resumed her seat ; and her eyes riveted with sorutipising luteotuess upon jn a few moments Sagounah iatruduced the two the opening thus made. Ia abvut a minute the hideoua reptile began to protrude its head; and just as the commencement of ita neck was vusible, Sasoonab grasped it with the furelinger and thumb of ber right hand—so guickly, so micely, and with such admirable expertness, tbat the spake had not messengers frum the King of Iniderabad. The ayah retired ; and the messengers prustrated them. selves at the feet of her who was heiress to the crowo of their royal master. Both were of the dark Hindvo coluur; and both were handsomely dressed in their native oriental garb —the chief time to plunge its fangs into her flesh. Suc now: material of their raiment being a dark veivet em- drew it completely out of tha bag: again was her; broidered and laced with gold. Ove was a fine arm quickly encircled by its dark shmy folds: but} tall man, of portly form and commaniing presence : she speedily disengaged the coils frum that arm—| his age might have been about ftty —and be was and with one dexterous effurt threw the serpent | the senior iu years as well as in rank: Hos com- into the middlo of the bod. It instantaneously’ paniuvn was short of atature ~—slybtly made aod tprang up to dart at ber: but ahe cummenced a} thin—with an angular profile, and restless eyus low yet quick half-humanag, half-ainging strain.' of exceeding sharpuess. He was scarcely forty The reptile was charmed —and ite head gr dually: years of age; aud Christin: perceived that bis wank down avis} ite coile, Tuen she covered us, garb, thaugh handsvme, was io sereral reapuci “ ElOOOKS