Joseph Wilmot, or, The Memoirs of a Man-Servant — page 393: what you’re looking at

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

Ce ee ee ee etait ee — « — LT Ct TT I eT tit tn cease aii nna JOSEPH WILMOT 5 ite THE MEMOIRS OF A MAN-SERVANT. 380 time I was here: it is done in the inner room’ in a Sart of uniform, was standing at the gate ; Wait a few minutes, and I will rejoin | and perceiving how wild I looked, he accosted me. I just knew sufficient French to make him under- — eee ee ee and pushed open a pair of folding-doors at the | once bade me follow him, and conducted me up extremity of the room. During the few moments | a very handsome staircase into a large well- that they thus remained open, I obtained a glirapse | furnished room, where a venerable old gentleman, of a much larger office, in which a great number | with a red ribbon i in his button-hole, was seated at of clerks were attending at the counters; and there a desk,—two clerks or secretaries being engaged was a tremendous rattling of specie. “The doors | in writing at an adjacent table. I soon ‘discovered closed again; and Mr, Dowton disappeared from my view. Five minutes elapsed—and he did not re-appear. Five minutes more: still no Mr. Dowton! A sensation of uneasiness was stealing upon me: I endeavoured to put it off—I reproached myself for my ungenerous misgivings in respect to a gentleman of substance and respectability who was doing me a kind action. But when a quarter of an hour had elapsed, I could no longer struggle against the uneasiness that was strengthening in my soul: still I did so far restrain myself as to tarry where I was instead of going in search of him. Perhaps he might be delayed by unforeseen circumstances ? perhaps the throng of persons was so great that he had to stay patiently for his own turn f—and if so, what would he think of me when by proceeding in quest of him, I showed that I mistrusted him? Thus altogether nearly half-an- hour elapsed; and my misgivings grew perfectly torturing. All that I had ever read or heard of ingenious swindles came vividly back to my recol- lection : and amongst them one exploit which was within my own experience—namely, my dealings with Mr. Dorchester. It was strange how the sudden reminiscence of that man’s roguery thrilled through me: it seemed like an inspiration; it all in @ moment gave a quickening impulse to the various vague and undefined suspicions which had been floating in my mind. They took form and substance: they expanded into a shape: recol- lections of Mr. Dorchester seemed to identify themselves with associations in respect to Mr. Dowton. Ah! fool, dolt, idiot that I was !—a veil fell from my eyes ; and I now saw clearly enough that if the brown wig and the spectacles were stripped off—if the stooping gait were abandoned, and the man drew himself up to his proper height, Mr. Dowton might very well be none other than my former swindling acquaintance Mr. Dor. chester ! Half wild at the idea of being plundered of all I possessed, [ unceremoniously burst through the folding-doors into the adjacent office: but every one was too much occupied there to notice my excitement. There was a great crowd all along the counter ; and numerous clerks were weighing and ladling out immense quantities of five-franc pieces. I looked searchingly and with feverish anxiety all along that crowd,—clinging with a sort of desperation to the hope that I might yet be | agreeably deceived, and that my eyes would pre- sently single out Mr. Dowton from amidst the | throng. But no—he was not there; reached the further extremity of the room, I SAW that there was another door. found myself in the court-yard again. plunging through the gateway, encountered not | the hackney-coach: I rushed forth—it was no- | where to be seen. Animmense tall porter, dressed | now. you.” With these words, Mr, Dowton turned away— | stand that I had been robbed: whereupon he at | | ‘and how the roguery had been achieved. He and as I | forthwith adopted to lead to the apprehension of that this venerable gentleman was the Governor of the Bank; and he spoke English perfectly well. I communicated to him the particulars of my loss, said that he would at once send off to Meurice’s Hotel to inquire for the swindler, though it was by no means to be expected that he would be found there. One of the clerks was forthwith despatched; and the governor, bidding me be seated, left the room. While he was absent, a short, thin, middle-aged gentleman—also with a riband in his button-hole, /and with a very aristocratic look—entered the room. The remaining clerk rose and made a pro- found salutation; so that my impression was con- firmed that this new-comer must be a man of con. sideration and importance. He sat himself down; and the clerk began telling him my story—as I could judge by a few French words which my comprehension caught, and also by the compas- sionating looks which the distinguished individual slowly bent upon me. ‘“‘T have just been listening to the narrative of your misfortune,” said this personage, addressing me in very excellent English when the clerk had finished his recital. ‘There is some chance that you may get back your money, from the fact that so short a time has elapsed since the robbery, and that in a few hours the whole police of Paris will be put upon the alert.” “Oh, sir!” I exclaimed, “you know not how thankful I am for this assurance: for what on earth I should do if I failed to recover my money, I cannot tell !” “Ts it your all, my poor young man?” in- quired the aristocratic stranger. “Tt is my all, sir!” I responded: for the thought at once flashed to my mind that if the worst arrived, I should not dare write to Sir Mat. thew Heseltine and tell him a tale which when deliberately viewed from a distance, would appear of too extraordinary a character to gain speedy belief. At this moment the Governor of the Bank re. turned to the apartment, accompanied by a gene tleman who wore a tricoloured scarf round his waist. He, it appeared, was the commissary, or magistrate, of the district; and he had special cognizance of all offences committed in respect to the Bank. He sat down; and the governor kindly translated to him my deposition asI gaveit. He then took his departure; and the governor gave me to understand that all possible measures would be ‘the plunderer. He farther informed me that the I burst it open, and’ rogue, when addressing the clerk in the first office My looks | which we had entered, and where he left me to wait for him, had merely inquired where he was ! to pay in a sum of money to the private account | of some individual who banked at the establish- | Ghboo S (c@)