Joseph Wilmot, or, The Memoirs of a Man-Servant — page 39: what you’re looking at

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

26 to open the folding-doors: but they were fastened inside. She was pale as death, and trembling violently: she flung a glance of horror and alarm upon me,—gasping forth, “ Good heavens, Joseph ! what can be the matter P” “The Duchess must be in a fit!” I exclaimed : and I threw myself with all my force against the folding-doors in the hope of bursting them open. But my endeavour was vain: the piercing cries still vibrated from inside—and then they were in- terrupted by long heavy groans. “No, it is not a fit!” E ejaculated, wild horror in my brain: “the Duchess is being murdered! Ah!” I ejaculated, as a thought struck me: “let us get in by the garden-entrance |” Having thus spoken, I flew to the hall-door opening into the court-yard; in half-a-dozen seconds I unlocked and unbolted it; and we passed round to a passage leading along the extremity of the building into the garden,—Amelie closely fol- lowing. On reaching the door communicating with the vestibule whence the respective suites of the ducal apartments led off on either side, I tried that door but found if locked. The cries had ceased: but as Amelie and I rusked to the win- dows of the Duchess’s bed-chamber, we heard the heavy groans mingled with deep convulsing sighs, issuing from within, I endeavoured to force open the Venetian blinds—but in this likewise failed. Meantime Amelie was wringing her hands and giving vent to the most piteous lamentations, As for myself, I was in almost an equal state of dread excitement. I glanced up at the Venetian blinds with the thought of climbing upon them in such a way that by my own weight I might tear them down: but instead of the bars slanting down towards the floor of the chamber inside, they slanted up towards the ceiling,—thus totally pre- cluding the possibility of peeping through them to see what was passing in the room, and also pre- venting me from obtaining a footing to climb up them. But it was while flinging that glance up- ward, that I was struck by the appearance of a column of smoke ascending from one of the chim- neys belonging to that end of the line of building in which the Duke’s own apartments were situate. Scarcely had I directed Amelie’s attention to this smoke, when we were joined in the garden by the Duke’s principal valet and three or four other domestics. The valet bade me clamour at the Duke’s shutters, while he and the rest endeavoured to force the door. Isped to execute the instruc: tions thus! given; and dashed my clenched fists violently against the Venetian blinds of the Duke’s bed-chamber,—at the same time calling out to him to rise, for that something terrible was happening to the Duchess. For nearly a minute no answer was returned;—and a minute was a perfect age under circumstances so horrible as these! At length I thrust my hand between the bars of the blinds, and violently broke a pane of glass. in a few seconds, the window-sash was thrown up inside; and the Duke’s voice exclaimed, “ Thieves! Begone !—or by heaven, I will fire !” | “Oh, Monsieur le Duc!” I ejaculated: “for God’s sake open the door!” “ What, Joseph! is that you?” he cried, ina tone of amazement. “Yes, Monsieur le Duc! Something dreadful has happened to the Duchess!” Then, JOSEPH WILMOT; OR, THE MEMOIRS OF A MAN-SERVANT. * To the Duchess? the door !” Meanwhile the valet and two footmen had been hurling themselves against that door with all their might; and just at the very instant that the Duke declared his intention of hastening to open it, the servants burst itin. I sped to rejoin them; and now the horrified party was swollen by five or six other domestics, who also being alarmed, had come round to see what was the matter. We entered the vestibule—we rushed into the ante-chamber of the Duchess’s suite of apartments—we traversed the dressing-room—we burst into the bed-chamber. And, heayens! what an appalling sight met .our view ! The Duchess was murdered ! Good heaven! [I will open CHAPTER LXXXILI. THE MURDER. STRETCHED upon the carpet near the couch, lay the unfortunate Duchess in her night-dress, which was covered with blood. Her hair too was all clotted with gore—her forehead appeared to be smashed in—the blood was streaming from num- berlesg stabs in her bosom, her shoulders, and her arms—and in one of these wounds tle blade of a broken poniard was sticking. A pistol lay near her in a pool of blood upon the carpet: the bell- rope, torn down from that part of the wall against which the bed stood, was likewise upon the Hoor; and there were marks of bloody hands upon the draperies of the couch, the coverlid and sheets, tuo walls and the furniture, Tables and chairs were overturned; and the appearance of the chamber indicated that the death-struggle must haye been as desperate as it was frightful. But as if nothing should be wanting to complete the ghastly horror of the scene, the unfortunate Duchess herself still lived—the spark of existence was not extinct within her—her eyes were open, and staring wildly, though with the glaze of death coming rapidly over them—and her bleeding bosom beat with subdued sighs as a gasping, gurgling sound came from the throat. - She was unable to speak ; and my conviction is that though she stared so wildly, yet that she was unconscious of all that was passing around. We were now altogether about a dozen in the chamber; and four or five—some males and other females—hastened to raise the bleeding form of the Duchess and place it upon the bed. At first I saw searcely anything distinctly, except the one hideous spectacle — that gore-stained, wounded shape from which life was rapidly ebbing away. But all in a moment I became aware that Adolphe the discarded valet was present amongst us; and he was one of those who were placing tae Duchess upon the couch. I had not however time to bestow a second thought upon the circumstance; for a figure, enveloped in a dressing-gown, rushed through the crowd of domesties—and flinging himself upon the bleeding, mangled form of the Duchess, gave vent to lamentations which thrilled through every brain. This was the Duke de Paulin. : There were now numerous and quickly uttered ejaculations, that surgeons should be sent for; and I i PEP sac loch AA Daa A Le y= SARL SRR SS ECORNICELOO© (C <S (E() ii