Joseph Wilmot, or, The Memoirs of a Man-Servant — page 91: what you’re looking at

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

inching a enonree ) 78 JOSEPH WILMOT; OR, THE MEMOIRS OF A MAN-SERVANT. notice of the landlord and surgeon when they had looked into the pocket-book: but such was evi- dently the fact—or else they would scarcely have treated the injured man with so much sympathy and consideration. By the time I had finished looking over the papers, the surgeon and landlord made their ap- pearance; and I explained to the former (the latter not speaking French) that the pocket-book contained documents of the highest consequence— that I had taken down the address of Mr. Lanover’s friends at the place where he was to join them—and that I would write to them before I went to bed, so that the letter might be posted on the morrow. I suggested that as I was an intimate friend of Mr. Lanover, the pocket-book ought to be sealed up in my presence; and I offered to pay a sum in advance for the invalid’s maintenance, if his own purse did not happen to be well filled. The surgeon interpreted all this to the landlord; and both admired what they were pleased to consider my “ handsome conduct.” The pocket-book was sealed up in an envelope and restored to the landlord’s keeping: but IL was informed that there was no necessity for me to disburse any of my own funds on Mr. Lanover’s account, as the purse found upon his person con- tained a sum adequate to all the demands that were likely to be made upon hin, if he lived—or to defray his funeral expenses, if he died. I was glad when I saw the pocket-book sealed up: for the circumstance set my mind completely at ease in respect to the bank-bill; and I retired to my chamber to ponder all that had occurred. Thus far fortune had most wonderfully favoured my enterprise. I had obtained a complete clue to the whole ramifications of the villanous proceedings instituted by Lanover, and which had thrown those in whom I was so much interested, into the hands of Marco Uberti. I possessed the pecuniary means of liberating them: but there was one important particular in which my knowledge was deficient— and. this was the pass-word that could alone prove to Marco Uberti that I was really delegated to act for Mr. Lanover. The bandit was wily and astute ; and it was scarcely to be supposed that the mere production of the ransom-money, together with explanations showing that I was initiated into the affair, would suffice to convince one who by cir- cumstances was naturally rendered so keenly alive to aught that was suspicious or treacherous. Therefore it became absolutely necessary for me to learn that pass-word, especially as the bandit-chief had in his letter so strictly enjoined Lanover to communicate it to a deputy if he employed one. But I did not despair of conquering this difficulty by some means or another; and my thoughts in this respect pointed to Angelo Volterra. A far greater difficulty still, in my estimation, was the disguise I had to assume when penetrating into the stronghold of the banditti. Sleep stole over me in the midst of my reflec- tions; and I slumbered on until one of the hotel servants called me an hour before daylight in pur- suance of the instructions I had given ere retiring to rest. I rose—partook of a hasty breakfast— and when I paid my bill, gave the landlord a letter which I had prepared to keep up appearances, but which really contained no writing inside. It was simply addressed to Mr. Smith at Vienna; and the landlord firmly believed that this was the friend whose anxiety was to be relieved on Mr. Lanover’s account. I learnt that the invalid appeared to be a trifle better, according to the nurse’s report; but he was still in a state of almost complete uncon. sciousness, and unable to give utterance to a word. I bade the landlord take all possible care of him; and mounting the horse which Captain Raymond had so kindly placed at my disposal, I rode away from the hotel. On quitting the town of Pistoja, I took the route towards that village whither I had con- ducted Miss Sackville on our escape from the rob- bers’ tower, and where we had obtained the old rattletrap vehicle that had taken us on to Florence. | An hour’s ride brought me there; and I halted at the inn which had furnished the equipage just alluded to. The landlord immediately recognised me; and I inquired whether the banditti had come that way in pursuit of us on the morning of our flight ? He answered in the negative; and I next inquired what had been done with the horses which the banditti’s stable had furnished us. The landlord said that the mayor—dreading the yven- geance of Marco Uberti and his band upon him- self and the whole village, if it should become known to them that the animals were detained there—had ordered them to be ridden some few miles along the road in the direction of the brigands’ stronghold, and then turned adrift so that their instinct might guide them homeward. The landlord then began to question me in his turn,—inquiring what business had brought me back again to the village: but I had no intention of gratifying his curiosity, and accordingly devised some excuse to satisfy him. At the same time I said it was quite possible I might remain a day or two at his establishment—at which intimation he was greatly pleased. Having seen that the horse was _ properly stabled, L rambled forth from the village, with the intention of searching amongst the woods for a particular herb which, as I had read, would pro- duce a decoction affording a deep swarthy dye for the complexion, and which would last for several days in defiance of soap and water. Some parti- cular anecdote which I had read in connexion with this herb, and which I had only that morning re- collected again—but with which I need not trouble the reader,—had left in my wind the precise de- scription given of it; and I hoped to experience little difficulty in finding it. It was then my pur- pose to procure in the village quite a different suit of clothes from the somewhat fashionable cut that I wore; and though the disguise would not after all be a very perfect one, yet I was resolved to put a bold face upon the matter and lose no time in prosecuting my enterprise. Having passed three or four hours in the wood, searching in every direction for what I required, —and displaying as much exemplary patience as ever was manifested by the most inveterate gatherer of simples,—I found a herb precisely correspond- ing with the description which I retamed in my memory. I culled a sufficiency for my purpose— and began to retrace my way towards the village: but when within about a quarter of a mile of my destination, I suddenly came upon a scene which made me pause to contemplate it. By the side of a streamlet which rippled and sparkled through a ECORlNCOOOKS.e@