The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 54: what you’re looking at

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

THE MYSTERIES. that flashed acrosg our eyes in the lamp-light ; but we were too late—the wretched wo-' man’s movement was as rapid as if under. the influence of a sudden shock of gal- vanism—and the blow was dealt with the vivid spel of the lightning. Oh! my God—my God! what awful feelings took possession of me when I beheld that beauteous being weltering in her gore at my feet! Forgotten was her guilt, as if guilty she had never been; and I remembered only that she was lovely and beloved!” The baronet ceased speaking, but burst forth into agonising lamentations, which sounded dread- ful to the earxof the commercial] traveller through the deep darkness. At any time and under any circumstances it is a sad and mournful thing for one man to hear another sobbing as if his heart would break: but when those passionate expres- sions of an ineffable woe acquire a tomb-likeand hollow intonation from the caverned echocs of a dungeon—and when they burthen an atmosphere as black as the blackest night, the effect is solemply and mysteriously appalling. Page crept up to the side of his wretched com- panion—aend, taking his hand, endeavoured to console him: but many minutes elapsed cre Sir Richard Stamford could so far recover himself as to bring his strange and terribly romantic narra- tive to a conclusion. “ Yes,” he resumed, in a low, deep, and pro- foundly mournfultone: “ at that moment when I beheld her lying dead before my eyes, I wouldhave given words to recall her back to life. And I re- member that suddenly starting from the stupefac- tion into which the frightful tragedy had plunged me, I felt a panic-terror come over me—an a palling dread as if I myself had murdered her: I also recollect that rushing wildly away from the ecene of horror, I threw up the window opening on the lawn, and darted madly forth into the fresh sir that the midnight breeze might cool my burning brain. As if demented—or possessed of an evil spirit that was raging within me—TI ran franticly on until I reached the park; and then suddenly stopping and turnisg round—I know not under what strange influence—I beheld flames gushing forth from the windows of the dining-room. Ee- suming the wild and unatural speed that had pre- viously hurried me awesy from the Manor, I flew back towarcs the burning pile: but ssareely had I emerged from the park and entered the shrubbery, when three or four mensprang upon me from the dark shade of the evergreens—and I was over- powered in an instant. The wretches bore me away totheadjacent road—thrust meinto acovered cart that wag waiting there—and gagged me to. prevent my voice from alarming the domestics and tenants whose forms I had seen moving rapidly about ¢he mansion, in the terrific light of the conflagration. The vebiele rolled rapidly away pursuing the main road towards London; and having @anged the horse twice at lonely way- eide public-housea, it entered the metropolisjust as the clocks were striking five in the morning. J] eras then blindfolded, doubtless to prevent me from sven forming a conjectureas to the direction which was now taken ;—but I could judge by a few in- structions which the leader of the party gave the driver from timeto time, thet the van was purposely pursuing & circuitous route. Finally, it was abost six o'clock, as I havealready informed you, when I was removed from the vehicle and thrust into this cell. Since that moment I have been enabled tocal- culate the lapse of time by the regularity with which the wretches bring me my sorry meals. But soli- tude—darkness—+the terrific nature of my thoughts —a poignant sense of the tremendous injuries I have sustaifed at the hands cf those whom I never injnred—and the incessant contemplation of the | wrongs that have been heaped upon me by persons whom I never wronged,—all this would have driven me mad—mad—had ncé your presence here this night giveh me acompanion to whose ears I could unburthen my pent-up, suffocating misery! Oh! the malignant filends—what do they require of me? | That I should sign some paper with the contents of which I am not to be made acquainted—and that I shall consent to expatriate myself for ever to the American Coniiuent, where a handsome pecuniary allowance will be made me. These are the terms on which my freedum can be obtained—these are the conditions which are proposed to me every time my mealsare brought. Vainly have I ques- tioned the man who is thus appointed to attend upon me,—vainly have I questioned him, I say, upon many points which so nearly regard me ! is speechless save in respect to a constant reitera- tion of those termsto which I cannotaccede. But | now, alas! from your lips I learn that my fame i is | blackened—that my reputation ig assailed by | seducer of my poor wife and his equally vile parte; ner in iniquity. Oh, to escape—to escape from this dungeon, and invoke the justice of the tri- bunals to decide between them and sme !” “ And it will be no difficult matter to prove your invocence,” said Page: “ for the forgeries at the Bank of England can doubtless be traced to Mr. Martin—the cashier at your late estallishment in Aylesbury can give sufficienttestimony toclear you of any complicity in the misappropriation of the fundse—and the fact of your incarceration here will show how urgent were the reasons that have in- dueed your partners thus to dis dispose of you. The only pointe—and they are, after all, the most serious-———” “ Speak, my friend-——speak candily,” exclaimed the baronet, perceiving that the commercial tra- vellor hesitated. T wasalluding, Sir Richard, to the-—the—death of Lady Stamford and the burning of the Manor,” continued Page. “ ButI migh{as well inform you of a fact which I readin the newspapers, and which cannot possibly be known to you,—and this is, that the flames were speedily extinguished without hav- ing done much inj ‘‘ And the corpse of her whom I deplore in spite of her deep guilt——was that discovered ?” asked the baronet im a low and tremulons tone. “The flames had not reached it,” replied the commercial traveller; “and it was discovered on the carpet, just as it must have fallen at first-—with the fatal weapon stil] in the bosom. A Coroner's Inquest was to have been held yeeterday—but lof course am ignorant of the result.” “ Surzical evidence may perhaps prove the mortal blow to have been inflicted by the hand of suicide and not by that of a murderer,” observed Sir Richard. “ Let us hope for the best !” exclaimed Page, « Amen !” returned the baronet, fervently. A. long silence oan one ensued in the dungeon. TOO) COLUM SS CO