The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 311: what you’re looking at

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

sion of the packet of papers, the sounds of ap- footsteps reached his ears;—and tho Earl returned, bearing a spade and mattock. The nO s countenance, as the moonbeams fell upon it, was ghastly pale ;—and there was a vacant wildness in his looks which showed how terrible an impression the tragedy of the evening had made upon his mind. “My lord,” said Meagles, in an earnest tone, “you must summon all your courage to your aid. Remember that an incautious word, uttered in the presence of a domestic or a friend, may send your wife to the scaffold !” “Holy God! itis but too trne! ejaculated the nobleman, as if startled by the warning into all the poignancy of” harrowing convictions. “ Let us hasten and perform our dreadful task "” . “Does your lordship think that we are secure against observation?” inquired Meagies. “ Will none of your lordship’s dependants pass in this direction — to lock the gate, or see that ail is safe—" “No—this gate is never locked,” returned the Earl. “Let us lose no time in hollowing a grave for the wretch who is no more,” he added, with feverish impatience. A spot amidst the evergreens was chosen—and Meagies fell to work. The nobleman, inspired with an intense anxiety to remove all traces of the crime from above the earth, rendered effectual assistance ; —gnd in somewhat less than an hour a pit was dug of asufficient depth for the required purpose. The corpee was thon placed therein—the mould was shovelled back—the superfluous soil was scattered over the ground in the vicinity—and the unblest obsequies of the murdered man were concluded. The Earl of Desborough now seemed to breathe for the first time since the enactment of the fatal tragedy in which his wife played the part of heroine. He invited Meagles to enter the Manor and take some refreshment after the toils of the last hour : but Tim had an insuperable repugnance to remain longer than was necessary with the Earl —for the words which the nobleman uttered when he jomed the Countess at the shrubbery gate, had clearly indicated his complicity in the deed. In plain terms Meagies saw that the Earl was an ac- cessory before the fact ;—and, great though the provocation had been, he could not regard the noble couple in any other light than a murderer and a murderess. He accordingly took a hasty leave of Lord Desborough, and retraced his steps to the public-house. I¢ was now past eleven o’clock-and Meagles found the landlord anxiously awaiting his return. But Tim was already prepared how to act: and, immediately on entering the tavern, he exclaimed, “Well, is that fellow come back ?° “No, sir,” was the landlord's reply. nanpened ?” “I suppose he has smelt a rat and bolted,” re- turned Meagies. “I followed him for @ consider able distance: Wat he evidently saw that 1 wus : watching him——” “Ah! then I am swindled out of the dinner and che wine which he had!” interrupted the landlord, in a tone of vexation. “He will never come back <—that's quite sure !* “You may put his expenses down in my bill,” aaid Meagive, in an off-hand manner.—“ since it a arr: ee gr rg rg a a “* What has THB MYSTERIES. | was I who frightened the rascal away from your house. And now give me a giass of brandy-and- water; and then show me to my bed-room—for | shall sleep here to-night.” These orders were duly complied with ;—and the moment Tim Meagies was alone in the chamber to which he had been conducted, he fastened the door and sate down at the table to examine the packet of papers which he had taken from the person of the murdered man. - But how great was his joy and how indescribable his astonishment, when on the outside letter of the bundle he beheld these words :-— Correspondence between Miss Hannah Lightfoot and Lady Stumford: together with Important Memoranda and Expla- nafory Comments. In the years 1757—1756. “ By Jove! this promises to be a lucky wind- fall for me!” said Meagles to himself, as with ner- vous impatience he unfastened the tape which en- circled the packet: and his hands trembied so from acute suspense, that he dropped several of the papers upon the floor. But speedily picking them up again, he ad- dressed himself to the examination of their con- tents: ani in s very few minutes he was involved in the study of the most thrilling, exciting, and interesting correspondence and memoranda ever engaged his attention. And through what varied transitions of feeling did his mind pass, as he plunged deeper and deeper into those documents! Now he was absorbed by the most touchivg pathos—then excited by the most frenzied words of despair: now he was en- thralied by fervid appeals—then startled by the wildest ravings of grief. Such were the contents of the letters. But presently he found that the Important Memoranda were leading him on to the discovery of secrets of a stupendvuus character, —secrets intimately regardiug the Kiny of England, ~—yes, secrets which bore the closest reference to the honour, character, and position of George III! With increasing wonder aad interest, did Meazies turn to the £. y Comments : and from them he gleaned a fall and complete solution of the mystery for the development of which the Memo- randa had already prepared him. Unable to restrain his amazement at the tre- mendous secret which he had thus discovered, and still less competent to bridle the joy which he felt at having become its depositary, Meagies sprang from his seat;—and the dread tragedy of the evening being as completely banished from his mind as ¢ it had never occurred, he paced the room in a perfect transport of wild and ecstatic feelings. For the papers which he had formorly possessed, and which the Prince of Wales had ob- tained back again from the Amazon, were but “cakes and gingerbread,” to use Sancho Panza's remark, compared with the correspundence and memoranda which had now fallen into his hands, ae which so closely concerned the King of Eng. In a word, Meagies gave way to all the extremes of an extravagant joy ;—until, gradually cooling and growing collected, he began to recollect that it was far advanced into the night and that he propused to rise early to return to town. He accordingly went to bed: bat some tin» elapsed ere he could in (C DOO SS