The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 352: what you’re looking at

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

meee reer ee eee ee ce es lc econ eameerennamemmmennsss eles THE MYSTERIES. — A a 86am ee |G eee 341 “Oh! it is granted, Rigden—it is granted,” cried the Earl, now recovering his equanimity. “ You will let your clerk become the bearer of this letter, then?” he observed, so soon as he had folded, eealed, and addressed the missive. The attorney responded in the affirmative: and Montgomery took his departure. “There is something strange—something un- accountable, about my noble client,” muttered Mr. Rigden to himself: “and despite of his indignant denial—despite alao of the letter which he has written—I still believe my suspicions to be well grounded. He has always been very intimate with his cousin Fernanda—too iotimate I have some- times thought. But be all that as it may, I care not. His lordship is one of the best of my clients —and that is the principal point I have to regard.” With this comfortable conclusion, Mr. Rigden rang the bell. The head clerk was summoned into his presence and ordered to make immediate pre- parations for a journey into the midland counties. The attorney gave him the requisite instructions, letters, and money; and the official departed in a post-chaise for Warwickshire. Throughout the remainder of the day did Mr, Rigden continue to pore over the documents lying upon his desk; and as the business was now be- coming urgent, he stayed at the office long after five o'clock. The head clerk, as we have just de- scribed, was absent—and all the others, save Alfred, left the place at the usualhour. The youth however remained to shut up the office. It was nearly nine o'clock when Mr Rigden took his departure, thoroughly fagged with his fatiguing day’s work. No sooner was his back turned, when Alfred rubbed his hands gleefully and appeared scarcely able to restrain his joy within moderate bounds. But having given vent to his exultation, he sate down again and waited a full half-hour ere he took any step in the execution of the project which he had in hand. Then, feeling assured Mr. Rigden was gone for good, and that there was no chance of his return that night, the youth rose from his chair, muttering, “ Now is the time !” The lawyer invariably locked the door of his own private office ere he left, and as regularly took away the key with him. This Alfred of course well knew; and he was prepared to meet the dif i- culty. Taking a small skeleton key from his pocket, he speedily opened the door; and on enter- ing the private office, he found that all the parch- ments and papers of any consequence had been removed from the desk. Fora moment he was staggered with the fear that Rigden might have carried away the very identical documents which he (Alfred) now required: but a second thought reminded him that such a proceeding was alto- gether contrary to the lawyer's habit. He ac- cordingly resolved to pick the locks of all the japanned cases in the office, until he should either find the deeds he wanted, or else ascertain that they were not there ;—and to work he went, aided by a few little implements which he took from his pocket. There were altogether about twenty tin boxes in the room, some of them bearing the names of clients, others having no names upon them at all. That of Montgomery did not appear upon any one ; —and therefore the youth commenced with the cases which had nothing in the form of nomenclature or initials painted on them. His search was speedily crowned with success; and the coveted documents fell into his hands! Yes—they were those which he required,—those which he had been instructed to procure,—tlhose, indeed, to which he had heard Caroline Walters so especially allude in the morning ! And now, securing them about his person, the youth hastily quitted the offices, fastening only the outer door, and leaving the key in the lock. Me then made the best of his way to Horslydown ; and at about half-past ten o’clock, he reached that noted pandemonium—the Beggar’s Staff. The welcome which Alfred received at the hands of Carrotty Poll and the Gallows’ Widow, was of the most cordial description. They literally hugged and kissed him in the exuberance of their joy; and Elizabeth Marks assuredly evinced a degree of excitement which was altogether unusual with her. ‘Well, this is the finest and most admirable stroke of policy that ever was executed !” she cried, as she glanced at the deeds which Alfred deposited upon the table. “Florime!l will reward us muni- ficently !” “To be sure,” observed Carrotty Poll, as she produced a bottle of wine upon the strength of the hoped-for recompense. “ Now, take a glass, Alfred —and then tell us how you managed it.” “I suppose you received my note, old gal?” said the youth, whose meekness of manner and hunuility of tone had apparently been left behind him at the lawyer’s office, for the atmosphere of which they had been so successfully assumed. “ Yes—we got the letter, Alf,” replied Poll; “and overjoyed we were. Only we had our misgivings, lest you should fail at the very last—or be detected-——” “ What a cursed spooney you must take me for,” exclaimed the youth, flinging one arm round Car- rotty Poll’s neck, and the other round the Gallows’ Widow's. “ No—no: I played my cards better than that, I can tell you. Old Rigden is as cunning as a fox—and I fancied that he looked queer at me once or twice during the day. But never before had he entertained the least suspicion that I wasn’t all right—even if he did up to the very last mo- ment.” “And how came you to discover the deeds to- day ?” demanded Poll. “Oh! a young fellow came —a midshipman- looking chap—to see the guv’ner,” replied Alfred; “and I happened to go into the inner office with a message, just at the moment that the visitor said, ‘I see that you have got the Florimel documents all be- fore you.’ So then I ascertained for the first time that the papers were there; and I do believe that the young middy noticed the satisfaction which I felt burning as it were upon my face. Having once made sure of the grand point which I had been endeavouring to arrive at from the very first mo- ment [ entered Rigden’s service, I knew that the rest was plain-sailing. So I seized an opportunity to write you off a note; and, in a word, I have ful- filled my mission.” “ Ah! see what itis to have nice-mannered and well educated young gents like you enlisted in our service,” said Carrotty Poll. “If you'd never run away from school and fallen in with the Kinchin- Grand, you wouldn’t have performed this gloriour feat, you see—and you certainly wouldn't have earned the twenty guineas I promised you.” GOH GOO SS