The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 374: what you’re looking at

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

s$othem with that esurteeus manper.and truly gra- parcel of her very nafsnre. On nearing ‘the ,works, it wee. peresived that the amansive poles had -wenqanised over the buttress and the stent evineh-rope. alzeady sigged for the purpose. of iiMing wp the erownlngwatenc; and in fact every pre- gmration vas completed.py the .masans who bad risen at a very early hour in order to accomplish them. The stewnrd wae provided with,a.latge earthen vaso filled with old and new specimens of coins; and the + housekeeper carried a battle of swine sthich ber neble yristress wae to break.over the head -of the. buttress. , But there.were no epectaters, present in.addition to the persons already mentioned, inasmuch as.jt was not imown beyond this circle that the Manshioness had even arrived at -Malden Marm—such less that. she contemplated any ceremonial of the nature which -was about.to take place., Bat.just as.Lady Bellenden and her followers .were emithin « fevr yards .of the river's bank, the sounds of an approaching welicle met their ears; and in.a few dnetants .2 pest-cbaiue emerged fmm the bye-lane which has before been alladed to as eemmunieating with the read. And here we sheuld, perhaps observe that this bgelene branebed eff. amidst the woodlands into 4wo routes—one efleating a junction with the high road to Birmingham and London, and the other leading to the beautiful village of Bellenden. It.was therefore impossible to decide. whather the post-ehaise which now emerged from the Jame, had come from . the direction .of Birmingham, .or fgom that of the peapefal hamlet in whose shurch-raults reposed the ashes of one of the promdest.and ‘reightiest. fanallics. of the British. eniatearacy. But the postehaise stopped-—~therdose was opened . ey a hand .thrmt forth foom the winderr-—and gut . peeslacly what he.indeed svas. . -« Mr..Rigden's cleck!"” exclaimed Karmer énataninneously as he approeehed the:pasty with aquisk step.andan important self-complasency af manner. “ There is something afoot betimes this morning.” he said, casting a rapid glance from one to anather: then, as his looks seftied upen the Marohiones, he | gave a sort of. start as if be. were-suddenly struck by the aenviction whoshe was ;--and cating his bat, he ohearved ina sespectful tane, “ I presume that I hdve the honour to fad myself in the presence of her lady- connected with Mr. Rigden. “ “I bave been hunting everywhere for your iady- ehip’s esausin, the Lord Raymond ,” said the clerk, unabashed by.the freezing demeanaar of the Marehioness ; “and I eannot obtain the least clue to his -whereabeuts. 1 was..at. Bellenden village. last ‘night ——" «“~ad....was theps yesterday. aftemoon,” said dhe mobile lady,for the purpese of. ascertaining whether the clerk. bed heard any pattionlars connected with “So I was told,” he observed, lasonically. “I alagt there lest night—~and now I em en my way back ‘te Lendes -——” “ Indeed, sir, you. have come out of year way;.I can ‘om you,” exelaimed Farmer Brooks. “On leaving 363 eT eer on shou Bot have taken to the pye-lanes t ene?” “I know that, my good man,” intesrupted the clerk: “ but I chose to come round by Malden Farm this morning---indeed, I. got up at five o'clock on par- pose-~just to-.make.a last inquiry concerning Lord Raymond and see whether anything had transpired with regard .to him aince I was here the day bere yeaterday. Becagee this is the 30th: and he must knew that unices he fulfils.a certain daty by twelve o'clock to-night, he loses any claim which he may sow possess to the ohjectsof litigation. I therefore fancied it just possible that he might have returned.at the eleventh honr, as one might say —-—” “I have heard nothing of his lerdship, I can assure you,” interrupted Farmer Brooks. “But I thought that you were resolved to find him aut, dead of -alive—.—” “Upon my honour, my good fellow—and saving her ladyship’s presence for talking thus familiariy,” exelaimed Mr. Rigden’s head clerk,—“I do really bagin to feel assured that if Lard Raymond Montgomery sheuld ever again turn up at all, it will be only as a eorpee—and not as.a belhg full of youthful vigour, aad animation, and life.” “Geed heavens! what makes. you think thai” eried Farmer Brooks, while ejaculations of horror burst (om the lips of the worthy man’s wife and dauzhfer. “Qh! simply becapse people den’t dissppear in this kind of fashion without having.met fonl play,” said the clerk. “Bat may I sake the liberty of in- quiring wherefore you are all abroad ao early, and what ia going on.at the.naw bridge here ?”" “ Her ladyship is. about to deposit.a vase of enins in the bellow of that buttress,” replied Farmer Brooks; “and the masons are at this moment on the point of lifting that huge crowningwstone.” “ With her ladyship’s permission I will remain a few minutes and witness the ceramony,” ssid the olerk. “T have not the slightest ohjestion,” retamed .the Marehieness: and with these words, she advanced elose up :to. the spot where the masons bad already begun to work the.apnaratus exected for the raising of the stone. . The steward, the housekeeper, Margaret, .Brooks, his wife, and his daughter, all took their station at a short distance behind tke Marchioness: but she attoraey’s clerk stood forward to-contemplate fhe prosess of lifting the hnge masa of granite. Having dwelt all his life in Londen, and having spent the greater portion of that life behind a desk, he now felt just. Hike a bird escaped frem its cage ;—and while the emerald.scenery of the esumtry was most. grateful te his eye, every trifing ineident which he enconntesed in his travels heeame.s matter of interest with him. ‘Thus.was.it that like a prying.and curious school-boy, he new-stood gazing on the-operation that was in pro- gress ;.and twhen the stome.wes raised a few inches from the mouth of the buttress, he bent down to earry his scratiny to every feature and detail of the-masonry and the.mason's proceedings. “Hew high shall we raise it, cir?’ asked young Brooks of the stenard. “ About a ceuple of feet—er perhaps a little mors,” was thesesponse. “The jar containing the cains is a -high one.” Bilence then. ensued once mbre—broken enly by the creaking of the winch-rpe and the grinding sound of the roller round whieh it was slowly, dowly winding. ElOOO® SS