The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 392: what you’re looking at

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

ee sa! THE MYSTERIES. (Queene es EES after the discourse which she had overheard between the Magsman, the Big Beggerman, and Carrotty Poll, she had no difficulty in arriving at the same conclusions to which indeed those individuals also came—namely, that the Earl of Montgomery and Fernanda were the employers of the two men io their country excursion, that Lord Raymond was ‘the victim at the bridge, and that the proceedings in the vault and in the vestry of the church bore refer- ence to the pending Chancery suit. All these details were of importance to Caroline,— not only to aid ber in wreaking the fullest measure of vengeance upon Fernanda, but likewise to con- vince the world that the young lady was capable of the blackest turpitude which could possibly be imputed to her. But if her eaves-droppiog behind the pillar had made ber acquainted on the one hand with particulars thus useful and important to her purposes, it bad nevertheless on the other hand brought to her knowledge a fact which filled her heart with rage. This was the stratagem which had been adopted, through the agency of Alfred, to re- cover the stolen deeds from Mr. Rigden, and restore them to Lord Florimel,—and when Caroline thus found that the mistrust with which that sickly-look- ing lad had inspired her at the lawyer's office, was fully warranted, she bit her lip with rage and cursed the want of caution which on Rigden’s part had thus enabled Florimel to triamph in the long run. ~ After walking to and fro in the hall for a few minutes to collect her ideas and compose her excited feelings as well as she was able, Caroline Walters retired to her cell, where she penned the following note to Mr. Rigden :— “The boy Alfred who stole the papers, was employed by a woman belonging to an infamous gang some of whom are at this moment in Newgate. The woman’s mame is Price; and she keeps a low public-house in Horslydown. Perhaps you can find some means of avenging yourself on the wretches for the loss of the papers _ Having sealed and addressed this letter, Caroline sent it to the post by the friendly turnkey, who rejoiced in the name of Pigman: and when this functionary returned after executing the commis- sion, she besought him to grant her an immediate interview with the Honourable Mr. Eaton. This favour was accorded without much diffi- culty; and Caroline, apon finding herself alone with Arthur, proceeded to relate all that she had learnt within the last hour relative to Fernanda, as well as all that her own suspicions or conjectures furnished in addition. Arthur took down in writ. ing everything that was thus detailed; and after a long interview Caroline was warned by the ap- pearance of the turnkey that it was necessary to take leave of the young gentleman. They accordingly separated; and Miss Walters was returning to her own cell in company with Mr. Pigman, when just as they entered the stone cor- ridor leading thereto, she found herself face to face with the milliner of Pall Mall. It must here be mentioned that Mrs. Brace had purchased leave and license to take exercise in the stone hall, in the same way as Caroline Wal- ters; and she was proceeding thither, followed by a turnkey at some distance, when she thus encoun- tered the young giri. “Ah! Tam glad that I have met thee, foul pro- euress!” said Caroline, in a voice of smothered passion. “Thou wilt go to the scaffold—and it is I who am the means of sending thee thither *” “Traitress! thou also shalt hang to the gibbet,” retorted the milliner, her eyes glancing with an infernal rage and her white lips quivering ner- vously. “Twas I who informed against thee, as thou didst against me !” “Ah! bat I shall not hang, thou she-devil,” returned Caroline, in a voice of malignant triumph and savage taunting; “for I can prove mine inno- |: cence—and that is more than thou canst do!” “ Wretch! thou shalt die by some means, if not by the executioner,” rejoined Mrs. Brace, her whole form trembling with the demoniac passion that made her contenance white and ghastly and her features distorted and hideous. “I shall live to gloat over thy writhings and convulsions on the scaffold, base procuress’” re- turned Caroline, the words hissing from between her lips as if laden with the venom of the serpent. “Little harlot, who murdered Mrs. Lindley (” muttered the milliner between her set teeth. “Wife of the Magsman, Joe Warren,” cried Caroline, in a tone of bitter contempt and cutting scorn: “your husband was talking of you ere now!” \ ° “Ah! would’st thou push me to extremes?” said the milliner, in a thick voice: and at the same moment she drew from her person something which flashed brightly across the eyes of Caroline Walters. “Murderess!” ejaculated the girl, recoiling in dismay from the blow which she saw coming: bat the next instant a long sharp-pointed pair of scis- sors which the milliner wielded, was plunged deep into Caroline’s bosom. With a low moan she sank at the feet of the in- furiate Mrs. Brace, who was instantaneously seized upon by the turnkey that happened to be nearest at the moment; and while the vindictive woman was dragged away to her gloomy cell, the wounded girl was- conveyed with all possible care to the prisoo-infrmary. ® CHAPPBER CCXXIIa, THE DEATH BED. Iz was late in the evening of the memorable day of which we have beea writing, that the chaplain of Newgate called at the mansion of Lord Florimel in Piccadilly; and, on obtaining an audience of thd young noble, the reverend gentleman informed him in a few hasty but impressive words that Caroline Walters, mortally wounded and at the point of death, implored a last interview with his lordship. The naturally generous-hearted Gabriel was not the man to refuse such a prayer ;—and he at once agreed to accompany; the chaplain to Newgate. On their way thither the reverend gentlefnan ia- furmed Lord Florimel that the blow which had stretched the unfortunate young woman upon the bed of death, was dealt by Mrs. Brace; aad the young patrician experiegced a kind of dismay as he reflected upon the intimacy which had once subsisted between himself and the wretched milliner. On arriving at Newgate, Lord Florimel was con- ducted into a chamber belonging to the infirmary- ge . ’ ECONniicooOolkKks.com