The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 71: what you’re looking at

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38 secret which he was most anxious to surround with as msny defences as possible, so that he alone should be enabled to hold it in terror over the head of the unhappy woman! Such were his reflections as he plied the spade with all the vigour of his muscular arms: but the ‘task was by no means an easy one. For the soil was very hard—he had not the requisite imple- ments to break it up ere he shevelled it out—and it was moreover necessary to dig to a great depth in order that a sufficiency of earth might cover the corpse so as to prevent any disagreeable odour from exhaling hereafter. Three hours therefore elapsed before the grave was hollowed to receive the murdered man,-—three mortal hours, during which both Mrs. Brace and Tlarriet passed through all the torturing transitions of lively alarm, cold terror, profound apprehen- sion, and awful suspense. Sometimes they fancied they heard noises in the house—footsteps descend- ing the stairs—persons breathing in the passage communicating with the front kitchen—or windows opening in the upper rooms ;—and then their hair almost stood on end and the perspiration burst forth in large and ice-cold drops upon their fore- heads. At other moments they would goad them- selves to desperation with the theught that Fre. derick could not possibly complete his taak before morning—that even if he were able, the trace of the deed would not be altogether annihilated—that some clue must inevitably remain, and that detec- tion was sure to follow. Then Mrs. Brace on the one hand fancied that she already found herself arraigned at the bar of justice as a murderess; while Harriet in imagination saw herself accused as an accessory after the fact. For although the abigail believed her mistress’s representation that tte constable had died of apoplexy, she never- theless knew full well that were the corpse dis- covered in the grave which Frederick was digging to receive it, the dread cry of murder would be in- stantaneously raised. Yes—three mortal hours thus passed, during which the murderess of mature age and the young woman in the bloom of youth were tortured with all the poig- nant imaginings of their fevered fancies. And they dared not express to each other how tensely their feel- ings were thus wrung—much lggs suffer Frederick Dray to observe how excruciating were their thoughts. For they were fearful of imparting their ewn terrors to him, thereby paralysing the only arm which could now work to save them: but the furtive glances which they stole at each other met at last and revealed to each how profoundly they were both suffering. But at length the grave was dug—-and the two women assisted Frederick to ascend from its depth. The corpse of the Bow Street Officer was then rolled into the hole; and the young man addressed himself to the task of shovelling back the earth which he had thrown up in two great mounds, one on each side of the grave. Every now and then he leaped into the hollow to trample down the soil; and the nearer its surface grew towards the level of the pavement, the more easily did Mrs. Brace and Harriet appear to breathe. The clock struck four as the footman trod down the last layer of earth; for the grave was now full— and still a large quantity of the soil remained hea ped up by thesida, But Fredrick seemed fully prepared to encounter every embarrassment which presented itself—and such an one as this was aaturally fore- seen by him from the very first. Having procured a large sheet, he spread it out upon the floor—threw the superfluous soil upon it—gathered up the four corners—and thus converted it into a sort of sack, which he was enabled to carry upon his shoulders He then passed cautiously out into the back yard, and emptied the contents of the sheet into the privy. This operation he had to perform three times before the whole of the superfluous soil was fully dis- posed of. He was now weil nigh exhausted: the frequent applications he madeto Mra. Brace’s excellent wine, had hitherto sustained him throughout his ardueus labours ;—but the effect of the artificial stimulant was beginning to produce a rapid reaction, and it waa necessary to imbibe a considerable quantity ere he could muster energy sufficient to re-place the huge stone over the mouth of the grave. This portion of the task was however accomplished at length; while Harriet compounded a mixtare of white-lead, sand, and earth, which she reduced by means of oil to the consistency of putty, and with which the flag-stone was not only fixed in its setting, but the interstices were filled up. The back-kitchen was now swept carefully with a carpet-broom; and Frederick walked several times over the stone, treading upon it in every point, to assure himself that it was firmly placed and did not tremble beneath the fest. The result of this test was perfectly satisfactory; and thas had every trace of the crime disappeared ! The clock of St. James's church was striking five, as Mrs. Brace, WHarriet, and Frederick Dray quitted the place where they had buried the corpse of the police-constabie; and, retiring noise- lesaly to their respective chambers, they were all speedily planged by sheer exhaustion into a pro- found slumber. CHAPTER CXXXIX. THE TWO NOBLEMEN. A weex had elapsed since the occurrences just related, and it was about eleven in the forenoon that the handsome bat effeminate young Lord Florimel was seated ia the breakfast-parloar at his elegant mansion in Piccadilly. He was dressed in the negliyent attire of a robe- de-chambre and slippers; and he was perusing a tender note which he had just received from Pau. line Clarendon, who was still staying at the Duchess of Devonshire’s villa near Aylesbury, The communication spoke favourably in respect to poor Octavia, and contained the most fervent assurances of the fair writer's unchanging love for the young nobleman. Florimel was already in the midst of his seoond perusal of this note, when the door was opened gently and a black page entered the room. This sable menial was apparently between fourteen and fifteen years of age. Of low stature and slender shape, his form was nevertheless of a symmetry alike elegant and graceful; and his movements were as noiseless as if he were an aerial being. Though his skin was as black as an African’s, yet in his features had he nothing charactecistic of ths negro race. Oa eee MlLGIOo SS