The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 85: what you’re looking at

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

IEE eee 70 And in the little parlour behind the bar of the Beggar's Staff did Mobbe remain until a late hour fn consultation with the Gallows’ Widow and Car- rotty Poll, CHAPTER CXLI BAO AT. BARL MONTGOMERY'S MANSION, It was nine o'clock in the evening as Rao, Lord Florimel’s black page, rang the servants’ bell of a handsome house in Grafton Street. A liveried lacquey soon responded to the summons; and the sable youth was forthwith conducted into the pre- sence of Lord Montgomery. This nobleman was seated in a handsomely-far- aished parlour with a bay-window; and an open door afforded a view of a smaller room adjoining, Both apartments contained some very fine paintings set in magnificent frames. The subjects were chiefly land- scapes ; and amongst them there was one represent- ing a charming piece of true English scenery—a picturesque village with its ivy-covered church- tower. Lord Montgomery was reading a book while he sipped his claret, when the black menial was shown into his presence. Laying aside the volume, and stretching out his legs before the fire with an air of indifference, his lordship said, “ Well, my boy—you have something to tell me, have you not ?” “Ohl! if the object of my presence here be so very trivial and unimportant,” exclaimed Rao, in a tone expressive of a dignity cruelly mortified, “I may as well depart at once. Good evening, my lord :”—and the page glided towards the door. ‘Stop, you wayward boy !” cried Montgomery. “By heaven! yuu are prompt to take offence ——” “Yes—even as I am ready to render a service,” ‘rejoined the lad, with a marked significancy: and turning round, he again approached the nobleman, “ Singular being!” ejaculated the latter: “are you more or less than you seem? Surely you were not bred and born to be the lacquey of an Englishman f There is a grace in your movements—an elegance in your attitudes—a perfect accuracy in your speech— a gentility in your manners——” “ Enough of flattery, my lord!” exclaimed Rao, sharply. “ Who and what I am, matters not to you: and if you suspect that [I am not what I appear, you will keep your own counsel in that respect, because I am prepared to render you a service of a nature which will lay you under no small obligation towards me |” “Sit down, Rao—sit down,” said Lord Mont- gomery, well convinced that fhe boy was indeed something more than he appeared and thst the lac- quey’s livery suited not well his real condition, how- ever elegantly it might become his slight and graceful figure." “Now will you take a glass of wine ?” “{ thank your lordship,” responded the page; “but my favourite beverage is water. And now you will permit me at once to open the discourse upon the topic which it is destined to take, inasmuch as J dare not remain too long absent from Piccadilly.” “ Proceed,” said Lord Montgomery, the first feel- ing of prejudice and dislike which he had entertained towards the page, having already changed into one of sympathy and interest, “Your lordship intends to be present at the mas- querade which is to take place at Covent Garden to-morrow night?” said Rao, fixing his dark eyes with a peculiar keenness upon the nobleman’s coun- tenance. “'Yes—such is my intention,” was the reply. “ And your lordship would fain personate my master, Lord Florimel?” continued Rao, in the same precise tone and positive manner which seemed to show that he was describing those thoughts which he had fathomed, and was not hazarding interrogative conjectures. “Well—z am not audacious enough to deny the truth of your surmise,” said Lord Montgomery. “Surmise!” echoed the boy, in a contemptuous tone. “Think you, my lord, that I cannot read your hidden soul as plainly as the printed page of a book? Yee—I have penetrated all your thoughts and wishes in respect to that masquerade—aye, and [ have read ail tne hopes which the narrative of Lord Floriniel's romantic adventure has excited within you.” “Then you played the eaves-dropper, Rao, when your master was telling me that strange story f" ex- claimed Earl Montgomery. “Yes-—-I have read all your secret wishes and all your fervent hopes, my lord,’’ resumed the boy, with- out heeding the remark which the nobleman had just made and which proclaimed an accusation that he would doubtless have denied if he could. At this instant the door was opened, and a servant entered the room. Rao started to his feet, evidently to save Lord Montgomery from any suspicion or misconstruction that might arise from the fact of his being found familiarly seated with a liveried page: and the nobleman threw at the boy a rapid giauce expreasive of his thanks for this proof of good taste on his part. “ Please your lordship,” said the domestic who had just entered the room, “ Mr. Rigden requests an im- mediate interview. He has only one word to say, and will not detain your lordship a minute.” “Show him in,” returned Montgomery: then ob- serving the page, whose presence he had at the instant forgotten, he said, “Step into the adjacent room, my boy, while I say a few words to my solicitor. It is not worth the trouble to make you step out into the hall for the short period that we shall be engaged together.” This proceeding on the Earl’s part was another phase of that tacit respect with which he was in. spired towards Rao by the belief that he was some- thing more than he seemed—an idea that forbade the nobleman from treating the boy as a mere lacquey. And Rao understood the cousiderate feeling which was thus manifested towards him: for even as he gilded into the adjoining room, he looked back to express his gratefal apprecigtion thereof with a rapid, fervent giance. The sable page closed the door behind him ; and at the same moment Mr. Rigden was ushered. into the presence of Lord Montgomery. The attorney wasa middle-aged man, with a pale face and keen gray eyes. He was dressed in black, wore a white cravat and ample shirt frill, and was altogether very precise in his personal appearance. He took snoff: but he managed the ‘habit in so cleanly a manner that his linen never betrayed it even by asingle grain of the pulverined weed. His bearing was naturally cold, reserved, and distant : he never spoke hastily, and scarcely ever betrayed een NER SS eS SPE a as eg RS ElOOO® SS