The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 309: what you’re looking at

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

nad oe 298 THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. with oysters, cold fowls, a French raised pie, and some other luxuries of the kind sold by Fortpum and Mason in Piccadilly. Wine and spirite were also set forth by the Captain's yalet; and Mr. Oliver exhibited his intention to enjoy himself to the utmost of his power. Half-an-bour afterwards Captain Stanley, affect- ing to be entirely overcome by liquor, reeled off to his bed-roum,—Oliver and Christian Ashton thus being purposely left alone together. There was no peed fér our young herg to mentiun the name of Mrs. Oxenden in order to revive the topic: Alexis himself speedily returned to a sub- ject which be was particularly prone to harp upon when in his cups; and within the next balf-hour he had revealed to Chyistian the whole particulars of the secret which he himself had elicited from his mistress. The soyrae of the hold which she bad obtained upon the Dyke of Merchmpné was thus gompletely fathomed by. aur hero: but it cost him en infinite amount of dissiuulgtion, ae well as the necessity to drink ap inordinate quantity of liquor in oder to keep Alexis company, so that he might thus worm the details out of him. It was ebont one o’clock in the morning when Christian and the valet conveyed Mr. Oliver to a eab and sent him home to his own lodgings. Our hero then sought Captain Stanley, who hed not retired to rest, but was awaiting in bis chamber the issue of the téte.a-téte; and infinite was bis joy when he learnt how completely Christian had succeeded in bis object. Infinite likewise was the gratitude of our hero for the succour which had been so ably lent him by his friend Stanley, and which hed in a few hours brought to a conclusion an undertaking that otherwise might have lasted several days. It wae about ten o'clock on the following morn- ing—or rather we might say, on the same morning —that Mrs, Oxenden had just finished her break- fust, when a servant entered the elegant parlour in which she was seated, and presented her a note. She read it: the colour went and came in rapid trangitions upon her cheeks: she looked frightened and enraged by turns—she hesitated what instruc- tions to give fhe servant, who wae waiting near the door; and et length she said, “ You may show the gentleman up,” The domestic obeyed the order; and the visitor was ushered into Mrg, Oxepden’s presence. She bad risen from ber seat; and without either re- suming it or requesting him to take a chair, sho said, with an effort te assume a dignified and haughty eompusure, “ You, sir, are the writer of this letter ?”’ “My name is Coleman, medam,” replied the visitor; “and that nawe appears as the signature to the note. Yay aurely can recollect that you have seen me belure—you once galled at my office on some affair relative to your husband " “ And yoy tell me, sir, io this note,” interrupted Mrs. Oxendep, “that you require an jmmediate interview with me—that you bid me beware how I refuse it —that things have come to your knuw- ledge which place mo more in your power than I may probably suspect ” “All this is true, madam,” rejoined the svlicitor calmly; “and I repeat the same in your pre- sence.” : What—what do you mean?” faltered Mrs. Oxenden, becoming more and more frightened, as well as proportionably less able to conceal her terror; for she knew that Mr. Coleman was the solicitor engaged in the defenco of Lord Clandon —and she liked as little as could be to find herself mixed up in any of the affairs which might more or less ominously regard the Duke of March- mount. , “It hag come to my knowledge, madam,” re- sumed Mr. Coleman, “that you are acquainted with @ very serious offence committed by his Grace of Marchmont, end that you have not given such infurmation as tnight tend to place him within the grasp of the law. To have the knowledge of a exime committed by another, and to remain silent on the subject, is to render oneself au accessory efter the fact —which in itself, madam, is a heinoug offanes, aod the penalty of which in the present instance ig transportation !’ . The, colour apgw completely fled from Mra, Oxenden’s gheeks; and vain were all her effurts to appear galm and collected. She flung an ap:eal- ing. look upon the solicitur, and faltered furth, ‘What would you, thea, with me?” “TI require you, madam,” replied Mr. Coleman, “ to accompany me to a place at some hittle dis- tance from London; and there you will have to give your testimony a “A Court of Justice ?” exclaimed Mrs. Oxen- den, with terror aud dismay depicted upon her countenance. ‘“ But I shall be branding my- self————”” . She auddenly stopped ghort; and Mr. Coleman, fixing his gazo significantly upon her, said in 9 gvolemn tone, “ Yes—it is a Court of ‘Justico af which your presonce is required—but if is nota Court constituted according to the prevailing laws of this country—it is a Court formed under the influence of ciroumstanges as peculiar as they are terrible. It is a secret tribunal, if you will—an Inqaisition—but still a Court where the claims of justice will be paramoant—where wrong shall be exposed and right shall be rendered triumpbant. Now, madaw, it is to this solemn tribunal thet I adjure your presence ; and if you refuse to accom- pany te, you must take the consequences.” Mrs. Oxenden experienced a deep and unknown terror at the language which @owed from the lawyer's lips; and though in the midst of the nineteenth century—dwelling in a city which is the centre of snodery civiliggtign—in a roow where ahe had but to stretch forth a hand to wake the bell suunmon domestic-servants to her assistance— or whero sho need but throw up the window and invoko the aid of the first passing constable to protect her against coercion—yet did she feel as if she had been suddenly carried beck through the vista of past centuries, into the gloomy profound of those middie ages when the public laws were set at naught aad jngividyals were cited by irresistible summons to @ppear ip the presence of the dread secret tribunals. Nu wonder, therefore, that sulemn awe and vague numbing terror seized upon thie woman whose conscience was so far from pure ; and no wunder that she, with all her natural strangth uf mind, should tremble and feel dig. m:yed iu the presence of that solicitur who ap- peared cunscious of the power which he wielded over her! * But for me, sir—for me,” she taltered forth, iin G (COLL OOO SS} (COLL