The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 142: what you’re looking at

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

THB MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. ‘up? did you never breatho a word to his lord- ship——” “ No—never, never!” ejaculated the Countess vehemently. “WNever!”—then, after a long pause, she slowly added, “ Bat the time is now come!” Again did the Countess stop short; and it struck Mrs. Broughton that while her ladyship had some- thing on the tip of her tongue to reveal, she never- theless liked not to give it utterance. And that this conjecture was right on the dependant’s part, _ ‘was speedily proven by the observations which her 1 { oo mistress wens on to make. | | “Nu—I cannot finish my narrative now,” she said marmuringly: “I am afraid that I have already spoken too much—the excitement has been great! But you will soon know all. And now listen atéentively, Broughton—aad render me the service which I am about to seek at your hands. You promi-e me that you will—do you not f* “Beyond all doudt, my lady,” wae the anower, — if it be consistent-——” “'Yee—you will Gnd that it is nothing whieh you may not do,” interrupted the Countess. “ Indeed you have already done it.” Mrs. Broughton looked astonished. not tell mo the other day,” inquired _ the Countess, “when you spoke of those intrusions —you know what I mean—that you watched in the hope of catching the intrader? ‘Well then, all the service I require at your hands is that you will do the same to-night—and to-morrow night, if it be —and every night until you succeed in the object. Ask me no questions—foroe me not to gay any more at present—I am exhausted—I shall experience a relapse. But yet one word more—— Let your measures be so well taken that if the intruder once again enters these apartments, he shall not escape till you have spoken with him.” “And what am I to say, my lady?” inquired the astonished Mrs. Broaghton. “ Whatevever cireumstances may suggest,” re- joined the Countess of Castlemaine. cummenip CHAPTER OXY. THB INTRUDER. It wae eleven o’clock at: night; and her lady- ship, though mach fatigued by‘ the long discourse she had held with her dependant, was unable te compose herself to sleep. Nevertheless, she lay with her eyes closed, and in perfect stlence, Mrs. Broughton was seated near the table, reflecting profoundly upon all that her mistress had told her, but ing why the narrative had been left in- complete, and that nothing was said to clear up the mysterivuus circamstances which had immediately preceded the marriage of the Countess,—nothing moreover in the form of a confession of frailty nor a prociamation of innocence,—nothing, in a word, to account for the condition of approaching mater. nity in whieh her ladyship fuund herself. Bat wherefore was such reserve maintained on all these pointe? It was true that the Countess had alleged fatigue and exhaustion as the motive for stopping short: but Mrs. Broughton felt convinced it was not the trac one, end that her ladyship was n0¢ s0 185 thoroughly wearied as to have been unable to suy a few words more. However, Mrs. Broughton had ressived the assarance that she would scon know everything; and it was not eo mach through « curiosity acutely piqued, as for the sake of a lady whom ehe sincerely loved, and for that of a noble. man ‘whom she had learnt to pity, that she anx- jously for an elucidation of all these usystec- ries,—bdeing not without the hope. that it might be for the best instead of for the worst. The time-piece in the boudoir had proclaimed the heur of eleven, when Mrs. rose to teke her measures for carrying out the task assigned to her by the Countess; and whieh indeed was but a repetition of the course ehe had already adopted of her own accord. Rising gently from her seat, she approached the couch: her jadyship her eyes for a moment—~gave her a look expressive’ of gratitude—and then closing them again, settled the expression of her countenance into that of a calm repose. The faithful attendant thereupon issucd forth from the chamber, closing the door behind her. She had ordered the nurse not to eome to tal:a her tarn of watching until between one and two in the morning; aed thus she had s considerable in. terval before her wherein to wait for the of the intruder if he ehould take it into his head to come. Of this however Mrs. Broughton considered there was Httle probability, inasmach es several nights bad now elapeed without eceing him return; and she fancied that after the loss of the letter, he would be in no huyry to repeat his visite. But all these things she had not represented to the Ceunteces —whove bidding, on the obntrary, che had promised to do: and therefore was it that she thus entered upon the tasht, . The boudoir, the parlour, and the ante-room were all three enveloped in total darkness: for the eur- tains were completely drawn over the windows— there were no lights in these three apartmen te—aor yet any fires in the grates. Mrs. Broughton fancied she could not do betéer than station herself in the ante-room on the present occasion; 00 that should the intruder revisit the place, she might at once secure the dour and thus make him completely a : until she should choose to emancipate din again. She felt her way to that door—she assured bervelf that the key was in the lock—and she then took a seat in ite immediate vicinity. We will not again pause at any eonsidereble length to analyse her reflections while she thus remained stationed there: but we will content our. eclves with observing that the thought which was uppermost. in her mied was in the form of «a query which she kept putting to hereelf, bat for which she could find no reasonable solution. ‘It was this: — ‘Wherefore hae her ladyship enjuined me this task? why is she so anxious to put me in commus nication. with one who must doubtiess be a stranger to mef and why should-ehe seem sunfident that be will make his appearance either to-night or very shortly ?” An hour away—the time-piece in the boudoir proclaimed midnight—and Mrs. Broughtoa was atill at her post,—wide awake,-faithfutly keep- ing wateh, — and listening with breath to cateh the slightest sound that might seem to herald the approach of a visitor. The metallic eadence of the last stroke of the clock was still vibratiny 4 0 EN ica (COL (C DOO CS (COL