The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 271: what you’re looking at

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264 a = them ; and they shared the same couch—while the police conducted their prisoners to the gaol. On the following morning Miss Marshall and Paquetta were summoned to the office of the Alcalde, or Mayor, who was prepared to examine into the occurrences of the preceding night. An interpreter was present to assist Miss Marshall in making her deposition ; and through this medium she explained how the muleteers had borne her to the lonely hostelry in the forest—how she was compelled to remain there—and the incidents which had subsequently taken place, until the arrival of the gendormes. From this same in- terpreter she afterwards learnt those which we shall proceed to record. But first of all we must observe that the muleteers, confessing their guilt, revealed such details as threw ad- ditional light upon the character of the hostelry and the previous night’s tragedy. It appeared that the innkeeper and his wife had tenanted that hostelry for about a dozen years, during which time they were in league with several muleteers of the district, who were fre- quently in the habit of conveying unwary foreigners to that den of iniquity, where the unfortunate victims were murdered for the sake of whatsoever they might have about them. Until within six months of the date of which we are writing, no servants were kept at the hostelry: but in conse- quence of the intemperate habits of the woman, her husband was at length compelled to take a female assistant. Through the recommendation of a shopkeeper in the town—who little knew, how- ever, to what a place he was & servant— Paquetta obtained the situation; and during those aix months that she was there, she saw nothing to excite her suspicions as to the evil character of her master and mistress. On the particular night to which we are referring, Paquetta overheard some observation between the innkeeper and his wife, immediately after Kate Marshall's arrival, which suddenly filled her with the darkest misgiving. She however had presence of mind sufficient to conceal the suspicion which had thus been engen- dered ; but she resolved to remain on the watch. Though the words which had caught her ears, were vague end indistinct, she nevertheless felt assured that Miss Marshall’s life was menaced: and this idea, agitating in her mind, will account for those looks of interest: which she fixed upon Kate when laying the supper-cloth, and which Kate mistook for regards of curiosity. At one moment Paquetta thought of flying from the hostelry and to the town, to give information to the police: but at that late hour she feared to venture through the forest—she moreover dreaded lest she should be pursued and overtaken by the landlord, who in that case would have secured his own safoty by making away with her: and in addition to these reasons for abandoning her first thought of flight, was the consideration that she might, after all, be mistaken, and had put a meaning on the few vague and indistinct words which her ear had caugh Bo ae tarred at the hostelry—and kept upon fhe watch. After Kate"had been conducted up to the bed-chamber, the girl listed to what was going on, but without being observed; and ber werst fears were speedily confirmed. She THE MYSTERINS OF THR COURT. the whispered explanation which the landlord gave of how the plan was to be carried out. “ He said,”—quoting Paquetta’s own words in giving her deposition to the Alcalde,—* care must be taken that I should obtain no inkling of what was on: it was therefore too dangerous to cut the Englishwoman’s throat, as it would be impossible to efface the stains of blood. He ac- cordingly declared his intention of stealing into her chamber when she was and smothering her with a bolster. This, he said, he felt con- vinced of being able to do without any noise to alarm me. The remainder of the plan was thus laid down:—the muleteers were to get the equi- in the morning, I was to cordingly plaoo in ney band. Such was the hor- rible project which I overheard: and for a while I was utterly bewildered how to act. I was never- theless determined to do all I could to save the English lady, even though the attempt should fail and my own life should be forfeited to my mas- ter’s vengeance. I saw that there were no means of issuing forth unperceived from the house—no means therefore of getting Miss Marshall off in safety. The only chance of ing my purpose,” continued Paquetta, “was to induce Miss Marshall to remove atealthily up into my own chamber. I calculated that when my master should penetrate into her room and find she was not there, he would conclude that she had by some means or another suspected his design and made her escape. I also reasoned to myzself that if he should come up to mydoor and ask whether I had seen her, he would be contented with the denial which I should boldly and firmly give; and as he had no reason to suppose that I had been a list- ener to his plans, there was the greater proba- bility of his putting faith in that denial on my part, and adopting the conclusion that the lady had es caped of her own accord and unassisted by any one else. I accordingly entered Miss Mar- ahall’s chamber, expecting to find that she had at least laid herself down, even if she were not disapparelied: I was therefore sur- prised to find her sitting up. It was however all the more suitable to urpose, inasmuch as there was no need for delay; and as I saw at once that some suspicion was agitating in her own mind, I had not the slightest trouble in making her comprehend the necessity of following me. I extinguished the light in her room, so as to create as much confusion as possible on the part of my master when he should proceed thither; and by bewildering him to the utmost of my power, render him all the more accessible to the belief that Miss Marshall had fied. For a moment I entertained the idea of putting open the window of her room. —tying the bed-clothes together—and letting them hang forth, to confirm the impression that she had escaped: buf a second thought convinced me as there was a savage dog in the back premises heard her master speak to the muleteers in a way | that would have torn her to pieces if she had which corroborated her dark suspicions: she caught ; really sought to fly in that direction. I therefow (COL (C DOO CS (COL