The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 183: what you’re looking at

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

174 the thought struck her that his Grace was now visiting her for a particular purpose, which abe would have resented in no measured terms: but this idea was immediately dissipated when a glance showed her how troubled his countenance. Indeed, Marchmont had studiously put on an excited and agitated look ; while perhaps a certain senso of the deep villany in which he was engaged rendered his features pale, and gave an air of reality to the troubled look which he thus “Placing his finger upon his lip to enjoin silence, he beckoned the maid to follow him, This she unhesitatingly did: for sho saw—or at least fancied she saw—that there was something wrong, and she had no fear of any improper treatment on the Duke's part,—in the first place, because he seemed to meditate nothing of the sort; and in the second place, because she had the fullest confidence in her ows power to repulse and resent it, if he did. He had come without = light: she was at first about to follow with her own: but he made a sign for her to leave it; and she acoompanied him down the staircase. There was a sitting-room on the same floor as the principal bed-chambers of the establishment ; and into this Marchmont led Amy. “Young woman,” he said, rendering his voice hoarse and thick, and speaking too in a low tone, es if he were indeed profoundly agitated,——“ I do net for a minute imagine—I cannot suppose, in- deed, that you are an accomplice———” “In what, my lord?” asked Amy, somewhat indignant: “I am an acoomplice in nothing ane Be mot offended!” was Marchmont’s hasty response. “You will make allowances for me— you wil py me, when you learn the frightfal “ What is it, my lord ?” she demanded. “Your mistress, Amy,” rejoined himeelf “No, my lord,” replied Amy, firmly and in- ntly. HP ALT I do not blame you for thus thinking so well of her Grace. Good heavens! that such profligacy should be concealed by eo much ap- parent meekness! Alas, it is too true, Amy—or else my cyes must have strangely deceived me! But tell me,-—for I notice not such things gene- rally--what kind of = dress was it that your taistress had on this evening? Was it such-a- one ?’—and the Duke gare some explanations. “Yea, my lord: that was certainly the dress,” responded Amy Sutton. “ But it is impos- sible———” “ZT tell you it is but too true!” cjaculated the Duke, in a tone of passionate vehemence. “I was ing to my own chamber—the taper scci- dently went out—at that moment I heard light footsteps proceeding with unmistakable stealthi- ness along the passage. <A suspicion that there was something wrong induced me to hide in a/ watch doorway and watch-——— “ And then, my lord ?” said Amy Sutton. “And then I beheld your mistress proceed along that corridor; and she ente heavens! that I should have harboured such 6 THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. villain———abe entered, I tell you, the misoreant Stanhope’s chamber !” Naturally cold and unexcitable though Amy Sutton was, she could not help being startled by this intelligence; and when she gased into the Duke’s countenance—on which the starlight beamed through the window—she thought she read in his looks, which seemed wild and hagrard, the fullest confirmation of the tale. N she said after a few minutes silence, “It must be a mistake, my lord. Some other female——” “Bust the dress, Amyf—how could I pomsibly be mistaken? The light pouring in through the casement ab the end of the corridor, showed me the dress. It is true that your mistress seemed te have = veil upon her head———Does she possces 4 black veil ?” © Yes, my lord—several,” Amy. “Well then, she had a veil upon her head,” continued the Duke, still speaking as if he wore immensely troubled. “ Alas, there cannot be a doubt of it! And now I recollect » thousand little things which have hitherto appeared trivial a thousand little circumstances which only now assume an air of importance/ Vainly have I invited Btanhope to ride out with me—to go hunting or shooting. No !—~he has always had his excuses—he preferred remaining in the drawing: room——Qh, I shall go mad !” The Duke paced to and fro in the apartment, with an agitation so well feigned, that Amy Sutton, shrewd though she were, could not for an instant suppose it to be a mere detestable hypocrisy. She however lost none of her habitual coolness; and stepping up to the Duke, who accordingly stopped short in his apparently agitated walk, she saad, “ Nothing is more easy, my lord, than to clear up this matter at once.” “To be sure!” he as if suddenly re- called to a sense of what he ought to do; “and that was my motive in fetching you from your room! Go, Amy, to her Grace's apartment. If you should happen to find her there——and God send that you may !~—you can easily invent some excuse for tho intrusion:”—but Marchmont per- fectly well knew that Amy Sutton was not a pers son to undertake any such mission; or else he would have been careful to go upon some other tack. “ No my lord,” she at once said in a firm and peremptory manner, “I will not run the risk of being blamed for an impertinent intrusion. It is for your lordship to go to your wife's epart- ment.’ “No, no, Amy,” he said, with the air of one who was distracted ; “JT am not sufficiently the master of my own actions! But we will watch——Yees that will be the better plan. We will watch in the passago—wo will see who it is that issues fort from Stanhope’s chamber! JI may have wrong wrong iy described the dress: but you will be enabied to me. Besides, as I have made you my confidante in this most deplorable as weil as most delicate business, you must remain with me to keep such rt will, my lord,” answered the young woman + “for I cannot help thinking there must be some terrible mistake. But supposing it should be as your Graco fears,—you will pardon me for advising | | that you take no precipitate ste” | (GO) mG DOO CS (COL