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

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-o4 r 262 THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. at least for the present, by reminding their frail ions that a fresh supply of wine had been gent for. Ina fow moments Mrs. Bambridge reo- appeared ; and almost immediately afterwards the womagn-servant eutered with two fresh bottles of wine. These were opened; and one of the girle officioualy filled the two gentlemen's giaeses : but the latter perceived that it was from the jirat supply, whieh was not epeicked. They ¢ that the other giagses were re They there- fure at once that the wine last brought in wae drugged. “You da not drink ?”’ said one of the girls, in a cajoling manaer to Stanley. “ I am already tipsy enough,” was the reaponse, given in a hiecupping manner. “Oh, no!—~do try one more glass.” Ganley veached forth his hand: and with every eppeayauee of drunken awkwardness he upest the glace. | “I'm gure you're not so clumay,” gaid the other girl to Lard Charles. “ Let's try,” answered the nobleman: and hift- ing the gles, be spilt all ite contents down his letot. P Both the girls affected to laugh: but at the seme time they darted suspicious looks towards Mra. Bambridge. “ Who can sing a gogd song” asked Stanley, with the hope of giving a tura to the proceedings aad averting the suspicions which he saw were awakened. “It juet happens,” replied Mother Bambridge, with her giupoering air, “that there are three ar four gentiemen—real gentlemen, like yourselves —in the front parlour; and they seem ag much inelined as you to make a night of it. They sing capite] gongs; and with your leave I'll go and fete them,” og She quitted the room accordingly; aud duzing hee absence, which lasted two or three minutes, the girls again endeavoured to cajole the aflicers inta retiring: but they were resolved not to he separated—and they vowed, with Fn declama- ion, that they weuld nat go to bed till daylight. ether Bambridge re-appeared, with the four “< gentlemen” of whom she had spoken; and tho two offeere at anec vecoguised some of the flashily dregeed fellows whom they had seen ing aloof behind the girls in front of the public-houses. The four balliea—far such indeed the new-comers were—themecives affected to be drunk; and sitting down, they began singing 2 bacchanalian seag, The girls endeavoured to persuade Lord Charles and Stanley to drink of the last supply of wine—but as a matter of course, without effect. The locks whieh the women rapidly exchanged grow more and mere suspicious, ag the excuses of the officers for refusing to drink became propar- tionately more and more transparent,—their con- duet saw being ow little eonsistent with thet o° tipsy mens and yet they had no alternative but to persist in the refuml, even at the risk of having theirs aim altogether frustrated. “Come now,” suddenly exclaimed Mrs. Bam- bridge, rising up from her seat; “I muat have the housp quict—-or else I shall stand the chance of being indiete:. You must all be off to bed with- out any more delay.” A crisin wae pow yeached: Lord Charles and Stanley knew fall well that if they separated from each other, they were almost certain to become the prey of superior numbers: for they bad no doubt that there were qven more bullics at hend than those who were present; and their only chance of a successful resistance, in case of vio- lence, was to keep together. Bat a thought sud. denly flashed to Stanley’s mind; and affecting to drop his poeket-bandkerehief close to where Lord Charles sate, he pretended to fall completely upon him as he atooped to pick itup. This manmurre afforded him the opportunity of rapidly whisper- ing, “ Let us suffer ourselves to be robbed without the slightest resistance.” “ Come, do you hear?” cried Mre. Bambridge : “off with you to bed }’”’ “If you won't let as at up any longer,” said Stanley, hiccupping at every word, “I shall go and finish tha night at the public house.” “ Bravo!” cried one of the four bullies: “ and well go with you.” The door of the room was now opened: Stan- ley and Lord Charles roee staggeringly from theig chairs, and with uneven steps walked into the passage,—a girl clinging to the arm of each. In the darkness of that passage, they each felt that their purses and watches were dexterously filched from them: they mot to notice it— the front-door was opened—and as they out, it was slammed behind them—neither bullies nor girls being now any longer in their com- pany. They walked away from the immediate vicinage af the place, and observed that both public-house and beer-shop were now shu$ up. This was of no consequence to them: for, as the reader may suppose, Stanley had all along no intention of ad- journing to either of those places. The dewn of morning wag now glimmering ; and ag they locked back, they perceived the head of one of the girls thrust out of an upper window. They made her an apparently friendly sign; and still along, stopped abort, ag if in astonishment, before the shut-up public-house. Then, with the air of men who determined te carry their tipay frolics to some place which was yet open, they passed out of the alley,—another glance thrown backwards, showing that the girl wea still watching their movements. “Now, my dear fellow,” anid Leed Charlies Meredith, when they were out of the alley, and therefore out of view of the house which they had recently left, “pray explain yourself—for to tell you the truth, I cannot for the life of me un- derstand this last proceeding on your ” “It is easily explained,” Stanley : “but we have yet much to do—and the moet diffi- cult as well as the most perilous part of our en- terprise is still to be perfarmed.” “ Proceed: I am all attention,” rejoined the nobleman. “ But unless we get back our purses and our watches, it will be rather an expensive night's entertainment,” he added with a laugh. “Those we may give up for lost,” answered Stanley: “but I think we may hold that loas cheap enough, if we succeed in surrendering e murderer into the hands of justice.” “But your project?” said Lord Charles, in- quiringly. “Do you mean to go and fetch the police P”” COMMUC DOO CS (COL