The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 396: what you’re looking at

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ewe 2 > eee -eeeeEeee « = THE MYSTERIES OF THR COURT. be well nigh past redemption, even if he had any friend who would undertake the task of reforming him. He drinks deeply; and, it is believed, never goes to bed sober. I do not suppose that his mother would care very much if he were to drink lumself to death; as I fancy that in this case, if he should have attained his majority, the great bulk of the property—if not all— would still remain with her: but I do not exactly know how this is.”” “It was a shocking occurrence—the death of his wife,” obeerved Mr. Hawkshaw. “You re- member that accident took me to the spot at the time of the dreadful tragedy; and the unfortunate young man was very much afflicted. By the bye, if I recollect aright, he will be of age in the course of a few days. I heard one of the tenants saying so yesterday morning; and the man was wondering whether there would be any festivities at the Cas- tle. But it would appear that no instructions have been received to make preparations for the recep- tion of the family; and therefore I suppose no re- joicings are to take place.” At this point of the conversation, Mr. Denison and Mr. Hawkshaw reached a spot where the road turned off towards Gainsborough in one direction, and whence there was a bye-lane leading by a cir- cuitous route to the former gentleman’s residence in another direction. Here therefore they parted ; and the Squire continued his way towards the town. Finding that he was a little behind his time for the appointment which he had to keep, he turned out of the road in order to take a short cut across the fields; and in so doing, he drew near to the river’s bank, at no great distance from Saxon- dale Castle. There had recently been a flood, caused by the heavy rains, which had made the Trent overflow and inundate the adjacent fields to a very considerable extent,—thereby causing much The bailiff of the Saxondale estate had consequently deemed it necessary to heighten the bank in the particular where the swollen river had poured its surplus upon the meadows; and several labourers were now busily engaged on this work. As Mr. Hawkshaw drew near the place just al- luded to, it struck him that he beheld some sen- sation amongst the labourers,—five or six of whom were grouped in & particuist spot and eppeares te of something which be occupied in the examination they were passing from one to another. The mo- ment they saw the Squire, they rushed towards | p him,—the foremost carrying a pistol,—while their ejaculations at once afforded a clue to the comprehension of the excitement which animated the. “ This is the thing that did the deed!” exclaimed one. “ There can be nodoubt of it!—double-barrelled!” cried another. “ Who knows but what it will all be found out now P” remarked a third. “ Poor creatures! it was a ing murder !”” “Here, sir!” exclaimed the man who carried the pistol, and who now presented it to Mr. Hawk- shaw: “this has just been found in the river.” But scarcely had he thus spoken, when another labourer came towards the spot, in bis hands which a to be a bundle of clothes tied round with a cord: but the 7 eee ee ow ee. ovim@Sie*™| elles ese, ew eee 395 package was covered with mud, and the water was dripping out of it. “Here!” exclaimed the individual who carried it; “I have just this moment fished this out of the Trent !’’"—and he also bounded towards Mr. Hawkshaw, who had reined in his horse to hear what the other men had to say. He took the pistol, and examined it attentively. It was covered with rust; and the barrels were completely stopped up with mud—so that at the first glance it waa not easy to ascertain any parti- culars as to the precise workmanship of the wea- pon. But as Hawkshaw turned it over and over in his hands, a strange and horrible suspicion gra- dually arose in his mind. He examined it atill more closely—he drew forth his kerchief and cleansed away the dirt as well as he was able: the suspicion was strengthened—a deep gloom, blended with horror and dismay, appeared upon his coun- tenance. Still he was unwilling to suffer that sus- picion to arise into a positive conviction: he hoped to God that it might be al] an error on his part! He easayed to decipher the maker’s name: but the steel on which it was engraved, was too com- pletely encrusted with rust to enable him to make it out. He rubbed away with his bandkerchief— but all to no purpose. “There can be no doubt, my good fellows,” he said, at length breaking silence, “that this is the weapon which caused the death of those two un- fortunate women whose mysterious murder created such a sensation in this neighbourhood the year before last. Asa magistrate, I will keep posses- sion of the fatal weapon for the present. But what have you there?” he added, turning to the man who had brought the packet. “It is a bundle of clothes, sir,” was tho re- sponse. “Open them,” said Mr. Hawkshaw; “and lct us see what | are:”"-——and still his countenance expressed horror and consternation. wwe; and Kneling down, out bundle on the hich | the river. The labouring man now explained that having to wade in the water for the purpose of ursuing his employment in heightening the bank, his foot had come in contact with a soft object, which he at first fancied was a dead body: but putting down his hand, he drew up the bundle now produced. Neither he nor the other labourers seemed able to comprehend how this bundle could be in any way connected with the pistol, so far as links in the chain of evidence were concerned : they were therefore somewhat surprised when Mr. Hawkshaw, in a low deep voices, which was full of painful emotion, said, “ Heaven is working out its own inscrutable ways; and the river is made to give up ite secrete in order to bring the foulest of crimes home to its perpetrator.” There was a solemn pause, during which the labourers stood with their eyes with an expression of awful horror from the pistol to the clothes, and back again to the pistol. “ Fold up those garments again,” said Mr. Hawk- (COL (C DOO CS (COL