The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 48: what you’re looking at

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

ae qn eee eee niseupiimmmmnsisinnesGiisaniceniti= — THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. onal Madge Somers, planting Der right fook foremost and assuming an attitade that was alike one of do- minant command and stern menace. “I have saved your lives—you acknowledged but a few moments bask how much you were indebted to me. The least you can do to testify your gratitude, is to follow my counsel. I say, therefore, that there must be secrecy upon this subject: not a single syllable ing the transaction of this night must pass the lips of either of you! I have saved your lives, I repeat: would you endanger mine? And what would my life be worth, if you blasoned all this forth to the world? Patch and his wife might go to the gallows: but would the law do nothing to me? Though Chiffin was a villain—a robber—a murderer -—-aye, you may start: he was a murderer—and he would have been a murderer again to-night if is had not been forme! Bat though he was all this, yet I had no right to murder Ain—which I have done to save you both. The law might not hang me, considering the circumstances: bat it would me; and a sentence of transportation be death, because I would commit suicide! Even if I were pardoned, my life would not be worth a month’s purchase. Chiffin has friends — the Patches have friends—and I should be waylaid—I should be assassinated by the sharp knife of ven- geance. Now do you understand me, Mr. Gun- thorpe? do you understand me, William Deveril ? In a word, I have saved gour lives: do you wish to take mine 7” Both the Marquis of EKagledean and our young hero recognised the stern truth of all the arguments which Madge Somers advanced ; and though they experienced an indescribable repugnance to throw the veil of darkness over this terrible yet on the other hand they dared not perpetrate such monstrous ingratitude as to endanger the life of the woman who had saved theirs. “You will follow my counsel ?” repeated Madge Somers, her naturally harsh and forbidding counte- nance looking terrible in the present resolutences of ite expression: indeed there appeared to be an iron firmness about this woman--an even more than masculine decision of purpose, which had the effect of overawing the and minds. “We will do nothing to hurt you,” said the Marquis of : “no-—aot for worlds would we be guilty of ingratitude !” “Hiéaven forbid !” ejaculated William Deveril.” “It is well,” observed Madge Somers: “I believe you—I put faith in you both; and therefore I exact not any solemn pledge or vow. In a few instants you shall depart. But stay—let us aseure our- eclyes that the miscreant has met his righteous Thus speaking, Madge Somers passed into the inner room; and making a slight circuit, so as to avoid the gaping chasm, she took up the candle from the table: then advancing to the very edge of the abyss, she stooped over, holding the candle above her head so as to obtam a greater benefit from the lighs. “ All dark—as dark as pitch,” she muttered: “a thousand candles would not throw a single beam dows to the bottem:”—then she paused and lis- tened for nearly a mimute. “All is still too—as stall ne death,” she seid, turning away from the chasm, over which she had bent so far and so fear- $5 lesaly that both Deveril and the Marquis shud- dered leet she should lose her balance and tumble in. It was therefore quite a relief to them both— and they breathed freely ence more—when she moved away from the edge of the pitfall. “Now, my good woman,” said the Marquis, “heaven knows that we shall be full well pleased to escape from this den of horrors: but in the first place I wish to ask you one or two questions—and in the second place you must allow me to give you such reward as what I have about me will enable me to offer.” “The questions first. Go on,” said Madge, cartly and peremptorily. “Know you at whose instigation that miscreant” -and the uis of Eagiedean pointed towards the dark yawning guif—“ sought our lives P” “Perhaps [ do,” anewered Madge: “but the time is not come to satisfy you on this point. In short, I cannot be questioned now: I will not be! On the Blst of this month—and it is not many days hence—I have an appointment to keep; and it shall be kept. Therefore say not another word : you must depart—and I also am in a hurry to be gone.” “Here, my good woman—here!” said the Mar. quis, forcing upon her a purse well crammed with bank-notes at one end and with gold at the other. “Fake thie—take this. I shall see you again on the 21st, and will give you more.” But Madge Somers hesitated to accept the noble- man’s bounty; and therefure have we used the term that it was forced upon her. What strange feeling was it—or what idiosyncracy—that made this woman hesitate to receive that puree P—she who was penniless at the moment—she who was ever ready to clutch greedily at the means of ing her infatuation for the gaming-table— she who throughout a leng series of yoars had existed upon the proceeds of crime, robbery, and extortion—she who in a word had never scrupled at any deed of turpitade to obtain gold,—how was it that she hesitated? Ah! there was some strane thought uppermost in her mind—some remorseful seentiment—-some compunctious feeling: for there are moments im the lives of even the vilest and the worst of human creatures, when the heart is thus touched and the soul thus moved. Such are the inscrutable dispensations of heaven! euch the mys- teries of the character of mankind! And this woman, whose soul was saturated with vice— tanned, hardened, iron-bound, petrified, steeled, by along career of guilt and enermity—this woman whoee life had been through all the moral sinks, cesspools, heaps of feculence, sloughs of mire, morasses, and accumulated abominatiuns which abound in this great metropolis of our’s,— this woman it was that now hesitated to accept that purse! Strange indeed was her look as she fixed her eyes wpon William Deveril, and then reverted them upon the countenance of the Mare quis. “Yes, yes,” said the nobleman; “you must take that money: and I will give you more—much more the next time we meet.” Madge Somers weighed the purse in her hand—« then opened it—drew forth a single gold picce— still clutched it—etill hesitated—and at length all in a momeat thrust it back upon the Marguig, fe SS a a PP ER TES RRA SEY ac? OE a a a a PRP GT I 5 I Pee I I I SII IIS IIS SI COI CII s (COL (C DOO CS (COL