The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 54: what you’re looking at

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

THE MYSTERIES. fhat fiashed across our eyes in the lamp-light ; but we were too lIate—the wretched wo- man’s movement was as rapid as if under the influence of a sudden shock of gal- vanism—and the blow was dealt with the vivid spec& of the lightning. Oh! my God—my God! what awful feelings took possession of me when I beheld that beauteous being weltering in her gore at my feet! Forgotten was her guilt, as if guilty she had never been; and I remembered only that she was lovely and beloved !” The baronet ceased speaking, but burst forth into agonising lamentations, which sounded dread- ful to the eargof the commercial traveller through the deep darkness, At avy time and under any circumstances it is a ead and mournful thing for one man to hear another sobbing as if his heart would break: but when those passionate expres- sions of an ineffable woe acquire a tomb-likeand hollow intonation from the caverned echoes of a dungeon—and when they burthen an atmosphere as black as the blackest night, the effect is solemnly and mysteriously appalling. Page crept up to the side of his wretched com- penjon—end, taking his hand, endeevourad to console him: but many minutes elapsed ere Sir Richard Stamford could so far recover himself as to bring his strange and terribly romantis narra- tive to # conclusion. “ Yes,” he resumed, in a low, deep, and pro- foundly mournfultone: “ at that moment when I beheld her lying dead before my eyes, I would have given words to recall her back to life. And I re- _ member that suddenly starting from the stupefac- tion into which the frightful tragedy had plunged me, I felt a penic-terror come over me—an ap- palling dreed as if I myself had murdered her: I also recollect that rushing wildly away from the acene of horror, I threw up the window opening on the lawn, and darted madly forth into the fresh sir that the midnight breeze might cool my burning brain. As if demented—or possessed of an evil epint thet was raging within me—I rap franticly on until I reached the park; and then suddenly stopping end turning ronnd—I know not under what strange influence—I beheld flames guehing forth from the windows of the dining-room. Re- suming the wild and unatural speed that had pre- viously hurried me.awsay from the Manor, I flew backtowarcs the burning pile: but acareely had I emerged from the park tnd entered the shrubbery, when three or four memsprang upon me from the dark shade of the evergreens—and I was over- powered in an instant. The wretches bore me away totheadjacent road—thrust meinto acovered cart that wag waiting there—and gagged me to. prevent my voice frem alarming the domestics and tenants whose forms I had seen moving ranigly about the mansion, in the terrific light of the conflagration. The vehidle rolled rapidly away pursuing the main road towards London; aad having @anged the home twice at lopely way- side public-houses, it entered the metropolisjust as the clocks were striking five in the morning. J eas then blindfolded, doubtless to prevent me from sven forming a conjectures to the direction which was now taken ;—but I could judge by a few in- structions which the leader of the party gave the driver from timeto time, that the van was purposely ing s circuitous route. Finally, it was about siz o'clock, as J havealready informed you, when I was removed from the vehicle and thrust into this cell. Since that moment I have been enabled tocal- culate the lapse of time by the regularity with which the wretches bring me my sorry meals. But soli- tude—darkness—~the terrific nature of my thoughts —a poignant sense of the tremendous injuries I have sustaiffed at the hands cf those whom I never injnred—and the incessant contemplation of the wrongs that have been heaped upon me by persons whom I never wronged,—all this would have driven me mad—mad-—had ncé your presence hers this night given me acompanion to whose ears I conld unburthen my pent-up, suffocating misery! Oh! the malignant flends—what do they require of me? | That I should sign some paper with the contents of which I am not to be made acquainted—and that I shall consent to expatriate myself for ever to the American Contiuent, where a handsome pecuniary allowance will be made me. These are the terms on which my freedom can be obtained—these are the conditions which are proposed ta me every time my mealsare brought. Vainly bave I ques- tioned the man who is thus appointed to attend upon me,—vainly have I questioned him, I say, upon many points which so nearly regard me ! is speechless save in reapect to a constant reitera- He | tion of those termsto which I cannotaccede. But | now, alas! from your lips I learn that my fame is blackened—that-my reputation ig assailed by the eeducer of my poor wife and his equally vile part- | ner in iniquity. Oh, to eecape—to escape from. this dungeon, avd invoke the justice of the tri- bunals to decide between them and me /” “ Andit will he no difficult matter to prove your innocence,” said Page: “ for the forgeries at the Bank of England can donbtless be traced to Mr. Martin—the cashier at your late establishment in Aylesbury can give sufficienttestimony toclear you of any complicit y in the miseppropriation of the fundse—and the fact of your incarceration here will show how urgent weve the reasons that have in- dueed your partners thus to dis dispose of you. The only pointe—and they are, aiter all, the most serious-——”” “ Speak, my friend——speak candily,” exclaimed the baronet, perceiving that the commercial tra- veller hesitated. “ T wasalluding, Sir Richard, to the-—the—death of Lady Stamford and the burning of the Manor,” continued Page. “ButI mightas well inform yon of a fact which I resdin the newspapers, and which cannot possibly be known to you,—and this is, that the flames were speedily ext extinguished withont har- ing done much inj And the corpse of her her whom I deplore in spite of her deep guilt——_was that discovered ?” saked the baronet im a low and tremulous tone. “The flames bad not reached it,” replied the commercial traveller; “and it was discovered on the carpet, just as it must have fallen at Airst—with the fatal weapon stil} in the bosom. A Coroner’s Inquest was to have been held yeaterday—but lof course am ignorant of the result.” “ Surgical evidence may perhaps prove themortal blow to have-been inflicted by the hand of suicide and not by that of » murderer,” observed Sir Richard. “ Let us hope for the beet !” exclaimed Page, # Amen !” returned the baronet, fervently. A. long silence then nav ensued in the dungeon. COLL ClOOO SS co