The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 195: what you’re looking at

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

182 has brought me hither upon the present occasion is not eo very urgent for a few hours,” she added, 1 in a musing tone to herself: “besides, it is pro- - os 7a bable that if I take Mrs. Fitzherbert’s affair in hand for her, I shall have to speak to the Prince on that also. I may therefore as well kill two birds with one stone.” Thus musing, the beautiful huntress turned and led the way from the secret staircase, Mr. Nathan Crimp closely following her. Emerging from the private door, they hastened into Pall Mall, where they entered a hackney-coach, which bore them to the dark and musty-looking precinets of Chancery Lane. ° ED CHAPTER CLXIX. THE SPONGING-HOUSE. Ir was five o'clock in the evening; and as a thick fog was coming rapidly over the City, the candies were alreatly lighted in the apartment cecupied by Mrs. Fitzherbert in Mr. Nathan Crimp’s lock-up ‘house. This apartment was shabbily farnished and had & grimy appearance. ‘Wherever the captive lady might happen to lay her hand—whether on the table, the side-board, the mantel, or the window- ledge—a dingy shade would be taken up, as it were, upon the snowy fingers. A good fire blazed in the grate—and yet the room wore a general air of discomfort that struck upon the mind Hike a sensation, and pierced with a chilling effect to the very marrow of the bones. Having been accus- tomed to sleep upon down—tread upon velvet—eat off massive gold plate—and revel in all the luxu- "| ries and elegances of life, Mrs. Fitzherbert ex- perienced her present position in all the keenest sense of its bitterness. Dull and dusty curtains were drawn over the windows — those windows which were protected with bars strong enough to resist the rapid im- petuosity wherewith a lion might bound against them. Useless precaution so far as the present, inmate of that room was concerned! Her delicate fingers would have shrunk from even touching the rusty surface of the bars! Besides, the apartment was on the first storey—fifteen feet above the level of the street on which it looked—and. therefore affording in its own elevated position a pretty tole- rable guarantee against a daring leap, even if there were no iron bars to protect the windows at all ! The furniture in the room was old and worm- eaten: the walls were stained with grease—and the ceiling was blackened with smoke. On the side facing the windows, a door commn- nicated with a sleeping-apartment: and in this chamber there were two beds—the accommodation being intended for a lady and her maid. But in the present instance the occupant of the best suite of rooms in Mr. Nathan Crimp’s -honse, possessed no dependant of any description either to wait upon or to solace her. And this lady—the once elegant, brillant, and courted Mrs. Fitzherbert—was now seated in the comfortless parlour of the lock-ap house, plunged im the most sorrowful ons. But every time she heard a footstep upon the stairs, she started stretched forth her head—and listened. Two hours THE MYSTERIES. had now elapsed since Nathan Orimp had set forth on her errand to Cariton House; and surely he fate must be already decided in one way or an- other? ‘Was she to be released that evening ?—or was she to repair to the Fleet prison next day? These were the alternatives; and, for aught that the unhappy lady could see or anticipate to the contrary, the result now entirely on the man who was her husband in the sight of heaven ! It was a little past five o’clock when she was aroused for the twentieth time from’ her reverie by the sounds of footsteps on the staircase ;—and on the present occasion those sounds did not pase by the door communicating with the landing. No — they stopped at the threshold of her apartment— the door was thrown open—and Mr. Nathan Crimp announced:in a loud voice, “ Lady Letitia Lade |" As when a sunbeam penetrating amidst an arbour of roses, suddenly flings a ruddy glow upon the marble basin of a fountain,—so did a fiush instan- taneously appear upon the pale complexion of the captive lady. For the name just announced, was indeed fall well known to Mrs. Fitzherbert: the antecedents of Lady Lade—her wretched origin in Lukner’s Lane, 8t. Giles—her connexion with “Sixteen-String Jack”—her marriage with the old baronet—her dissolute life—and the ramonr that she had even been very intimate with the Prince himsclf,—all these matters were perfectly familiar to the fallen lady of quality. The Amazon imstantaneously perceived the glow of mingled indignation and surprise which spread over Mrs. Fitzherbert’s countenance. Nor was she unprepared for some sueh exhibition of feeling : but taking off her hat, she said in her kindest tones, “I come, madam, to sympathise with you— and perhaps to extricate you from yeur embarrase- ments.” “And you ought to be wery gratefal, ma’am, to her ladyship for thus stepping for’ard,’ exclaimed Crimp, “at a moment when all your friends is keeping back’ard. But Pil leave you togethér for a time, ladies; and you can chat over the whole business.” Having thus spoken, Mr. Crimp closed the door ‘and hurried down stairs, leaving the elerant Mrs. Fitzherbert and the hilarious Amason alone together. And strange was the contrast presented by those two women !—strange also in how many points they resembled each other! Mrs. Fitzherbert’s radiant head was adorned with a natural crown of guiden flaxiness which shone like concrete and cireling sunbeams : the Amazon’s hair was biack as night, and yet shining with so rich a gloss that it seemed as if a glory encircled her head. The eyes of the captive lady were blue—those of the huntress black: but in the depths of each might be read the tale of strong passions, a warm temperament, and a yielding to temptation whenever the pleasure was really coveted and desired. The bust of Mrs. Fitzherbert was grandly beautifal—that of Lady Lade superbly luxuriant: the figure of each was afimirably symmetrical and ed in the richest contours—so that each splendid form seemed giew- ing to be pressed in the arms of alover. But the. huntress was taller than Mrs. Fitzherbert ; and yet the more majestic dignity of the tatter prevented. this diserepancy from being’ noticed. j t As to the disposition and real character of teesey | ee —— — (COU (C DOO (CO