The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 351: what you’re looking at

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

o@ THE MYSTERIES. cemse ap to London and attend to the business— | Indeed, it is not my habit to commit myself to my indeed, as the letters which we addressed to him remained altogether unanswered—I was compelied ¢@ put in certain affidavite, as your lordship is aware, in order to effect the postponement of the “And the postponement was granted for two months—was it not?” said the Earl of Mont- gamery, inquiringly. “Yes, my lord—until the end of May,” was the response. “ And that will be in five more days,” observed the Earl, ina musing tone. “ Well, you had better send off your head clerk into Warwickshire with- aut delay; and if he don’t find my brother at Malden Farm, I am sure I do not know where he as to search after him.” “And yet it is of the utmost consequence to Aim, my lord,” said Rigden, “that he should be found, You must remember that singular clause ‘im yeur ancestor's will, under which Lord Ray- mond claims the Wawickshire estates? If he do not comply with the conditions of that clause on -or before the day on which he shall attain his twenty-second year, then does he forfeit all his vight and title to those estates. Now, according to his baptismal certificate, he will be twenty-two oa the 30th of May; and on the 3ist the Master an Chancery will deliver his Report. Should that Report be unfavourable to Lord Raymond's claims altogether, it will of course matter little or nothing whether he has complied with the testamentary <oaditions, or not: but if the Report should be fayourable—and I du not possibly see how it can Ge otherwise—then will it only remain for me to show the Lord Chancellor that the testamentary coaditions aforesaid have been complied with.” “And if they have not?” said Lord Mont- gomery, with a subdued nervousness. “Why, your lordship knows as well as I do,” exclaimed Mr. Rigden, “that in the case you have mentioned, two thirds of the Warwickshire estates would go to Miss Aylmer—or rather Lady Hoi- derness—and one third to you,—that is to say, always supposing that we gain our suit against ‘| the Marchioness of Bellenden.” “ Aad of that you have little doubt ?” said Lord -Monatgomery, inquiringly. “‘The addditional evidence which you procured -| about three months ago—when your lordship went iatq Warwickshire, for the purpose, you know,” said the lawyer. «Yes, yes,” exclaimed the Earl, with something _like petulance in his tone and manner. “I remem- ber what you mean.” << Well, my lord,” continued Rigden, surprised at the nobleman's irritable impetuosity, “the light which you were enabled to throw upon the case, on ‘your return to'Lendon, and the subsequent inves- tigations which wa caused to be made down in the ceuntry, have all produced a visible effect upon the Master's mind and seem to have given a new com- piexion to the whole matter. Frankly speaking, then, I am sare we shall beat Lady Bellenden as -cempletely and thoroughly as ever a suitor in cery was vanquished yet.” “What! beat her on every point?” cried the Bari, joyfully. “Yes, my lord,” answered Rigden: ‘and now I am prociaiming a positive opinion for the first time. . } « some oe 0 OE eee, | clients by means of pledges and promises. But if I do not beat the Marchioness in respect to your elaims—in respect also to Lord Raymond's claims —and lastly, in respect to the claims of Lady Hol- derness,—then will I consent to be denounced as a fool and branded as a liar.” “I am charmed to hear you speak thes confi- dently, my dear Rigden,” said the Earl: and now his features brightened up, and a gicomy cloud which hung over them when he first entered the lawyer's office, disappeared altogether. “But you will not fail to send off for my brother Raymond” “I will despatch my head clerk this very after- noon, my lord,” returned the man of business. “‘He shall start in an hour, and travel post-haste to Malden Farm. [If he does not find Lord Ray- mond there, he will doubtless obtain some tidings concerning him. At all events, we will do our best ;—and if the young nobleman is so indifferent to his own interests, as to have gone away and left nf clue to his whereabouts, at a time when such an important case is pending,—why, he deserves to lose everything—that’'s all I can say about it. But still, as the solicitor in this suit, it is my duty to leave no stone unturned in the endeavour to find him out—and that duty shall be performed.” “To be sure—certainly,” exclaimed Lord Mont- gomery. “I will write a letter to my brother; and your clerk can take it with him.” The Earl accordingly sate down and penned a long epistle to Lord Raymond, whom he urged to come up to London without delay. He likewise besought him to forbear in future from treating his relatives with such cruel indifference as he had lately exhibited towards them,—reminding him that more than three months had now elapsed since any tidings had been received from him. The Earl stated that their mother, the Dowager- Countess of Montgomery, was especially hurt at the long and obstinate silence which Raymond had thus preserved: and he concluded by imploring his brother to exert his moral courage and rise superior to the disappointment which he had experienced in respect to their cousin Fernanda. “ There!—will that do?” exclaimed the Earl, throwing the letter across the desk to Mr. Rigden. ‘“ Excellently well, my lord,” replied the attor- ney, who hastily cast his eyes over the contents. “J really had begun to think that your lordship was secretly desirous for your brother to remain absent and leave the testamentary conditions unfulfilled, in order that his heritage might lapse to Lady Holderness and yourself. But now I per- ceive that I wronged your lordship by the sus- picion——” “You could scarcely deem me guilty of such un- kindness, Rigden !” interrupted the Earl, starting from his seat and turning red as a peony : then, with as rapid a transition becoming ghastly pale, he added, in a voice which he vainly essayed to render steady and composed, “ Besides, would it not be a palpable folly on my part to prefer my cousin to my brother, even if I had any power to influence the results at all ?” “ Well—I should think so, truly,” observed Rig- den: “it would be a palpable folly indeed. Bat if I gave your lordship offence by hinting at the suspicions which had been gathering in my mind, Ihumbly beseech your lordship’s pardoa.” =a CONMUC | DOO (CO