The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 374: what you’re looking at

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

wdothemwith that eeurteeus manper.and truly gra- nue effabilitg arhich seemed to sonstitute 9,part and | parcel of .her very nasnre. On: nearing ‘the ,works, it savas. peresived that the anamive poles had -wenqanised over the buttress and the stent erineh-rope. alzeady sigged for the purpose. of iithing :wp the erowning-wtenes and in fact every pre- gmration vas completed.py the .masans who. bad risen at a very early hour in order to accomplish them. The stewnrd wae provided with,a.latge earthen vaso filled with old and new specimens of coins; and the + housekeeper carried a battle of swine shich ber neble yoistwess wae to break.over the head -of the. buttress. , But there.were no epectaters, present in.addition to the persons alceady mentioned, inasmuch as.jt was not imown beyond this circle that the Manshioness had even arrived at-Malden Marm—muach less that. she contemplated any ceremonial of the nature which -wes about.to take place., Bat.just as.Lady Bellenden and her followers .were emithin @ fevr yards .of the river's bank, the sounds of an approaching webicle met their ears; and ina few dnetants .2 pest-cbalsce emerged fiom the bye-lane which has before been alladed to as eemmunicating with the read. And here we sheuld, perhaps observe that this ‘bgelene brancebed eff. amidst the woodlands into 4wo routes—one efleating = junction with the high road to Birmingham and London, and the other leading to the beautiful village of Bellenden. It.was therefera impossible to decide. whather the post-ehaise which now emerged from the Jame, had eome from . the direction .of Birmingham, or fgom that of the peapefal hamlet in whose shurch-raults reposed the ashes of one of the promdest.and ‘reightiest. fenallics. of the British aniatearasy. But the pastahaise stopped therdose was opened . ey a hand .thrmt forth foom the winderr-—and .qut jumped .a thin, shart, middle-aged .men,.who looked . peeciacly what he. indeed sras. . -« Mr..Rigden’s cleck!" exclaimed Karmer as he approeehed the:pasty with aquisk step .andan important .self-complaseoy af manner. “ There is something afoot betimes this morning.” he said, casting a rapid glance from one to anather: then, as his looks settled upen the Marohionss, he | gave a sort of. start as if be. were-suddenly struck by the aenviction whoshe was ;--and casing his bat, he ohearved ina sespectful tone, “ I that I hdéve the honour to fad myself in the presence of her lady- ahip of Bellenden. ”” . she was. not, proposseased. hy tha man's appearance, and sho.had nae particular reacon.to like.or. esteem.any ane connected with Mr. Rigden. “ “I have been hunting everywhere for your iady- ehip’s eausin, the Lerd Raymond Monjtgemery,” ssid the olerk,usabashed by.the freezing demeanaar of the Marehionces ; “and I eannot obtain the least clue to his -whereabeuts. 1 was..at. Bellenden village. last ‘night ——" “pnd... was thepe yesterday. aftemoon,” said dhe mobile lady,for the purpese of. ascertaining whether the clerk. bed heard any gattionlars connected with “So I was told,” he observed, lasonically. “I alagt there lest night—~and now I em en my way back ‘te Lenden -——" “ Indeed, sir, you. have come out of your way;.I can ‘oon you,” exelaimed Farmer Brooks. “On leaving 363 an abould not have taken to the pye-lapes “I know that, zy .good map,” intesrupted the elerk : “ but I chose to come round by Malden Farm this morning-—indeed, I. got up at five o'clock on, pur- pose-~just to-.make.a last inquiry concerning Lord Raymond and see whether anything had transpired with regard to him aince I was here the day beivre yeaterday. Becagese this is the 30th: and he must knew that unices he fulfils.a certain daty by twelve o'clock to-night, he loses any claim which he may now possess to the ohjectsof litigation. I therefore fancied it just possible that he might have returned.at the eleventh honr, as one might say —-—” “I have heard nothing of his lerdship, I can assure you,” interrupted Farmer Brooks. “But I thought that you were resolved to find him aut, dead of -alivo—.—” “Upon my honour, my good fellow—and saving her ladyship's presence for talking thus familiariy,” exelaimed Mr. Rigden’s head clerk,—“I do really bagin to feel asmured that if Lard Raymond Montgomery sheuld ever again turn up at al}, it will be only as & eerpee—and not as.a being full of youthful vigour, aad enimation, and life.” “Geed heavens! what makes. you think thai” eried Farmer Brooks, while ajacniations of horror burst (fom the lips of the worthy man’s wife and dauzhfer. “Qh! simply becapse people den’t dissppear in this kind of fashion without having.met fonl play,” said the clerk. “Bat may I sake the liberty of in- quiring wherefore you are all abroad ao early, and what ia going on.at the.naw bridge here ?” “ Her ladyship is about to deposit.a vase of enins in the bellow of that buttress,” replied Farmer Brooks; “and the masons are at this moment on the point of lifting that huge crowning stone.” “ With her ledyship’s permission I will remain « few minutes and witness the ceramony,” ssid the olerk. “I have not the slightest ohjestian,” retamed .the Marehieness: and with these words, she advanced elose up :to. the spot where the masons bad already begun to work the.apnaratus esected for the raising of the stone. | The steward, the honsekeeper, Margaret, Brooks, his wife, and his daughter, all took their station af 6 short distance behind tke Marchioness: but the attoraey’s clerk stood forward to-contemplate fhe prosess of lifting the hnge mase of granite. Having dwelt all bis life in Londen, and having spent the greater portion of that life behind a desk, he now felt just. ke a bird escaped frem its cage ;—and while the -emerald.scenery of the esumtry was most grateful te his eye, every trifing ineident which he enconntesed in his travels heenme.a matter of interest with him. -‘Thus.was.it that like a prying.and curious school-boy, he new-stood gazing on the operation that was in pro- grem;.aud twhen the stome.wes raised a few dinohes from the mouth of the buttress, he bent down to earry his scratiny to every feature aud detail of the-masonry and the.mason's proceedings. “Hew high shall we vaise it, cir?’ asked young Beooks of the stenard. “ About a couple of.feet—er perhaps a little more,” was thesesponse. “The jar containing the cains is a Bilence then ensued once mbre—broken enly by the creaking of the winch-rpe and the grinding sound of the roller round whieh it was slowly, dowly winding. (COU EClOOO (CO