The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 42: what you’re looking at

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

ef ny’ > mansion ?—did you not contrive this incident, | ask, for the purpose of procuring Miss Foster's immediate acquittal ?” “No such a thing, ma'am P exclaimed Grumley, with almost an expression of indignation upon his countenance. “ J don’t do business in that fashion, Kean assure you. Besides, how do you suppose that I could procare a broken blade to fit so exactly as the one did that was produced in court just now?” “Well, well—I peroeive that you do not choose to be too communicative, Mr. Gramley,” said Mrs. Brace, her arch smile displaying the fine teeth which ahone like ivory betwizt the moist cora! of her luscious lips.) “Keep your own counsel—! shall not attempt to pry into your secrets. All that you undertake you evideatly manage so well that those who employ you ought to be satisfied with the results and not seek to ascertain how those con- sequences have been brought about. I have not forgotten your remark that when the means do not present themselves of their own accord you invent or davise them.” “Yea, ms'am—and so does every long-headed person in this world to a certain extent,” obser ved Grumley, softeuiog in his manner as his libidinous eyes feasted themselves upon the milliner’s full bosom, which was mueh exposed in consequence of the rich scarf belog thrown back on account of the heat of the room. “But I see that you don’t pre- cisely understand the events of this arternoon,” con- tinued Grnamley, edging closer towards Mrs. Brace and bending his tali form somewhat so as to be eu- abled to maintain a confidential kiad of whispering inher ear. “The fact is that I was quite sare all along of Miss Foster’s innocence; and 1 knowed that ifany one could make it appear, Counsellor Sharply was the man. But i must candidly confess that at fust things seemed to go bad enough against the young lass, till a slight turn teok place when is wae proved that she was running off in one direction while the lady in black which Mr. Katon saw had fied in another. Then, you see, the suspicion in- stantly arose that Mr. Eaton might have invented Ais lady in black;—and immediately afterwards comes the extraordinary affair of the kuaife with the wnitiale wpon it. As a matter of course, Cuunsellor Sharply seized on them two pints; and be asked for a remand to enable me and Mobbs to go aud make a search at Lord Marohmont’s bouse in Han- over Square. Well, I can’t say that I expected to Gnd anythiog important there, although such-like investigations have at times led to the most extra- ordinary discoveries, And such did is prove so be in this instanee: for, lo and beheld! in ene of Alr. Eaton's drawers, just anderneath his clean shirw, we found that wery blade whieh we prodaced in Court.” “ And do you really believe Mr. Eaton to be the murderer ?” demanded Mrs. Brace, fixing her eyes keenly upon the constable’s countenance. “ Well—I’m not in the habit of giving a hasty or rash opinion,” said the officer, in a masing tone: “for don’t you see, ma’am, it’s a sort of pint of honour with us never to be mistaken in any way or out in our reckoning. If we didn’t preserve the character of infallibility—that’s the word, ma’am— we should lose all the confidence that’s placed in ws. So, you perceive, it don’t suit us to wentar’ an opinion until we're sure that it’s the right one. At the same time, I don’t mind whispering to you, é 27 ma’am—for you're such a wery nice lady, that you could wheedie me eut of anything——" “Iam really gratified by the compliment, Mr. Gramley,” exclaimed Mrs. Brace, laughing. “ Bat you were about to give me your opinion ia a confi- dential manner ?” she added, interrogatively. “ And my opinion fs, ma'am,” rejoined the officer “that Mr. Eatoa will find it precious dMicult to convince a jury that he is innocent. Bat he won't be hung, ma’am—he won't be hung.” added Grumley, lookiug as solemaly mysterious as a drunken pareon trying to seem sober while preachiag his sermon: “fer this is what will ge kim off, ma’am—this is what will get him off: and the constable tapped his forehead significantly. “Ah! § understand you,” said Mrs. Brace, really experiencing sume degree of interest in this portion of the eonversatioun: fur she had not falied to observe, while in court, thet Mr. Eaton was a very handsome and prepessessing young men, “He is net to be held aecountable for his sotions ?” she added, inquiringly. : “ Just so,” responded Geamley. > “ And therefore,” continued Bérs. Brace, “your opinion is that he committed the murder ia a fit of monomania—or, at all events, while labouring uader some aberration of the intellect ——” * Well, 1 suppese that’s about the loug and short of the matter,” said the constable. “ You aowan- derstand, ma’am, 80 all events, that the discovery of the blade of the kalfe was as seyu.ar ang straight- for’ard a transaction on the partof me and Mubbs ) as such a thing could possibly be. The truth is that although 1’d go a great way to geta person off, nO matter whether imneocent or guilty — yet I wouldn't for the world play auy tricks to shove the load of guilty on to the shouldere that ought not ¢o-. bear it. In Miss Foster's case, 1 let things take their natural course, so that I might see what would. turn up; aad if circumstantial evidence had borne her dowa altogether, then I should have began te consider how I was to save her. But as her inno- cence transpired in the regular way, 1 was not calied. upon to step out of the usual path. So much for that case: bat with respeet to t’osher—_” “Caroline Walters, you mean?” exelaimed Mrs. Brace: then, as a sudden gloom spread over her countenance, she observed, “I cannot, for the life of me, comprehend how you hope to save that un- fortunate girl” « :taven’t I promised that she should be saved 2” demanded Grumley, in that tone of dogged con- fidence which men of his class and stamp are so apt to assuine when they are impressed with tle convio- tion of their ability to achieve a particular end. “You have promised, certainly,” returned Mra Brace; “ but——” “ And isn’t there another five hundred guineas to be paid over to me, if I sueceed f” exclaimed the constable. “Yes—and the sum shall be forthcoming with as much pleasure as promptitude on my part,” rejoined the milliner. “Then don’t be under any apprehensien, ma’am,” said Grumley. “What I have undertaken to do, I shall perform; amd you'll have to pay me over the five hundred yaller boys to-merrow night.. Bat 1 give you due warning that the evidence is ao strong against Caroline Walters, it will be im possibile to get her off by fairmeana” = . . . (CO (C DOO (CO