The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 68: what you’re looking at

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

THE MYSTERI &s. night I remained here—alone with the corpse! Now you are acquainted with this terrible secret, Harriet-——” “ Ob! I wish that I had never known it, ma’am !” exclaimed the young woman, covering her face with her hands as if to shut out some hideous object from her view. “Ah! now you drive me to despair, Harriet!” moaned the wretched milliner. “My God! what is to be done !” “TI know not!” responded the abigail, dropping her hands suddenly, but only to wring them franticly. “Tt already seems to meas if a murder had been committed and that I was an accessory !” “A murder!” repeated Mrs. Brace in a hollow tone and with a convulsive start: then, fixing her haggard eyes upon her dependant, she said, “ You do not suppose, Harriet—you cannot think that I—I— caused the death of that man %” “I am afraid to think, ma’am—lI recoil from my own thoughts,” returned Harriet, her tone and man- ner both acquiring firmness from actual despair: then, as if suddenly conqering repugnances until this moment invincible, and summoning all her resolution to her aid, the young woman exclaimed, “ But there is no time to lose—and we must meet this embatrass- ment face to face !” *Oh! thank you, thank you, Harriet—dear Harriet, for this change in your conduct towards me!” said the unhappy Mrs. Brace. “Tell me what we ought to do—J will place myself entirely in your hands—and your reward shall exceed all your expectations.” « Tt is impossible that you and I can dispase of the body alone,” resumed Harriet, her courage and pre- sence of mind appearing to gain strength in propor- tion as the feelings of her mistress underwent a pain- ful reaction. “We must make a confidant of one of the men-servants,” she added emphatically. * © Harriet !” murmured Mrs. Brace, shocked at the thought of falling so completely into the power of her domestics: but the next moment an idea struck her—and she exclaimed, “If I mistake not, there is a tolerable good understanding between you and Frederie ?”’ . “We keep company together, ma'am,” observed Harriet: for the individual to whom Mrs. Brace had alluded, was one of the footmen belonging to that part of her establishment which looked upon St Jamea’s Square. « Listen, then, my dear girl,” continued the mil- liner, who now rapidly recovered her own self-pos- session, inasmuch as she saw a means whereby the co-operation and silence of her lady’s-maid and her footman could be alike secured. “ About the person of the dead man there is no less thana sum of five hundred and fifty guineas, all of which he received from me.” For the reader will remember that in addition to the amount paid by the milliner for the services ren- dered by Grumley in the affair of Caroline Walters, fifty guineas had likewise been demanded by the constable as one of the conditions on which he libe- rated the Gallows’ Widow from his custody. * And that sum of which you speak, ma’am?” said Harriet, in a tone of inquiri ese, as her eyes sparkled with cupidity. — 7 “Every farthing shall be yours as a wedding- dowry,” replied Mrs. Brace; “and I will give Frederick a hundred guineas into the bargain. Do you not think he will be happy to marry you upon these terms ¢” * Leave it tome to manage!” exclaimed the lady’s maid, her handsome countenance lighting up with exultation. “This very night shall the dead body be disposed of in such a way—— But time wears on,” she cried, hastily interrupting herself, and glancing with a certain degree of reviving uneasiness at the bath-room door. “I will go at once and fetch Fre- derick to help us.” “But you will hurry back as soon as you can ?— you will not keep me waiting here—alone ?”’ said the milliner, shuddering at the reminiscences which swept through her mind and which made her soul recoil in horror from the mere thought of the dia- bolical dream that had characterised the preceding night. “In five minutes I will return with Frederick, ma'am,” said the lady’s-maid;—and she hastened from the room. But the instant Mrs. Brace thus found herself once more alone in the close vicinage of the corpse of her victim, a dreadful oppression came over her — the atmosphere of the chamber seemed hot as if laden with the steam of human blood—a strange humming sound stole upon her ears, as if the low voices of invisible spectres were repeating the tale of midnight murder — and ghastly countenances suddenly ap- peared to be looking forth upon her from the obscurity which enveloped the extremities of the apartment and from every nook where the furniture threw a sombre shadow. | For upwards of a minute did she remain standing in the middle of the room, struggling againat the awful feeling of uneasiness which was thus gaining upon her; but so intolerable did it become that she opened the door leading into the passage and listened in anxious expectation of hearing the returning foot- steps of Harriet accompanied by her lover. But all was still—all was silent as the grave; and then Mrs. Brace feared that some one was standing behind her ! Re-entering the room, she approached the cupboard and poured herself out a glass of brandy :—5ut the creaking of the closet door on its hinges caused her to give so sudden a start that she spilt a portion of the liquor while conveying it to her lips. Nevertheless, she imbibed stfficient to animate her with that bas- tard courage which constitutes an armour wherewith to gird the guilty soul; and she repeated the dram in order to enhance that unnatural flow of spirits which was so suddenly excited within her. Yes; the burning alcohol had become her brazen corslet— her helm—and her shield, to defend her against the spectres of terror and the demons of remorse ;—the fiery spirit which she had s0 copiously poured down her throat, became her armour of proof;—and she staggered beneath the weight of her panoply! Then, experiencing a sensation of stifling heat, the milliner proceeded to take off her gown and un- lace her stays; and assuming a loose wrapper, she eves stniled at herself complacently in the mirror as she negligently fastened the flowing garment, around her luxuriant and voluptuous shape. Bot this sentiment of self-complacestoy, which was only the feverish fume of the alcohol, speedily yielded to a feeling of anxiety, and she woutiered what could possibly detain Harriet s0 long! qn err (COU 53 (C DOO (CO