The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 192: what you’re looking at

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

THE MYSTERIZS OF THE GOURT. 179 “But he suspects nothing?” said Malpas, | Earl out of his acceptance, alleging that I required anxiously. “ Nothing — absolutely nothing,” replied the Countess, emphatically. “Indeed, how can he? All our precautions are so excellently taken. Bat pray explain the urgent matter——" “You are well aware, dearest Editha,” said Malpas, “that I anr always longing to be with you ~-always uohappy soless in your society—and never happier than when clasping you in my arms. Therefore, it is not surprising that I should have been so urgent to meet you this evening—especi- ally as some days have elapsed since last we met. But there was another inducement which prompted me to be so pressing with regard to an interview for this evening: in fact, I wished to have some serious conversation with you——" “What about? inguired Editha, quickly: and her large black eyes were fixed with a sort of un- easiness upon the countenance of her paramour. * Those bills, my dearest love,” answered Malpas, “Ah!” ejaculated the Countess, becoming visibly troubled. “You surely do not require any more assistance in that ” “Listen to me with patience for a few moments, _Editha,” said the Colonel. “You are aware that I obtained the money for those bills from a gentle- man named Emmerson——” “Yes—-and my husband has likewise received money from that Mr. Emmerson,” interrupted Kditha. “He told me so this morning. But it was evident from his manner that he did not know you had been dealing with the same money- broker.” “He does nof know it, Editha—and very fortu- nate is it for me,” added Malpas, with a profound seriousness of manner, “that he is thus ignorant.” “ Of course it is, Percy,” exclaimed the Countess, —“very fortunate for us both. If he knew that I had given the bills to you, ne would as a matter of course instantaneously suspect tnat there is some very close intimacy between us. When you first communicated to me your extreme pecuniary embar- rassments and stated that the Earl had refused you the service of his acceptanee to a bill of ex- change, I told you that I could procure his name to a promissory note for my own use———” “And I promised you,” observed the Colonel, “that I would place that note in the hands of a gentieman who would advance the money upon it and not breathe a syllable to a soul relative to the transaction. I kept my word—” “No doubt,” interrupted the Countess: “and you also undertook to provide the fands to redeem the security even before it should become due, so that the bill might not be presented to the Earl at all ;—otherwise, if presented, he would of course see your name upon it.” “True, my dear Editha,” said Malpas. “And you gave me several bills at short intervals, with the Earl’s acceptance to them.” “ But I cannot see the utility of this recapitulation of circumstances 90 well known to both of us,” ob- served the Conntess, with the glitter of uneasiness in her luminous eyes, “ The whole matter is summed up ina few words, You were exceedingly pressed for money, and required a collateral security. All these things you explained to me, as I knew little or nothing abont bills and promissory notes previously. Etold you that I would undertake to wheedle the it to satisfy some pressing liabilities due to my jewellers and dress-makers. Knowing that the Earl would not be in a condition to meet the bill, I was obliged to assure him that one of my sisters had promised me a large sum of money in a month or two, and that I would provide for the bill by the time it should come due. This was the pretext: but in reality I relied upon ‘your obtaining the re- |. quisite funds—and I sincerely hope you will be enabled to do so. Tell me, Percy, is there any doubt upon that point f” “ My dear Editha, I shall obtain the funds some how or another,” answered Malpas: “but that is not the immediate question. I am afraid that prompted by your affection for me, and in order to save me from arrest and degradation at the time———” “What do you mean?!” inquired the Countess, with all the petulance of intense uneasiness. “I mean, dearest,” answered the Colonel,—“that— but do not be offended—-—that your husband did not sign those billsa——” “ And what makes you think sof” demanded - Editha, actually gasping with the vain and ineffectual efforts which she made to conceal her terror. “ Because Emmerson suspects something of the kind,” retuned Malpas. “He has compared the Eari’s signature with that upon the bills which I placed in his hands——-” “O God! I am lost,” cried Editha, no longer able to keep down the effervescence of her harrowing emotions: and covering her face with her hands, she burst into tears. “ Compose yourself, for heaven’s sake!” said the Colonel. “Nothing is yet known—Mr. Emmerson is agentleman and possesses akind heart~—everything can be repaired and remedied! Only do, I conjure you, my Editha--do tell me all the truth.” “But is it yet time to prevent this storm from bursting over my head?” she exclaimed, removing her hands from her countenance and gasing up pit- cously in the face of her paramour. “ There ée time, I can assure you, Editha,- ~plenty of time!” answered Malpas. “Do not give way to grief, which is now unavailing—bot let us look the whole affair boldly in the face. Mr. Emmeraon only requires to have the payment assured—and he will never breathe a word relative to the transaction. But pray tell me everything without reserve.” “I will,” said the Countess, endeavouring to com- pose her looke and her feelings. “You communi- cated your embarrassments to me—and I was dis- tracted at the thought of sceing you bome off to a debtors’ prison. I therefore resolved to adopt a desperate course in order to save you. And yet it neither seemed to me so desperate nor dangerous after ally because, from what you told me, I under- stood clearly enough that if you provided the funds in time to take up the bills, the Earl need never know that his name had been made use of at all. And that you would so provide the funds in due season I felt confident. Well, I obtained from the Barl’s file of papers an old bill which he had honoured some time since; and I imitated his sig- nature, after some practice, to the best of my ability You had previously told me that if I obtained his acceptance to the blank stamps, you would fill them up. - Now, you must forgive ne, my dear Percy,” said the Countess, in a tone of impassioned entreaty, COMME OG Ss CO