The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 279: what you’re looking at

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

206 =’ THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. tries in as many different styles of writing as it is possible to conceive, the Prefect paused at a par- ticular page—ran his finger down a certain column, —stopped at a special entry—and said, “ Behold, Miss Stanley, the record of the arrest !” Louisa threw her shuddering looks upon the ominous page, and hastily scanned the particular lines which were pointed out to her. Those lines comprised an entry which if translated into English, would read as follows :—*“ An Englishman ; aged about three-and-twenty; arrested for Bavisg “Irts passport made out in the false nate of Jocelyn Loftus : his real name is known to the Prefect, bes for special reasons is not mentioned here. Séd, however, Prefecf's Private Minute Book, F otie 2011, second column, 15th line from the top.” “I wish to see no more,” marmered the unhappy Louisa, in a dying tone. “ I have difeady seer too much.” “And yet, young lady,” said the Maequis,—“ for your own complete satisfaction you Wil consent to behold the crowning proof of youf false lover's wickedness and depravity — that crowning proof which I have brought you hither at this late hour to witness! By your Excellency’s permission,” continued the Marquis, tarning towards the Pre- fect, “we will now repair———” “J understand,” interrupted the Prefect. “Come with me.” Thus speaking, he led the way from the little cabinet, the door of which he carefally loeked be- | hind him: then, passing out of the ante-toom, he took a lamp in his hand and cotdacted the Mar- quis and Louisa up a staircase, #¢ the summit of which thefe was a massive door. Having notse- leasly and cautiously opened this door by means of a key which he had with him, he led the way down . a long gloomy passage containing a row of doors, at the last but one of which “ Now follow me with the utmost ciation and on tiptoe,” he said, spéaking in & low Whisper to the Marquis and Lowisa: thés, hdving opened the door with an evident destfe to avoid the chance of ¢vex a hinge creaking, he deposited the lamp in @ hiehé in the passage, and stole into the chamber. Louisa Stanley now hung back, and staggered against the wall, as if a faintness was coming over her: for shocked, afflicted, and also indignant as ® was at the thought of her lover’s prcfligacy and perfidy, her pure soul nevertheless revolted from the idea ‘of becoming a witness of any proof of his guilt. ‘‘Go on, young lady—go on,” whispered the Marquis of Leveson, in a harried tone; “ you must see out this matter to the end, and sust&in your courage until the very last !” Startled into a feverish excitement rather than inspired with any real feeling of curiosity, Louisa Stanley passed into the chamber,—whither how- ever the Marquis did not follow her. But he re- mained upon the threshold, as if contented to hear the report which might presently be made to him, instead of witnessing with his own eyes the scene itself. Noiselessly and rapidly did Louisa gitde into that ehamber: but scarcely had she advanced half a dozen paces, when through the gloom which pre- vailed she beheld a light shining dimly in as it were from the depths of some recess. At this moment the Prefect took her by the hand, and harried her forward in the direction where that light seemed to be burning. A few paces more— and Louisa now saw that this light was really in an adjacent chamber, whence it emanated through an apertare in the partition-wall. Close up to this opening did the Prefect hurry the affrighted maiden—for affrighted she really was at an appearance of so sinister a nature, inas- much, as it really seomed at the moment as if through ¥istd of gioom her eyes wore resting upoti a conviig from a vaulted sepulchre. But at the same instant that this thought traversed Ker imagizatio®, & well-known voice struck upon Ber ear,—aye, stfuek apon her brain—vibrating every chofé that led even unto her heart's Gore: and this voice sdid in a tone of impassioned remonstrance, “Oh! yeu will drive me mad—yoa Will drive me mad (” A shriek rose to the very margin of Louise's Hpd—even as a fountain, when distarbed at its depths, bubbles up to the very brim. Bat the Gound was instantaneously stifled and subdued before it burst forth: for an overwhelming sense of utter misery fell crashingly upon the masiden like an awful consternation, as she heard the melodious tones of a female voice replying with the fervour of passion, “O Jocelyn, dear Jocelyn—thon knowest that I love thee & Loulsa heard no more. The consternation which stéfled her screamin, struck another blow and de- ved her of consciousness—so that she reeled fedtid @n4 fell heavily upon the floor. “Goeed heetens!” exclaimed Jocelyn from the iener apartmént; “what sound was that ?”—and seizing the light from the table, he sprang towards the apertare. Thruasting the lamp to the entire length of bis arm through the opening, its rays fell full upon the eoesterance of the damsel whom the Prefect was few hurriedly raising from the floor. But, oh! What words can depict the hurricane of amazement ond the tornado of agonizing thoughts and wilder- tng ideas which swept all in a moment, like a flight of barbed arrows, through Jocelyn’s brain, wien thé glare of that lamp fell“upon the pale, inani- mate, but ever lovely countenance of his own Louisa? ° A cry of rage—a yell of madness burst furiously from him: bat, quick as thoyght, the Prefect bore the senseless maiden from the room, the door of which was immediately closed. In the frenzied excitement to which hd was now a prey, Jocelyn dropped the lamp from: his hand; and it was instantaneously extinguished as it fell upom the floor of the adjacent chamber, into which he had throst it through the aperture. “Heavens! what is the matter?” exclaimed Julia Owen, startied and affrighted by the sad- denness of the scene which thus terminated all in a moment in utter darkness, “Oh ! wretch—profligate—demoness that thoe art!” cried Jocelyn, in a voice indicative of « rending anguish: “thou hast rained me in the eyes Of my beloved |” And as the last word thrilled from his lips with all the wildness of delirium, he fell heavily upon the floor. “ Jocelyn, Jocelyn—speak to me—speak to nre f* shrieked Julia Owen, a mortal terror now seizing upon her—for this scene was dreadfyl in the depth CT aC et ep tote apy emg » GOnMGoOO SS CO