The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 332: what you’re looking at

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THE MYSCTERIES OF THE COURT. $19 able crimes, sooner than de nothing: and for the same reason do I seek the excitement of all possible By these means do I expel thought, and thue manage to maintain acalm and even happy exterior.” * But wherefore, I again ask,” said the Baronet, “should you not abandon this course of life if you wish? Wherefore return to those horrible com- ions f”’ “ Because I am eo utterly and completely in their power,” answeted the young woman. “ Wherever I might hide myself, they would seek me out :—aye, even did I fly to the ends of the earth, they would pursue me—they would discover my retreast—they would murder me! When once a person gets deep in with such companionship, it is impossible to ex- tricate one-self. No—it cannot be done. You see how completely I am in the power of those wretches, by coming here for these hundred guineas to pro- Pitiate them.” “Ah! and this reminds me to inquire,” said the Baronet, “how you saved yourself from their fury, and what colouring you gave to the adventure.” “That man who enticed you back to the hut, was . none other than the Public Executioner,” replied Nell Gibson. “ There—start not—speak not—what matters it now who he was? I tell you all this, of course being well aware that you will take no advan- tage of it. The woman who cume with him is his mistress: and the lad is his apprentice. Sally Mel- moth—that is the woman’s name—has long had a spite against me, because she fancies I have been over intimate with her flash man. But no—not for the world! Base and profligate as I know I am, there is a lower depth even than the lowest to which I have sunk: and that is the arms of the public hangman. But to return to last night's affair. The over with me. Sol prepared for the worst. The Hangman told the other men how you had sought refuge at the publio-house in the bye lane—how you had innocently let slip the admission that you owed your life to me=end how he had enticed you back to the hut to be disposed of as the whole gang should think fit. The man that I am now living with—he who brought you down the writing paper and who is called the Buttoner—then declared that from the first mo- ment he suspected I had given you such information, and chis suspicion on his part had been confirmed by the circumstance that I had accidentally let out to that stout man whose name is Bencull, that you were a Baronet, this circumstance proving that I knew you before. All these statements | guin and remarks were made in my presence; and fero- cious looks glared upon me from every eye. I saw that nothing but the sudden exertion of all my presence of mind could save me; and I aecor- dingly exclaimed, “ Weil I conftes that all you have said ts true; but the man whose life I have this night saved, was my first love—indeed the only man |- T ever sincerely and truly did love. I knew tt was vain and useless to beg his life at your hands ; and therefore I gave him the whispered information which led him to fice. You may hill me if you like ; but I would do so over again this moment, in spite of all consequences. That is however no reason why I should betray you in other things ; and you hnow right well that I would not.’—Thoy were all much struck by these remarks, but more so by the bold- ness of my manner. I thereupon proceeded to assure them that you would not take any proceed- ings against them, for fear of compromising me. As a proof thereof, I offered to come to your house to-day and obtain from you these hundred guineas for them. These assurances satisfied the whole party, the Hanogman’s mistress alone excepted. Three of the men have now accompanied me as far as your door, and are waiting at this moment inthe street. You see, therefore,” added Nell Gib- son, with that calmness which was her oufward cha. racteristic, “how true I spoke when I declared that it was impossible to esoape from the tram- mela of crime and the meshes of such companion- ship. Thus ended the colloquy between this young woman and her seducer. She received the hun- dred guineas for which she had called: but again did she emphatically decline any boon or gift for herself. The Baronet accompanied her as far as the front door of his house; and standing apon the threshold for a few minutes to look after her, he observed by the light of the lamps that she joined three men at the corner of the street. “Women are strange creatures!” thought the Baronet to himself, as he retraced his way to his own cheerful fireside. CHAPTER LXXXIV. MORE PLOTTING AND COUNTER PLOTTING. Tus three meo whom Nell Gibson thus joined, were the Buttoner, Bencall, and the Hangman: and passing rapidly away from the fashioaable street where Sir Douglas Huntingdon lived, they plunged into a low district in the close vicinity. For be it observed that in London the back win- dows of the palaces of the rich often look upon me newome dens where the poor—their victime —dwell. Entering a vile public house, or boozing-ken, the three men and Nell Gibson proceeded to the taproom: and as there was no one else there at the time, they were enabled to converse at their ease. “Now, Neil,” said the Buttoner, as soon as an order had been given for some liquor. “ what news? I suppose you succeeded with your pal, the Ba- ronet.” “Here is the money,” she observed, quictly producing gold and Bank-notes for a hundred Cats “ And you couldn't get no more out of him?” observed Bencnul), savagely. “Not a farthing,” answered Neil Gibson. *I had a great deal of difficulty in getting this.” “Then he was deuced ungratefal,” said the Hangman, “after all you did for him last night.” “ Yes~—-very,” replied the young woman. “And didn’t you learn nothink about that en ee ee nae sweet young gal,” demanded Bencull. —a COMIEMOOOKS. COM