The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 40: what you’re looking at

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

THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. a7 ewe adventure, that the instant the party bad burst forth | along singly, bat with short Intervals between them. from the hedgea,—half emerging from one side of the | But in a few minutes the whole procession turned road, and the remainder from the other,—two of them | Into a bye-road, where there was leas necessity to had seized the horses’ heads—four had clambered up | adopt so much precaution. on the box to secure the coachman and valet,—and | By a sudden turn to the right which the carriage the other two bad guarded the windows of the vehicle | thus took, instead of proceeding straight forward as it in the manner already described. There was conse- | ought to have done if it had continued in the direc- quently so much method in the whole proceeding, and | tion of Kew, the captives inside were enabled to the blow was struck with such promptitude and such | judge that they had diverged from the main road. acomplete absence of anything bordering on hesi- “Will you explain the object of this outrage, and tation or confusion, that all the details of the affair | the extent to which ft ls likely to reach?’ demanded had been evidently pre-arranged. The men wore | the Prince, now thinking it high time to make some erape masks over their countenances: each one was | inquiries of the sort, and indecd feeling himself well armed ;—and the individual who had given the | unable to subdue any longer the alarms which were order to cut the traces, appeared to be the dhief of the | rapidly gaining upon him. gang. “Your Royal Highness need apprehend no personal But to resume the details of the narrative. Im- | i-treatment,” replied the leader of the gang: “ but mediately on the royal equipage thus falling into the | beyond this assurance I can say nothing more at power of the desperadoes, the coachman and valet, | present.” with their hands bound, were thrust inside the vehicle, The Prince was about to give utterance to some the leader of the masked band entering it also. threat: but remembering how powerless he was at “I beg your Royal Highness’s pardon,” said this | the moment, and refiecting that the band probably individual, “ for placing these menials in your com. | consisted of the most desperate ruffians, who would as pany, and also for obtruding myself upon your pre- | soon slit the wind-pipe of a Regent as of the humblest sence. But certain little precautions are necessary: | individual, he smothered his rage and resentment so and these of which I have just spoken are amongst | far as to hold his peace. them. Another fs to draw up the wooden blinds of} <A solemm silence accordingly prevailed inside the the vehicle,” he added, suiting the action to the word. | carriage, which continued to roll on at a rapid pace : « But pray don’t let any of ycu entertain so foolish an | but as to the direction it was now taking, this was a idea as to offer resistance or think of overpowering | point that utterly baffled all conjecture. At the ex- me: because I hold the check-string in one hand —and | Piration of about half-an-hour it stopped: then tu.- a loaded pistol in the other. The atring, if pulled, | lowed o noise, as of massive gates unfolding apon would Instantaneously convey the alarm to my com- their creaking hinges ;—and the vehicle moved again, rades, who are scated upon the box; and the pistol , but only to turn into some place which, by the echoes shall be discharged without hesitation or remoree if ; raised, appeared to be the entrance to the paved court a hostile finger be laid upon me.” or stable yard of a.mansion. The inatant the carriage Thus spoke the leader of the band: and though | had thus reached its destination, attended by all th- there was a sort of free-and-easy familiarity in his , mounted desperadoes, the huge gates were closed tone and maniuer of delivery, it was rather the off- | again. hanced expression of confidence in his proceedings The door of the vehicle was now opened—an.i and certainty in his power to carry them out, than | while the lcader of the band retained his seat inside. the jaunty insolence of a vulgar braggart. Indeed, | he bade tlie prisoners descend. The Prince went firs* there was a refine correctness in his language and a | —the Marquis stepped out next—the corchman ard gentility in hig pronunciation which showed that he | valet followed—and then the masked chieftain of the had been well educated and that his position in life | desperadoes brought up the rear. The place was iz- eould not always have been an inferior or degrading ; volved In pitchy darkness, uurclieve! by even tho one, whatever it was now. faintest gilmmer: but a door was alinost immediately By drawing up the blinds, he plunged tne interfor | thrown open within a couple of yards of the epo: of the carriage into the most pitchy blackness: and | where the party had alighted—<nd = lantern standing he was therefore unable to observe the effect which | upon the floer just inside the thr:-shold, revedled the his epeech had produced upon the Regent ana the | interior of an apartment wrapped in funereal gloom. Marquis. But as no reply was vouchsafed, and as An ejaculation of alarm fel! frgm the lips cf the each remained motionless in his seat, the desperado | Prince Regent; and a ery of dismay burst from the naturally concluded that his warnings and menaces | tongue of the Marquis of Le.: :on—while the two had not failed to make the desired impression. domestics were themselves not |--3s terrified ti an their Meantime, his men were not inactive in the road. | royal master and his noble fricnd. Fat the com- By the aid of some cord, the traces were repaired and | manding voice of the chief bade them procee?!: and the horses once more attached to the vehicle, the bright , the paremptory sternness of his tone producing a sort lamps of which were put out. Two of the fellows | of galvanic effect, the prisoners at once passed ito mounted the box—one of them undertaking the ‘ the room the appearance of which was indeed suffi- functions of coaclunan ;—and the equipage drove ra- | ciently sombre to strike terror to their souls. For it pidly on. was completely hung around with biack drapery—and But what became of the other five desperadoes? | the floor was covered with the same sable cloth. If ‘They had horses concealed in a thicket close at hand: | there were any windows, they were not visible—the and mounting their steeds, they followed the carnage | dark surface of the funereal hangings being uniferm at a short distance. That they should not however ! on all the four walls and unbroken by any casement, sttract the special notice and arouse the suspicions of | fire-place, or mantel. Indeed, the instant the Prinee, uny other travellers whom they might happen to | the Marquis, the two servants, and the leader of the neat, they parted company to a certain extent, hy | gang had entered this place, the very door iteelf faiirng into the rear of one another and thr riding | which had admitted them disappeared. That is Ww LS SRS Sy TEs TS ee COMuicooOolkxs.conrn