The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 206: what you’re looking at

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

. LL A SS pS seep eaten Tae ~ eee THE MYSTERIES OF TILE COURT. 195 party. They came home very much fatigued, and , was testified by any of the domestics. Lady Saxon- at once retired to their own apartments. Edmund | dale however appeared much distressed by the oc- did not make his appearance ; for since his intimacy | currence; and Constance likewise shed tears—for with Emily Archer he seldom slept at Saxondale | she could not help recollecting that in her girlhood House, but was plunging headlong into dissipations | she had been an object of especial favour with and extravagances of every kind. Mabel, before the temper of the latter had grown Soon after her daughters’ return, Lady Saxondale | so sour and disagreeable as of late years it was. repaired to her own chamber; and by one o’clock| As for Juliana, she neither experienced any silence prevailed throughout the mansion. sorrow nor.chose to affeot it. In the morning some surprise was experienced by| In the course of the day an inquest was held the domestics when the clock struck nine and Mabel | upon the body. The medical men declared it to be had not made her appearance in the servants’ hall. | 8 case of apoplexy; and a verdict of “Died by the In consequence of her restless spirit and her over. | Visitation of God,” was accordingly returned. For recurring anxiety to assert her authority, she in- | there was not the alightest sign or evidence to in- variably rose at a much earlier hour, and was wont | dicate that Mabel had committed suicide; and as to be down by at least seven o'clock, finding fault | for foul play, who could possibly have dreamt of with everything, quarrelling with everybody—being | such a thing within the eristocratic walls of Saxons contented with no one, and discovering naught to | dale House? her satisfaction. It was therefore a relief to the servants generally that she was so late on the pre- — engendered surprise, for the reasons explained. GRASSES XEEL She deaslioteneus chee te canal te har mam te Ws must now return to Henrietta Leyden. Throe room see if she were ill, or ascertain the cause of her days had elapsed since that memorable night on non-appearance, inasmuch as there was the risk of | which her attempted escape, in company with the receiving a terrific scolding for what might be regarded by the ill-tempered woman as an intrusion. had been so suddenly frustrated. During this It was however thought right to let Lady Saxondale mterval she had seen nothing more of Lord Everton, know that Mabel had not as yet come down stairs. and therefore concluded that he had either been Her ladyship was seated at breakfast with her called away elsewhere by business, or that he was two daughters when this intelligence was conveyot allowing her time to recover from the effects of that to her. It was Mary-Anne, the handsome maid, | scene tement ere he renewed his persecutions. who brought in the announcement; and Lady | She still continued to occapy the same suite of apart Saxondale bade her go up-stairs and knock at ments, Busan the servant-woman attending upon her an anne “Peshape the Poor reeiat® fot existence during thoes three days was, thus +8 9D The Jady’s-maid did not dare disobey this com- | unvatied by a single occurrence worthy of note. household, stood in awe Mabel— -chamber, made confidential position with her young mistresses giv. | aware by the incidents of the night just alluded to; ing her a certain stability in her place not enjoyed . but so admirably was this door fitted into its setting, by the others. She scoordingly proceeded to Mabel’s that it was mo wonder if it had all along escaped tusk ints the Drosfast-perur, with s countenance was evedad to hat. Sho remembered vulicioat of back into the breakfast- , with a countenance was . pele as death and her looks expressive of terror and ite wheresbouts to soarch for i¢ on emer “What, in heaven’s name, is the matter P” asked was contrived so as to defy detection when shut. Lady Saxondale. The paper of the room was of s pattern having “ Mabel—Mabel is dead!” replied Mary-Anne, large squares to represent the wood-work of wains- now recovering the faculty of speech, which in her cotting, and was likewise of an oaken colour and horror she had temporarily lost. well varnished. It was marked with lines to repre- “Dead!” echoed Lady Saxondale, starting from sent the framework of panellings; and the secret her seat. “ Poor Mabel dead! With all her faults door was so artfully managed that it formod as it she was an attached and faithful servant.” | ware two of the squares (one above the other) of the Thus speaking, her ladyship hurried from the ' paper-pattern. The numerous lines, both porpen- room, followed by her daughters and Mary-Anne; ; dicular and transverse, which tinted the paper, cone and speeding up to the housckeeper’s chamber, cealed the traces of the door’s configuration, and they saw at a first glance enough to confirm the absorbed as it were all marks of ite existence. As © maid’s statement. Yes—Mabcl was dead. Rigid, ® matter of course the door fitted with the utmost cold, and white, she lay stretched on her couch! accuracy and tightness ; and altogether it was so Lady Saxondale placed her hand upon the face of well concealed that it was no wonder if it had es- the corpse, and immediately said, “It is like ice! caped Henrietta’s notice when in the first instance She has been dead fur many hours. Poor creature! she had searched her chamber to ascertain if there 33 must have been apoplexy.” | were any secret means of gaining admission thereto. The intelligence soon spread throughout the man- ' But now that she had been made aware of the exist- sion that Mabel had died in the night: but wo must ence of that door, and knew where to look for it, eandilly inform the reader that no particular grief she could just distinguish its outlines on the papers. COMME MOO strange haggard figure in the loose dressing-gown, Gama @ @e +e, Renee, (CO