The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 207: what you’re looking at

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

On each of the three nighte which had elapsed since jects for the accomplish nent of her escape. Such Se the memorable one of her frustrated attempt to | ever the case with persons in captivity, although the —— had not occupied the bed-chamber, but | circumstances of their mcarceration may seem to had slept upon the sofa in the drawing-room, care- | preclude the possibility of success. Oh! if she could fully locking the doors of communication. The | escape and return to her mother and httle Charley reader may be assured that she had over and over | —how happy would she be! Yes: but when she again examined the walls of this apartment to looked at those bars her heart sank within her assure herself against the existence of any other | And yet she went on revolving plan after plan, un- secret door; and having now the experience of the | til she would fall into moods of such fanciful dreami- former discovery to guide her, she was better able , ness that when starting up from these reveries, she to come to a positive conclusion on the point. So | was stricken with the dread that her brain was turn- far, therefore, as it was possible to judge from all | ing and that her reason was becoming affected. she knew, and from the most scrutinizing survey It was on the morning of the fourth day after the frequently reiterated, she felt confident that in | night of memorable incidents, that Henrictta arose respect to a secret means of communication with | from her sofa-couch at a very early hour, and pro- the drawing-room she was safe enough. ceeded to put into execution something that she Need we pause to say how profound was the un- | had finally resolved upon. It was but a little after happiness of the young maiden at this prolonged | five, and the profoundest silence reigned throughout captivity, or what torturing reflections she expe- | and around the house. The fields were not as yet rienced when fixing her thoughts upon home? Her | cheered with the beams of the sun; but they. ap- position appeared to be entirely hopeless: the place | peared of an emerald brightness in their own na- of her imprisonment was as well secured as any gaol, tural freshness and with the dew upon them. The could possibly be; and moreover she had learnt ' reader will recollect that the garden stretched down enough to make her aware that its ostensible pur- | to a shrubbery standing upon the bank of the New pose was that of a lunatic-asylum. She knew full . River, and that on the other side of the stream the well therefore that if she exhausted herself in shrieks, | meadows of the picturesque landscape stretched and screams, and cries for succour, all would be une onward. From her window Henrietta had often availing. What, then, was to become of her? Must seen persons on the opposite bank-—some occa- she indeed resign herself to the horrible conviction “tionally riding on horseback through the field—and that Lord Everton would triumph at last, and that , others remaining there to fish. These circumstances she could never hope to go forth from those walls | had inspired her with the idea which she was now except dishonoured and undone ? about to put into execution. Truly, the young maiden had sufficient topics for | She had buoks in the room, but no writing mate- her thoughts, not only in immediate connexion with | rials: not s0 much as a pencil had she at her com- herself, but likewise in respect to the mysterious mand—much less péns and ink. But she had adventure of that memorable night. Who could the ! already devised a substitute. Scraping some soot individual be that had come to her rescue, and had from the lower part of the chimney in one of the endeavoured to accomplish her escape and his own? _ fire-places, she mixed it with a little water in a Was he indeed some unfortunate lunatic confined | tumbler, and thus managed to form an ink which within those walls? or was there some deeper and! would at all events answer her purpose. From one darker mystory attached to it? Was he still alive? | of the books she tore out a blank leaf; and with a had he been merely stunned by the blow with which | pen-knife which she found in a dressing-case upon Bellamy had struck him down? or was he killed ‘the toilet-table, she contrived to fashion a rude but upon the spot? All these things were beyond the ' serviceable pen out of a lucifer-match. She then power of conjecture to solve. Certain it was that ' sat down and wrote the following lines :— weither ary no keneatett Spey eee cabersy “* Into whomsoever’s hands this may fall, it is earnestly requested that immediate information may be given to ence: for that those lamentations and that wild the Police-suthorities that @ young female, named Hen- thrillimg cry which she had heard on the same | | Fietta Leyden has been forcibly carried off and detained night that was so eventful to her, had come from sgainst her will in the house kept by a Mr. Bellamy and his lips, she would not doubt. But then it wag geucrally supposed to be a lunatic asylum Even if it possible that does really serve such a purpoes, it is likewise mado avail- if he still ved he had sunk into a able for the perpetration of wrongs, and villanies which state of quiescence again, or had been removed to require exposure. Let it not be thought that this is the some other part of the house whence his lamenta- effusion of » manise. For heaven's sake let not this tions could not reach her. | appeal be disregarded! Whatever be the result, the That he must really be a hunatic she was more person finding the billet will at least perform = humane than half inclined to believe: for that he had visited 8nd benevolent act by placing it in the hands of the au- her room by means of the private door on those | thorities. Oh, let not this earnest entreaty be disre- occasions when his presence so much frightened &*"4e4! her, was beyond all doubt—but wherefore had he| Such were the lines which Henrietta penned by not addressed her at the time of these visits? means of her ingeniously-contrived writing mate- Wherefore steal into her chamber thus, merely to rials; and she managed to make the note even more terrify her as it would seem, and then flit away legible than she had at first dared hope or than the again? This appeared to be the conduct of one | agitated state of her feelings scemed to promise. whose reason was indeed unhinged; and therefore, | | "But now, in what manner was the billet to be as above stated, she was inclined to adopt the belief conveyed out of the house? Her plan was already that he was really a lunatic. | settled, even to its minutest details. Her corset Hopeless as the poor girl’s condition seemed, she afforded some pieces of whalebone, wherewith she 296 THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. nevertheless revolved in her brain a variety of pro- promptly formed a bow and an arrow. Having mate- COMM GOnMGOOOKS