The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 21: what you’re looking at

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a ee NN 8 THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. be cut of the way in case I should require you and endeavoured to console him by the represen at any time during the next few weeks.” tation that as these various measures had heen “You can always hear of me at this place,” said | adopted eo evon after the theft, it was next to impoes- the Cannibel. “You remember the sign? It’s the | sible that.they could fail in achieving the desired Billy Goat.” result. But in her heart Lady Saxondale was roally “I shall not forget. And now,” added Farefield, | tortured by the sorest misgivings; and she appro- “for the remainder of the reward that was agreed | hended the very worst. Both her own suspicions epon between us.” and those of her husband had at once very naturally Thereupon he counted down a quantity of gold | fallen upon Ralph Farefield: but while the old lord upon the table; and as Chiffin consigned the wages | could not bring himself to fancy anything so hor- of iniquity to hie pocket, his hideous countenance | rible as that his nephew would cause the child to be egain expressed He satisfaction with @ ferocious made away with, his wife on the other hand was : unable to close her eyes to that dreadful even- Ralph Farefield and his agent in crime then sepe- | tuality. rated—the former hurrying away to some place of | Slowly, and Oh! how miserably passed the hours public resort, which he still deemed it prudent to | until night came: and then as one by one the ser- frequent; and the latter proceeding to the tap- | vants returned without having obtained the slightest goom of the boozing-ken, there to expend a portivn | clue to the missing heir, Lord Saxondale began to of his gains in a deep carouse. yield to the same appalling terrors which his wife — the messengers came back ; and when the last made his appearance, with nothing better to report than cHR HEM. frantic bitterness of his grief. For a whilo, too, even Lady Saxondale’s firmness of mind seemod to Retcgy we now to Saxondale Castle. the mmates | abandon her; and they mingled their tears, their of which were thrown into the utmost gnef, conster- | sobs, apd the outvourings of their heart’s aguny— nation, snd dismay by the daring theft of the child. | that old man and his young wifo! The nureemaid from whom the infant KRimund hed | But Lady Saxondale was the first to regain her been stolen, gave an account of the transaction | fortitude and her self- ion; end she exorted similar to that which Chiffin the Cannibal gave to | all her powers to impart some solace to her husband. Ralph Farefield. She said that while walking on a | She now deciared that, al) things considered, she Little in front of the other servant, and while fol- | was persuaded in her own mind that Ralph Farefield, lowing the circuitous bend of the pathway which | who no doubt was at the bottom of the atrocity, wound round a knot of trees standing on the river's | would not dare commit so heinuus a crime as mur- bank about a quarter of a mile from the castle, a | der, nor yet allow it to be done; but that he had man with a bleck mask on his fase euddenly rushed | most probably caused the child to be carried off in forth from qmidst those trees; and tearing the child | order to bring his uncle to terms end wring from him forcibly from her arms, sped away. She shrieked | immense pecuniary concessions. In this strain did out and fell down senseless. It further appeared | her ladyship continue to argue for a long time, and that the other nursemaid, hearing the cry, hastened | with s0 much outward carnestness if not with an to the spot, and was horror-stricken on finding her | equal inward sincerity, that Lord Saxondale, eagorly fellow-servant lying, as she thought, dead—and the | catching at any straw of hope, giadly took refuge infant gone. She caught sight of the roffian just | from the worst apprehensions in the adoption of his as he was springing over a hedge at some distance; | Wife's theory. Thus the night ; for no pillow end then he disappeared from her view. When re- | was pressed by that couple t the long her companion was not dead, but only im @ swoon; | were all again dispersed over the neighbourhood to and dipping her handkerchief into the meer, she | make wvery kind of inquiry that might possbly applied it to her countenance, and by those means { tend to the recovery of the lost one. All the villages, brought her beck to consciousness. Buth the servant- | hamlets, and isolated cotteges, within « circuit of a maids, with the two remaining children, then has- | dozen miles, were visited during this day ; and when tened back as quickly as they could to the castle, and | night came again and the servants returned, the gave the alarm. meagre results of their inquiries amounted to these As we above stated, and as may easily be supposed, | facte—that for the last few days some ill-looking the consternation and grief caused by the astound- | men had been observed in the vicinagw of the castle ; ing intelligence were immense. Lady Saxondale ' that they had disappeared suddenly; and that a was at first absolutely petrified: but the old lord | gang of gipsies had been also scen in those parts. gave way to the most frenzied anguish. Her lady. | But whether there were any connexion between the ship scon recovered her presence of mind; and the | former and the latter it was impossible to say. As male dependants of the household were despatched | for the child, not the slightest trace had been dis- in every direction in search of the lost infant. Some | covered; and whether the poor infamt was dead or mounted horses and galloped away to beat the | alive scemod wrapped up in the darkest mystery. country: others set off on foot; and everything was | Finally, all the intelligence obtained went to prove done that the circumstances suggested to recover | that Mr. Ralph Farefield, who was well known in the stolen heir and capture the daring thief. Having | the neighbourhood, had mot been seen by & single fesued her orders to this effect with a wonderfu: | soul who was acquainted with him. degree of calmness and self-posseesion, Lady Saxon-| Lady Saxondale's resolution how to act was now dale turned her attention to Mer afflicted husband, | promptly taken. She declared her intention of re- mes COMICOOOKS. COM