The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 90: what you’re looking at

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sate EO a @Quewetn © «-.2guee=s2-] -o TH WYSTERIES OF THE COURT. TZ like the wind. The Hitle bird has performed its message well: for the two marks were made iz; the corner of the paper-—were they not ?” “'Yes—in the usual way,” responded Kate “and therefore there is no doubt thaé the pigeon stopped both at Gravesend end Boughton.” “ Well, you can go up to bed again, Kate,” said her father. “ Bat be up by six o'clock, aad then we will arrange what is to be eaid.” “Yes—but did yoa not observe,” asked the young woman, “that something is to be doné at ON0s, to proven" “To be eure! I have it,” exclaimed the astute “I koow what I will do. Leave it all to me—and you go up to bed, Kate.” His daughter accordingly left the room, and Mr. Maeshall at once proceeded to dress himself with the utmost despatch. He then quitted the chamber, telling his wife that he should not be many minutes absent. Descending the stairs, he opened the front door of the tavern, taking the key in his pocket so as to be able to let himself in again; and hurrying along the street, at length stopped at a house where the coloured lamp burn~ nig over the door indicated the abode of a surgeon. Marshall rang the night-bell with some degree of violence; and in a few minutes Sen nae wes opened iy the weedienl man’s assist- ant. “Hallo! is that you, Mr. Marshall?” he ex- claimed, immediately recognizing the tavern- keeper. “ Is there anything the matter up af the Admirals Head ?” “ Yeo—a lady who arrived last evening has been seized with a fit. She’s a little better now, ae my daughters are attending upon her: bat I want you to give me a composing draught, or ecomething of the kind, so as tu prevent a relapse. I azn eorry to have disturbed you-—~” ‘* Don't mention it, Mr. Marshall,” immediately exclaimed the eesistant: “ {t's all in the way of bnrsiness. Oome into the surgery, and I will see what I can do for you-——unless you think it ina case for which I had better call up Mr. Hood 1". alluding to his master. “ No, not at all,” rejoined thetavern-keoper. “I dare say you can give somethisy that will answer the purpose, if I describe what sort of a fit# was. * Oh, certainly!” replied the assistant; “and then Mr. Hood wf call round in the morning and see the lady.” While thus speaking, the assistant led the way into the surgery; and old Marshall described the ordinary symptoms of an hysterical Gt. The arsistant speodily compounded a draught ; and as he wrote out the label to put upon the bettie, he asked, “What name shall I say ?” “Mrs. Ohandos,” was old Marshall's prompt answer. The mame was accordingly written upon the label; and Marshall, thanking the assistant for his attention, took his departure. Keturning to his house, he asvended to his chamber, un- dressed himeelf again, and went to bed. —tetihesse. ; oe ey Daa ean eae Bee — e- oe ° . oe a~are w Pts CHAPTER XIX. THE JOURNEY. Ws must now return to Lady Bees, whom we left at the moment when seated on her gallant ateed ehe fled from her cottage in the manner already described. Making the best of her way into Loudon, she crossed Blaokfriar’s Bridge, and straight for the Kent Road. In an hour and a quarter from the time she had guitted the cottage she entered.upon Blackheath. There ehe walked her horse—although the ndble animal,.es if instinctively aware of its mistroas’s need, appeared inspatient to career onward again. The dauntless amazon was in the highest pos- sible spirite, not only at the achievement she had already performed in effecting her escape from the lawyers, but likewise at the measures she had taken to disentangle herself in the long ran from the meshes of the law and be able to turn round and laugh in their faces. She thought of Tur- pin’s memorable ride to York—an exploit which | , had saved him from the strong arm of justice on |’ that oocasion, it being held impossible for a raan who appeared at York at daybreak to have committed a crime in London on the preceding evening—the distance being close on two hun- dred miles! But Lady Bees's stratagem, as she had devised it, was if possible still more inge- nious ; and the evidence to be eventually given ip her favour, would be still more conclusive, as the reader will presently see. - Jt was now three o'clook in the morning—and ehe had sixty-four miles to ride! But this dis- tance she wae confident of being able to achieve within a very few hours, although it foymed no patt of her plan to imitate Dick Turpin in the astounding feat of accomplishing the journey with the same horse. Having breathed her gallant coureer for a few minutes on Blackheath, Lady Bess gave it the rein ; and away, away it flow with an astonishing veloci “ Fifteen miles from this point to Gravesend— or rather sixteen hence to the Dancing Bear-—and i must do the distance in an hour!” Thus she spokes aloud, her fiate-like voice sounding melodionsly through the fresh air of morning. The twilig ne was gmmering in the east—-vory faintly as yet, but it was appear- ing: and she thought to herself that she would yet ride many a mile ere the gun rose—aye, and many s long mile more too, ere it should be very high above the horizon. The exhilaration which she felt amounted almost to an intoxica- tion. She was as happy asif not the slightest danger hung over her head,—happier indeed, for it was in consequence of that danger she was now pursuing an adventure so thoroughly con- to her daring, danutleags, reckless character. Her horse needed not the touch of spur or whip : ah ooeasional taress with the hand and the en- couraging voice of its mistress.impelled tho animal to the development of all its powers of swiftnese-— and never did the lithe and graceful Arab courser dash with a more lightning speed over the arid desert than Lady Bess'a gallant horse along the high roadto Dover. The weathor at that hour in the morning and ia the genial month of June was etgeser -> GRE: TD 0 wae ee eb eerie, oe & ~~ Cd CONNEC MOO SS COMM