The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 225: what you’re looking at

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214 THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. ruffian thus disguised. A struggle took place be- tween bim and Christian: Lord Rushbrook drove up at the time, and lent his aid: but the false Lascar managed to estape, and in a manner too which created much surprise in the mind of my young friend Ashton. It further appeared that on some previous night, this very same disguised Lascar stopped Lord Rushbrook, and either did actually rob him or attempted to rob him—but which if really was, I cannot say; for his lordship —perhaps from false pride—sought to hush up the matter. It is however Christian Ashton’s Opinion that the Viscount’s groom could tell more of the particulars of that case. The Viscount begged Ashton not to mention at Tudor House a single syllable of any of these circumstances; and he advanced reasons which led Christian to pro- mise compliance with this entreaty. But last evening Miss Ashton was herself waylaid by the same villain: fortunstely however there was prompt succour at hand to rescue her; and the false Lascar escaped. Jt has now become so evi- dent that the fellow is a most desperate and dangerous character, that I represented to Ashton this morning that it was a positive duty to dis- regard Lord Rushbrook’s desire for eecresy and silence, apd to put you upon your guard, inasmuch as twice in your nighbourhaod have this robber’s avocations been exercised. Whether you will mention all these things to Lady Anastatia, is a matter for your own consideration.” “To be sure,” said Sir Frederick, whose heart sickened at the mere mention of Lady Anastatia’s name. “I am exceedingly obliged to you, Mr. Redcliffe, for all this information. Rushbrook has said not a word of either of those adventures, although I saw him yesterday But. how came it that he and Mr. Ashton should the night before last have suffered the villain to escape them ?” “TI have already hinted,” replied Mr. Redcliffe, “that the occurrence is somewhat a singular one. It appears that the false Lascar was completely in the power of Lord Rushbrook and our young friend Christian: they had hold upon his gar- ments. All of a sudden the Lascar looked very hard at the Viscount, and said these words— “What about that safe and cash-box ?’—where- upon the Viscount suddenly let go his hold upon tho villain: he broke away from Christian, and thus escaped.” Sir Frederick Latham heard with a sudden astonishment the latter portion of this explana- tion: the words “safe” and “cash-box’” all in an ipstant appeared by some incomprehensible means to connect what the merchant was now listening to, with all that for the last few hours had been 60 painfully uppermost in his mind. “What were the words he made use of P” in- quired Sir Frederick of Mr. Redcliffe. “I recollect perfectly well,” was the latter's response, “that Christian Ashton mentioned them to me as being precisely these—‘ What about that safe and cash-box?’—And then, it might have been imagination on Christian’s part, but he as- sures me it struck him that Viscount Bushbrook seemed to stagger back a pace or two, while he certainly let go of the man’s garmente as if his hands had suddenly been smitten with paralysis. This description, moreover, seems to have been corroborated by what Rushbrook himself said im- mediately afterwards, and which was to the effect that he had been seized with a dizsiness—a sudden sickness or something of the kind—and which he attributed to the viands he had eaten at supper having disagreed with him.” All this appeared more and more strange to Sir Frederick Latham: for with his knowledge of Rushbrook’s character, he wag naturally led to aurmise that he bed some very substantial reasons indeed for keeping silanoe, and enjoining it to be kept, in respect to the two perilous adyentures with the Lascar. And moreover, Sir Frederick could not help thinking that what had been takea for a sudden paralyais of the hands, wag in reality a terror inspired by the words thrown out from the lips of the false Lascar: while the ples of sickness from indigestion waa merely an excase to account for the same. But atill the merchant was at s. loss for any probable or feanble means of intelli- gibly connecting the adventure in respect to the Lascar with his own safe end cagh-box whence all the money had disappeared. “TI can assure you, Sir Frederick,” added Mr. Redcliffe, “our young friend Christian was very much annoyed that the false Lascar should have escaped him—and all the more so when he heard that by this esospe the ruffian had remained at large to attempt an outrage against the youth's sister Christins.” “IT will assuredly give orders to have my pre- mises watched,” observed Sir I'rederick: “ for eo desperate a character as this false Lascar, may at- tempt murder before his exploits are ous short by the hand of justice.” The two gentlemen were now rejoined by Chris- tian and Christina, who hed been rambling throagh the grounds; and the party, taking their leave of Sir Frederick, drove away in the carriage. Sir Frederick continued to walk in his grounds, pondering everything that had happened in the earlior part of the day, as well as everything that he had just heard. In reference to the safe and the cash-box he knew not what to think: the Laacar’s allusion to those objects was eo strange, it could not have been s mere coincidence. While he was thus in perplexity giving way to his reflec- tions, Lord Rushbrook’s phaeton came dashing up the avenue,—the Viscount driving, the groom seated by his side. “There is something singular in these frequent viaits of my brother-in-law,” said the merchant to himeelf. “He was here yesterday—he is here again to-day. He cannot expect to get any more money out of me so soon; and I am eure that it ig not through love of either his sister or myself that he favours us with such frequent visite.” And the merchant was right, though he eus- pected not how: for Rushbrook had indeed come to ascertain whether anything had been said in respect to the adventures with the Lascar. Sir Frederick went forward to receive his brother-in- law; and they entered the house together. After some litt.e conversation, the merehant made a pre- text for temporarily leaving the room; and he hastened in search of Rushbrook’s groom. He had said nothing to the Viscount relative to all he had 20 recently heard: he wished in the first in- stance to learn whatecever additional information the groom himeelf might be possibly able to afford. The man was found at the stables, looking as Sir COMME OOO cS) CO