The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 261: what you’re looking at

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

250 THER MYSTERIZS OF THE COURT. De Margaux fancied that it must belong to some itinerant show. He went on; and in a few minutes reached a door at the back of the barn. It stood ajar: he peeped in—and by a dim light which prevailed inside, he perceived that a quan- tity of straw was piled up against the wall on the right hand just inside the door, and to the distance of about four yards forward. Thus a narrow pas- sage was left from the door to what appeared to be a blanket or dingy sort of drapery, stretching all across the barn and forming a screen to shut out the compartment where the straw was. The sounds of ranting ¥Yoicea, the trampling of feet upon boards, mingled with the applause and laughter of an audience, convinced De Margaux that his firat impression was righf, and that the performances of some itinerant players were taking place. “ The very last spot in the world,” thought De Margaux, “where pursuers would have an ides of looking for me!”—and seizing upon a moment when the applause was long and uproarious, he in- troduced himself—or rather worked his way, into the midst of the straw; so that he was completely embedded therein—while the noise of the crackling material was drowned by the din of the delighted audience. The adventurous and chequered wdreer of De Margaux had taken him at times into several countries. We have seen from thy explanations of the Viscotnt Delorme, that he had visited Spain and Italy: we may now add that the British shores had likewise on one cocasion beew favoured with his présence when the meridian of the French capital was found to be inconveniently hot for a period. Keen, quick-witted, and naturally intelli- gent, De Margaux readily picked up in a short time a sufigiency of any forcign language to make himself understood; and he had not failed, when in England, to profit by his sojourn there i the same respect. He therefore now had ho difficulty in comprehending that it was a company of Eng- lish strolling players to whose recitations accident was rendering him a listener. He began to reflect that he might turn the circumstance to his advan- tage. He had a passport, it is truo: but it was such an one that he dared not exhibit, inasmuch as it would at once establish his identity. He could not travel without one, if he proceeded alone; and even if he were to shave off his mous- tache and disguise his person to the utmost of his power, he could not obtain another passport at any town without exbibiting his former one. That there would be a hue and cry, the issue of band- bills and the posting of placards offering a reward for his apprebension, he knew full well; and he saw that the best chance for him to escape out of the district, was to mingle with tho itinerant com- pany, assume some deep disguise, and travel under the general protecting influence of the manager’s passport for his whole troop. Scarcely had De Margaux revolved these matters in his mind, when the curtain dropped, aad the two or three fiddles forming tho orchestra struck up @ tune, The. drapery sepnrating the astraw- compartment from the raised platfurm forming the stage, was now drawn aside; and from his hiding- place De Margaux could obtain a view of the per- formers. They were evidently of the poorest de- scription : their whole appearance bespuko poverty : —yet was there a great deal of natural gaicty and good-humour amongst them,—as was evidenced by the manner in which they took advantage of the in- terval between the Acts to partake of refreshment, and the way in which they divided their humble fare with one another. After some trifling changes in the toilets of two or three of them, the partition- drapery was again closed—the curtain drew up— and the pey proceeded. The audience was almost entirely French—while the performances were in English: but all proceeded to the infinite satis- faction of the speetators—who, if they compre- hended nothing of the splendid orations delivered, were af least hugely delighted with the grimaces and antics of the Clown. Thus the curtain at length feli finally amidst the applause of the entire audience. We should observe that De Margaux had not the smallest coin in his pocket: all the money he had about him at the time of his arrest, had been taken from him. Neither had he any resources eleewhere,—tho tale he had told Finette of his hidden treasdres, being as false as that of his beantiful Alpine domain. He was a man addicted to pleasures and profligacies of every description, athongst Which gambling was included ; and there- fore whenever his purse was well filled as the re- sult of some echeme of villany, it was his wont to repair te the great towns in that part of Franee, and plunge into alj kinds of dissipation until his mecesaities drove him back to the forest to devise come hew project oF perpetrate cote fresh tarpi- tude to refill his pobkets. Thus, at the present tnoment, Do Margattx was ytterly penniless; end this circumstatice rendered it all the more expé- dient for him to seise, if possible, upon the oppor- tunity to mingle with the itinerant teoop. The barn had been kindly lent by a farmer to this poor travelling company, not meftly to serve ai the theatre of theif performances, but ikowise as their temporary abiding-place while they were in thas neighbourhood. On the dispergien of the audience, one of the actors issued forth to take down the lamps, or rather lanterns, which had been suspended in front of the barn; and on his return the doors were closed in order to make all safe for the night. Then the manager began counting the proceeds, the troop eagerly gathering around him to hear his report,—although each individual had in his own mind already calculated to almost a fraction what the amount would ba Without precisely specifying it, we may observe that it was of an extent to cheer their humbie hearts, and to banish all cares for the present. De Margaux failed mot to observe the good-humour | - and satisfaction which thus prevailed; and he now thought is high time to take advantage of those feelings. Without being perceived by any of the com- pany, he crept forth from his hiding-place, and suddenly opened and closed the back door as if he hed only that instant rushed in. Then the mem- bers of the troop all looked round from the middle of the barn where they were esgumbied; and by the dim light of the singlo candle which they had left burning, they observed a tall, well-dremed map, of commanding appearance, hurriedly ap- proaching them. <A nearer view shuwed that his ments were shining as if with a recent im- mersion in water; while hia aspect bore the evi- COMME HOG cS)