The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 91: what you’re looking at

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

at EN a a ce ted 14 A dizziness followed—and for a few moments everything appeared to be in a whirl ;—then she felt as if she must shriek out and fall headlong into some unknown but terrible and fathomless abyss,—when she was suddenly recalled to her senses by the open- ing of the door, and the appearance of an elderly - woman, bearing a light, on the threshold at the bottom of the descent of steps. “Come, my dear girl,” said Mra. Brace, taking _ Caroline’s hand: “let me introduce you to my friend ' Mrs. Lindley, who is here to recetve you.” The young girl threw a shuddéring glance upon the woman, who was endeavouring to wreath her countenance into a bland smite of weltome ;—bit as the light, which etre shaded with her tong thin hand, was thrown full upon hef féatarea, it gave them a | ghastly appearance—fot Mrs. Lindley’s face was long, angular, and sallow. “Come, I say, Caroline—dear Caroline !* whieé- pered Mrs. Brace, almost in an imploting tone, as she felt the young girl’s hénd anatched back abruptly from her own. Those words succéeded in somewhat feassuring the affrighted creature—for they were apéken in « tone of penetrating kindhess; and shé stérdingly followed the milliner down the steps into fhe hroitee. Mrs. Lindley then shit the door, and cotrtuctéd her visitors from the long, low, dark paséageé, te the end of which Caroline's straining eyes could fet penetrate,—into a small patlour opening theréftan: The shutters were closed inside the easements : the blinds were down—and the dark ‘cuttains were drawn,—as if the o were hermrtticalty to seal up those windows, se Dat not a crevité shotld afford any passer-by an opportunity of ptti the room. The furniture was of walnut-wodtt, and looked like ebony in its fumereal dye: a few ott and villanously executed steel-engravings, pr 4) be portraits of emment physicians, and set i com- mon black frames, were suspended ta thé wafnd cotting ;—and in an antique book-case a few mouldy volumes on subjects of midwifery and fhe ties of herbs, kept company with a huge Bible fastened by means of silver clasps. . There was a good firein the grate: but the lntibert flames that rose from a pile of ctacktitg§ oxi, to mitigate the gloomy appearance of this toom ;— and even the large black cat, which lazily opened its sparkling, glass-like green eyes, as it lay rolled up on the hearth rug, had something ominous and foreboding about it in the estimation of the trembling, shudder- ing Caroline Walters. Mra. Lindley politely drew forward seats for the accommodation of her visitors; and then, slowly sinking down upon an easy chair with a very high back rudely carved, she put on a great pair of horn spectacles for the purpose of taking a good long sur- vey of Caroline. The young creature felt a disagreeable chill come over her, as the woman’s small, dark, reptile-like eyes gleamed upon her through the large circular glasses: for it seemed as if a snake were endeavouring to fascinate her with its hideous gaze. And so far fas- cinated she indeed was, that she could not withdraw her looks from the countenance of Mrs. Lindley: they were rivetted upon that cadaverous face with its sharp features and its parchment skin—its thin pale lips and its thick and prominent eyebrows. “She is a sweet pretty girl, my dear madam,” ob- served the woman, suddenly turning towards the into | fin ee ee ed THE MYSTERIM. milliner, and speaking in that mysterious and sub- dued tone which the very nature of her profession had rendered habitual, and which she therefore used on all occasions even when commonplace subjects might have enabled her to dispense with so much caution, “And Carry is not only a pretty girl—but a very good girl,” said Mrs. Brace, in answer to Mrs. Lind- ley’s rematk. “I have assured her that she will experience nothing but the most affectionate kind- héss from your hands———” “Hush! my dear madam—hush!” interrupted the woman, placing her finger upon her lip. “Not so loud, if you please! Remember that walls have CATS == “I beg your purdon, Mrs. Lindley—I quite for- got,” returned the Iudy to whom this remonstrance was addressed : then, continuing to speak in a more subdued tone, she said, * You will find Caroline docile, amiable, and obliging—and therefore I am certain that you will agree perfectly well together.” “ T have no doubt of it,” said Mra Lindley. “Some of Miss Walters’ companions at your establishment, my dear madam, have most likely already informed let how I am accustomed to behave to my lodgers,” continued the woman, taking off her horn spectacles and smilmg with mysterious significancy. “ Let me eee—the fast that I had here from your house, Mra. Brace, was Emily Burdett—a dear good, lively girl! She was always humming tunes from morning to hight—and so I gave her thé best room at the back Of the house, that she might sing to the river and not to the street. Yes—~a nice girl was Miss Burdett! The one before her was Rachel Forrester, [ think—a é young woman—tall and stately as Juno—and paanionatel y fond of reading romances. Pray, are bse young ladies with you now, my dear madam ?” “Oh! yes,” replied Mrs. Brace: “and I rather n . © Hush !—what ?” murmured Mrs. Lindley, lean- fng forward with an air of great mystery to catch the fevelation about to be made, and the nature of which she could pretty well conjecture. “ Don’t speak too loud, mind! were you going to say? You think——” “That Rachel Forrester will have to pay you an- other visit in a couple of months, or a0,” added Mra, Brace, irresistibly and also unconsciously catching for the moment a portion of that extreme habit of caution which appeared to keep Mra. Lindley ever on the gui vive lest her words should be overheard by curious ears or her movements noticed by prying eyes. “Well — well,” said the woman; “these things will happen—and it makes a good trade for me,"’ she added, with a low chuckling laugh, which was however the loudest that she ever indulged in. “Won't you take off your bonnet and cloak, and stay to supper with us?” she inquired, after a short pause, anc still addressing herself to the milliner. “ No, I thank you—I must return home almost immediately,” replied Mrs. Brace. “But you had better take off your things, my love,” she added, turning towards Caroline. The young girl rose from her chair and mechani- cally complied with the suggestion of her mistress. She unfastened the strings of her gipsy-hat, which she placed upon the table; and then slowly let her cloak fall from her shoulders. The casual observer, on glancing at the figure of Caroline Walters, would > —__ eee eee S COMIGROO CON |