The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 99: what you’re looking at

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

82 my own house, Briggs let me pass through the open- ing which you had made in the wall. This was the way that I got in—and, on going up-stairs, I found my father a corpse in his bed. In the course of the day I noticed that the front door had been unbalted and unlocked—and I was surprised. But now you have explained the mystery.” “Was your father very rich, Julia!” asked Page, fixing upon her e searching look, “Rich!” she ejaculated, with an fronieal “Ah! I see—my suspicions are con he was a miser!” exclaimed the eommercial travelles. “ But you don’t know—you hayven’t any idea where he was to conceal his wealth ?*—and again he bent his eyes significantly on the young woman. “Not I, indeed!” she observed, ore “Nevertheless,” she added, almost i istely, “there must have been a large quantity~-—" “ Of gold somewhere—ch ?” cried Page, chuckling. | “ Yes—yes—you are right there, my dear. And now, what will you do for me if I help to—to—this treasure?” he demanded, hesi whether he should impart his secret to her, or deviae eome scheme to become the sole possessor of the wealth to whigh he supposed the scrap of paper to allude, “ What will 1 do for you?” she exelaimed; “ any- thing you like.” | “Tt would be a pity to divide it,” remarked Page, again eyeing her significantly. “A sum of money that is a fortunes in iteelf, only makes two poog competencies when split into equal shares.” “Pray explain yourself,” observed the young | woman, impaticntly. “T suppese—that ia, I hope—I believe—I pre- sume you ere a single woman, Julia?” said the com- mercial traveller, endeavouring to ogle her tenderly. “Oh! that IT am,” she exclaimed, flippantly. What next 7” “ Nothing partionlar 20w—at least on that point,” returned Page. “ But we must at once pass on to another important feature in the business which we have in hand togethey. Ig this yaur father’s writing ?” he demanded, with a eunming look, as he produced the scrap of paper. Julia took the documentary fragment in her hand —glanced rapidly over it—and, with a sudden ani- mation of countenance, exclaimed, “ Yes—this is the old man’s writing: and now we may be rich for the remainder of our days !” “I thought so!” ejaculated Page, delighted at finding his fondest hopes thus completely fulfilled. * Come—let us visit the cellar without delay, and in- spect the treasure. I will then tell you why I asked whether you were married or not.” The girl smiled significantly, as if she read her companion’s meaning and required no farther expla- nation: and Page was pleased to observe that she possessed a very good set of teeth. They now descended the stairs to the kitehen, where Julia lighted a lantern, observing that the draught would blow out the candle; and thence they proceeded to the cellar. The first object which met the eyes of the com- mercial traveller was the pile of masonry which had been detached from the aperture that had enabled himself and Sir Richard Stamford to escape from the adjoining cellar on the preceding night ;—and a chill passed over him ashe thought of the possibility | of his revisit to that neighbourhood being discovered THE MYSTERIES. by the ruffian Briggs or any of his vile confederates —the consequence of which detection would inevi- tably be a re-consignment to his old quarters, with unconquerable precautions against another escape. Hie therefore hesitated for a few moments on the aera leading into the cellar, and was almost in- ed to beat a precipitate retreat: but Julia, who had peeceded him, held the lantern high up so as to fling the light upon the spot which she indicated, as she observed, “There’s the stone which the paper allodes to.” The idea of within reach, as it were, of a treasure which hie Enagivation represented to be of no insignificant amount, restored Page to that des- porate courage wherewith he had armed himself for the present enterprise; and baldly descending the steps, he proceeded to inepect the stone beneath which the miser’s hoardings lay. “It will require some instrument to raise it,” he observed, at the expi of a few moments. “ There is a piek-axe in the kitchen,” said Julia; “and I have oftea wondered what it could be for. Now I understand why my father sometimes required such a thing.” Thus epeaking, she tripped Hghtly away to fetch the implement—while Page retraced his steps to the thssshold of the cellar, so as to guard against any tyeachevous intention which might possibly exist on the girl’s part to cleee the door upon him. On her retura in about a minute, with the pick-axe in her hand, she immediately conjectured what was passing in the mind of the commercial traveller: for, woman sald, “You are perhaps right as a pradent man to mistrust me; but if you knew how much I hate the nest door—I mean Briggs and all his —yeu would not be alarmed. Besides, have you act coma on a business which may prove beneficial te me?—and why, therefore, should I seek to do you en injury f “Tam glad yon have spoken to me in this manner,” said Page, perceiving that Julia was rapidly losing her sullenness ef temper and ecquines confidence in him; * beganse ® makes me all the more plea- sure in co-operating with you. You area nice girl, Julia,” he added, patting her face and again ogling her tender:y—which little indications of the matri- monial views which she suspected him to entertain were far from disagreeable to the girl. “ Now, then—get to work,” ahe exclaimed, amiling, and fixing her bold eyes wantonly on the commercial traveller. He returned the leer, and took the pick-axe from her hand: then, throwing back his cloak, he com- menced operations, The mortar which surrounded the flag-stone was not particularly hard; and the task of raising it was speedily accomplished. When it was removed, half-a-dozen canvass bags of tole- rable size appeared in a small hollow beneath. “Six thousand guineas, at the lowest computa- tion!” ejaculated Myr. Page, his heart leaping with delight; and, taking up one of the bagz, he weighed itin his hand. “ Yes—this contains a thousand, I am sure !” he added, in a tone of exultation. How shall we remove them ?” asked Juba, also in a joyous manner: “ and where shall we take them to ” “ First into the kitchen—or np-stairs, in the room to which you showed me just now,” responded the commercial traveller. nt el cee oy cane Rt COMNGROO S COMM