The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 270: what you’re looking at

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

248 THE COURT OF LONDON hearing the object of their mission and receiving his uncle’s notes, which they put into his hands, he, as a matter of course, had at once agreed to accompany them post-haste to London; but while stopping for a few minutes at Canterbury to change horses, he had seized the opportunity to pen a few brief lines to some one in the neighbourhood. This note he gave to one of the hotel servants, together with a liberal fee, so that it might be conveyed at once to the place of its address; and then, the chaise being ready to start again, he had at once pursued his hurried journey. But alas! we have just seen what sad tidings awaited him at Blackheath, and now they were to be fearfully realized when the post- chaise entered Albemarle Street. Leveson House had ceased to exist. Nought but a black- ened ruin remained, the scathed and blasted skeleton of former pomp, magnificence, and grandeur. <A crowd was eollected in front of the burned edifice, for the awful catas- trophe had throughout the day attracted hundreds of persons at different times to the spot. Leaping forth from the vehicle, Algernon at once received from the nearest bystanders a terrible confirmation of the rumours that had reached him at Blackheath relative to the fate of his uncle, his sister, and some of the servants. _ It appeared that so terrible was the confacrstion that it burst forth all in a moment, as if the house had been fired in several parts. All was in an instant confusion and dis- may. Some of the domestics had rushed out into the street, without pausing to care for any others of the inmates, but some had hastened up-stairs to rescue Lady Ernestina. The flames, however, forced them back, for the house, having an immense quantity of woodwork about it, burned like tinder. All endeavours, therefore, to save Lady Ernestina Dysart were in vain, and equally futile was the hurried search made for the marquis himself. But suddenly, as Lord Algernon’s informant went on to relate, a large portion of the building gave way, and much of the interior was for a few brief instants exposed to the view of the crowd gathered in the street. Then was it that, to the horror of all the spectators, the Marquis of Leveson was seen writhing in a chair to which he appeared to be held fast by some unac- countable means. At all events, sure enough was it that the wretched nobleman was thus observed for that brief connicloookKks (CO nin