The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 158: what you’re looking at

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

t C—O Oe THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. 143 ed op one of the wax-candles from the table, and quitted the room by the door which Lady Saxon- dale had indicated. But as he issued forth, he elosed the door in such a manner that while it ap- peared to the inmates of the room to shut, he did not really allow it to do so; but he suffered it to remain about an inch ajar—and then, instead of immediately continuing his way to Lady Saxon- dale’s private chamber, he stopped to listen, setting down the wax-candle at such a distance from the door, and in such a position that it threw no hght into the room. But why did the Cannibal adopt all these precau- tions? why did he remain and listen? Because, notwithstanding Lady Saxondale’s countenance had remained inscrutable in its self-possession during the whole of the latter portion of the discourse, yet ‘still Chiffin’s mind was filled with doubt and mis- giving. That very self-possession on her ladyship’s part appeared, the longer he reflected upon it, to be but a mask for some deep treachery. In short, Chiffin fancied that she had purposely sent him on this errand with the knowledge that he would fall into some snare the nature of which he himself eould not however conjecture; and that in the meantime she would endeavour to extricate herself from the custody of Tony Wilkins. He therefore resolved to listen for a few minutes; and if Lady Saxondale remained perfectly quiet and gave no indications of treachery either by word or deed, Chiffin might then in all confidence pursue his way to her chamber. For at least a couple of minutes after he had quitted the room, Lady Saxondale remained per- tectly silent as to speech and tranquil as to move- ment; while Tony Wilkins stood close by the chair in which she was seated, the pistol in one hand, the open clasp-kuife in the .other, and his eyes in- ‘tently fixed upon the splendid patrician lady whom he was thus watching. Seeing everything remain thus favourable, the Cannibal was about to steal away from the door and ascend the staircase—when Lady Saxondale began to speak; so that Chiffin’s feet remained rivetted to the spot, and he continued to listen with suspended breath. “T feel such a faintness coming over me,” were the words which thus began to flow from Lady Saxondale’s lips, and which were addressed to Tony Wilkins, “that I must ber you to reach me that scent-bottle which stands on the mantel. It is the one with the silver top, and is next to the time-plece.”’ She spoke in a faint and languid voice, and ap- peared to be sinking back in the chair. Tony Wilkins gave no immediate answer: he hesitated how to act. At length he said, “ Well, ma’am. I don’t want to act harsh—leastways not cruel: but I can’t part company from yer. If so be natu’ isn’t so much exhausted that you can drag yourself up to the chimbley-piece, ’'d rayther it should be aone that way, and then I could walk by your side.” * T will endeavour,” murmured Lady Saxondale, still more faintly than before: and rising from her seat, she advanced slowly and with every appear- vance of teebleness, and tottering in her gait, towards the mantel. Yony Wilkins kept so close to her, and held his weepuns in such evident readiness te use them, that | Chiffin, who observed all that was passing from the doorway, felt perfectly satisfied with the conduct of his companion: yet he was well convinced in his own mind that this was nothing but a stratagem on the lady’s part for the purpose of consummating some treachery. “Don’t go too near the bell-pulls, ma’am,” said Tony Wilkins, who evidently had his misgiving also: “’cause why this here clasp-knife is terribly apt to dig itself right down into an arm when stretched out to ring a bell at a time when the flunkeys and slaveys isn’t exactly wanted.” “T had no intention of the kind,” responded Lady Saxondale: and taking the bottle from the chimney- piece, she, still with slow and tottering gait, retraced her way to her seat. “Well,” thought Chiffin to himself, ‘she meant no harm after all: but I suppose these fine ladies can’t get on without their scent-bottles, any more than a chap like me can without his gin. But I'll just stay a minute or so longer; and then if she says nothing more, I shall consider it’s all right.” Lady Saxondale resumed her seat, and sank lan- guidly back in the chair,—Tony Wilkins still re- maining close by her side, and still preserving a vigilant watch over her. She took from the table her snowy white pocket-handkerchief, which was elaborately embroidered all along the hems and worked with a coronet in each corner. Then, still with languid movements, she unscrewed the silver top which covered the glass stopper of the bottle. We should observe that the bottle itself was a small one of cut glass, and contained a white fluid instead of the crystallized salts usually seen in scent-bottles. Tony Wilkins naturally thought this white fluid must be some very delicious perfume: when how- ever Lady Saxondale drew out the glass-stopper, the ordour emitted by the fluid was by no means of an agreeable taste, but on the contrary, was pun- gent, powerful, and unpleasant. That Lady Saxon- dale herself entertained a similar opinion, appeared to be indicated by the circumstance that while pour. ing a little of this white fluid upon her pocket- handkerchief she held both handkerchief and bottle as far away from her nose as possible. Then she hastily put in the glass stopper again, and placed the bottle on the table: but in so doing, she dropped the handkerchief. “Pick it up for me,” she said in a very faint voice: and she now looked as if she were going off in a swoon. Tony Wilkins really and truly believed that such was the case; and while in a very guarded manner, so as not to be taken unawares, he stooped down and picked up the handkerchief, he said to himself, “Tm hanged if this is gammon: it’s her nerves as does it, I suppose.” He accordingly picked up the kerchief with the hand that held the pistol, and was about to present it to her ladyship, when the latter said in a tone of affable condescension, “ You are welcome to smell it if you like: the perfume is of a rare character.” By a very natural and mechanical movement, Tony Wilkins applied the handkerchief to his nose: but scarcely had he done so when an overpowering sensation seized upon him with the suddenness of @ hghtning flash—he gave one gasp in an abortive effort to cry out—handkerchief, pistol, and clasp. knife fell from his hands—and he dropped down ne EO JOO (Cc 5) (CO)