The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 338: what you’re looking at

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

308 THE COURT OF LONDON “The registers,’”’ ejaculated Montgomery, with a start; then instantly muttering to himself, ‘‘ But Chapman knows nothing about the register,’’ he collected all his presence of mind and made a motion for the old man to continue his explanations. ‘‘ Her ladyship arrived at Bellenden the day before yester- day, in the early part of the afternoon,’’ proceeded Chapman; ‘‘and soon after her arrival, her footman Richard took a post-chaise and went off somewhere else, but I don’t know where. Then her ladyship proceeded to the church along with Parson Roberts, while Mrs. Margaret came and called upon me. I saw that she was up to something; for she was so tremendously polite, and I pretended to be very friendly _ and communicative the better to draw her out. At length, after beating about the bush a good deal, she began to touch upon your lordship’s visit to Bellenden upwards of three months ago; then she talked of your lordship’s agents coming down here immediately afterward and employing me to open the vaults; and then she began to pump me as to why your lordship showed a friendly disposition toward me, until she at length said plainly and openly that her mistress was the lady to bestow handsome rewards upon those who espoused. her cause and furthered her interest. So then I let Mrs. Margaret see pretty clearly that if she meant bribery and corruption, I was not the man to be bribed and corrupted, and away she went quite in a tantrum.” ‘What on earth could she mean? What object could she have? ”’ exclaimed Montgomery. ‘‘ Unless she suspected that there was some little trivial incident on which you could throw some light, I am at a loss to comprehend her proceed- ing.” Or perhaps she fancied that I know much more than I really do,” observed Chapman. “i Possibly so,’ sald the earl, in a musing tone. “For, after all, what could I have told her even if I had been inclined to talk freely? ” continued Chapman; “ merely that your lordship came to me about three months ago and told me that in a few days from that time your agents would be down at the village to inspect Bellenden vault, the job of opening which should be given to me; but that I must not show any surprise on finding the mortar of the stone quite soit and other evidences that the vault had very recently CONNKE NOOO KS m