The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 281: what you’re looking at

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

THE INTERVIEW 261 self, ‘ if he came and found no trap at all? He would fancy that Christian had been caught, and had climbed over the wall, dragging the trap with him. Capital! I’ll hide it.” So Makepeace, carefully lifting the machine in such a way as to avoid getting his arms between its gaping jaws, carried the trap to some little distance, and deposited it amongst a group of shrubs, having done which he reéntered the mansion. In the meanwhile the Earl of Lascelles and his wife, Adolphus and Isabella, had been rambling about the gardens, but the earl took good care to keep them at a tolerable distance from the private door. Thus an hour passed, and then he proposed to return into the house. But on passing indoors, the old nobleman made some excuse to leave them, and he hastened back into the garden. “Ah, my young friend,” he said within himself, thus apostrophizing Christian Ashton, “I shall find you caught in the trap as sure as a gun, but like a true lover of romance, you have too much pluck to roar out and thus betray every- thing. Or perhaps you have managed to extricate yourself, — in which case the teeth will show whether they bit home. But I am inclined to think I shall find you pinned fast there, enjoying a miserable martyrdom.” In his haste to ascertain the result of an idea which he conceived to be one of the most brilliant that had ever en- tered his fertile brain, the Earl of Lascelles did not pursue the tedious meanderings of the gravel-walk which led toward the private door, but he cut across the grass-plat, reached the evergreens, and began working his way manfully amongst them. But all of a sudden a terrific yell rang through the grounds, for, lo and behold! the unfortunate Ear] of Lascelles was caught in his own trap. Nothing could exceed the horrible cries and the piteous lamentations which kept coming from the lips of the wretched old man. Lord Adolphus and some of the men servants rushed forth from the mansion; others followed with lights, and guided by the earl’s yells, they speedily reached the spot where he was pinned fast. Lord Adolphus was most painfully afflicted on beholding his father in a plight so unaccountable, but which for any one except a son would have had something so exceedingly ludicrous in it. Indeed, several of the servants turned aside to laugh outright, and Makepeace could scarcely keep his countenance. The old CORNICLOO Ss (CO) mM