The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 152: what you’re looking at

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

138 THD MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. SS SSS cmmmmmmmmmmmemmmmcmmmmmemme TT eT the Marquis, in a tone of vexation. has become of her? Who was the lucky dog “But what | this evening. At all events, I shall go and en-' ” deavour to obtain an immediate interview with “Your lordship must not blame me for that loss | him.” which you thus deplore,” observed the woman. “No sooner had I got the young lady safe at Soho Square, than I hurried off to Albemarle Street to report the circumstance: but your lordship, as you may remember, was ill in bed at the time ——” “To be sure—to be sure,” interrupted Leveson. “Ah! it wasa great misfortune! But what be- came of her after all ?” “ On leaving your lordship’s abode, I recollected that there was another means of disposing of the young lady to advantage,” continued Mrs. Gale: “and so I instantaneously availed myself of it. But I must not tell your lordship any more,” she added, with one of her blandest smiles. “ You know I never repeat tales out of school.” * Quite right, Mrs. Gale—quite right,” exclaimed the Marquis. “If you chatted about others to me, I should expect you to chat about me to others. I like your discretion and applaud your prudence.” “ There is one thing, however, my lord, which I don’t mind mentioning and which regards another person,” said Mrs. Gale: “and this is that the sneaking, uuprincipled, dishonest fellow, Colonel Malpas, came and borrowed five hundred pounds of me six weeks ago—and I ean’t get a farthing back from him. I declared that I would expose him: and so now I have begun.” “Tt is too bad of him,” observed the Marquis. ** But this is not the only thing of a mean and shabby kind that I have heard about him within the last few days. He is evidently an unprincipled scoun- drel—and I shall cut him. ‘They say he has run through all his wife’s fortune—the heiress of the re- tired butcher ——”’ “ Yes—and he and the Earl of Curzon are raising money together by all kinds of desperate means, I am told,” added Mrs. Gale, who delighted in a bit of gossip, especially when it was mixed up with scandal. “At least, I hear that their joint bills and promissory notes are flying about in all directions in the City: and so I am afraid that I stand but a poor chance of getting back my five hundred pounds from Malpas. But I will lock him up in the Fleet or the Bench, before I have done with him.” “And is the Earl of Curzon really in difficul-. ties >” exclaimed the Marquis oi Leveson. “I tell your lordship what I have heard,” an- swered Mrs. Gale. ‘In fact Malpas offered me a bill with the Earl’s acceptance: but thinking it was only to gain time, I refused to take it.” “And yet Curzon received a good fortune with his wife,” observed the Marquis. “By the bye, Mrs. Gale, she is a monstrous fine woman—a very fine woman! I can’t exactly make her out. Sometimes I think she is all that is correct and even prudish—and at other times I have been led to form a contrary opinion. Have you ever seen her ?” “T have, my lord,” was the reply. “She is a beautiful woman.” “And what is your opinion of her?” demanded the Marquis, emphatically. “Oh! I really cannot say—I don’t know,” ex- claimed Mrs. Gale: then, as the time-piece on the mantel struck five, she said, “I must be off. In- deed, I shalltake a coach and ride over to Wands- worth at once. Perhaps I may see Mr. Bradshaw a “Do so,” observed the Marquis: “for I am fearful that he may leave the country, as he has very recently been living in France.” Mrs. Gale then took her departure; and seek- | ing the nearest hackney-coach stand, she entered a vehicle and ordered the driver to take her to Wandsworth. about seven o’clock, she inquired where Beechey Manor was situated; and on gaining the requi- site information, she alighted from the coach at the Blue Lion. Her object was to make certain On arriving in that vicinage at | little inquiries of the landlord or landlady pre- | vious to repairing to the Manor: but upon put- | ting the first question, she was informel that | Mr. Bradshaw was at that very moment drinking brandy-and-water in the parlour of the public- house. She also learnt that he was alone there: and without any hesitation she at omce entered the parlour, having ordered some slight refresh- ment. Seating herself in the room, and sipping the nezus which was supplied her, she surveyed Mr. Bradshaw from the corner of her eye, her pro- ceedings in delicate matters of this kind being much regulated by the view she took of the indi- A CC CL LL LL vidual’s character,as she judged of it by her skill — in reading the human physiognomy. She accord- ingly beheld in Mr. Bradshaw a man on whose features dissipation had left their unmistakable marks; and in the lines of his countenance and its general expression she saw the worst passions and most vicious inclinations plainly imdieated. But while making this furtive survey, the impression gradually stole into her mind that she had seen those features before—where or when, however, she could not recollect. “Ttisa beautiful evening, sir,” she saidatlength, by way of opening a conversation. “It is,’ remarked Bradshaw, who was smoking a cigar: then, as he began to contemplate the woman with some degree of attention, he observed, “Pardon me, ma’am—but your features certainly are not unknown to me.” “And now I think of it, sir,” she exclaimed, “Tam sure that I have seen you before.” “Why, surely you must be Mrs. Gale of Soho Square!” he cried, the recognition flashing to his mind with the vividness of lightning. “Tam, sir,” she answered, inwardly rejoicing at being thus claimed as an acquaintance by one with whom it was so desirable to get upon an immediate footing of intimacy. “And you are Mr. Brad- shaw ” “Ah! how did you know that?” he inquired, eyeing her suspiciously for a moment. “Simply because the landlady at the bar, when she desired me to step in here to take my refresh- ment, observed that there was no one in the parlour ——— mm — a but Mr. Bradshaw of the Manor :”—and Mrs. Gale | gave this reply with an air of the utmost sincerity. “Oh! that was it,” observed Bradshaw, perfectly satisfied. “I know very well that when I fre- quented your house in Soho Square some years ago, I never gave any name at all: but it isa long, long time since I saw you last.” “Tt must be, sir,” replied Mrs. Gale: “ because I have only a dim recollection of you. 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