The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 254: what you’re looking at

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

EE IL oe 240 in the wall had been made to render their voices audible to each other:—but the young gentleman checked hiinself and paused to reflect ere he took any step whatsoever in the matter. Once more — _ ee ee THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. room to rights, Loftus walked, as was his wont, in | the adjacent corridor. This passage has already | been described as long, dark, and gloomy: it hada door at the end communicating with the staircase— reposing his head upon his pillow, but still listen- ! and from the side opened at least a dozen doors into ing attentively, he reasoned in the following strain ;— “If this be sdme felluw-captive who is endea- vouring to make his escape, he may perchance have been led to believe that the wall through which he is boring, opens either into an empty room or an unfrequented passage—or even per- haps into some court-yard or actual outlet. Such may be his impression: and therefore if I disturb | himin the midst of his labours, he may become | alarmed and desist. It will be better for me to allow him to proceed so far with his work that he will ascertain for himself into what place he is penetrating: and then it will be time enough to make known to him the presence of a fellow- prisoner in thts room, supposing that he 1s now unaware of its being tenanted.” Having come to this conclusion, Jocelyn Loftus did not attempt to make himself heard by his neighbour: but he nevertheless continued an attentive listener to the work that was going on. The longer he thus listened the more convinced he became that his first conjecture was well | founded, and that it was indeed some fellow- prisoner stealthily pursuing the means which he hoped would lead to escape. For two hours did the work thus continue; and by following it mi- nutely with his ears, the young gentleman was enabled to comprehend its details. ‘hus was it that he could distinguish when pieces of mortar ‘were removed or portions of masonry detached and taken out of the excavation; and at the ex- piration of those two hours, he heard his neighbour | replacing all the mortar, stones, and bricks in the _ hollow thus made between the wainscot—doubtless | to conceal the night’s work from the eyes of the morning’s visitors. All was now still: but Jocelyn could not again very speedily settle himself to slumber—for an in- cident had thus arisen not only to break the hitherto monotonous routine of his imprisonment, but also to excite sudden and fervid hopes of escape. Nevertheless, after a while sleep once more re- visited his eyes; and when he awoke in the morn- ing it was some time before he could persuade _ himself that the occurrence of the past night was not part and parcel—although perhaps another phase—of that dream which had visited him soon after he had retired to rest. Having risen from his couch and dressed him- self, Jocelyn awaited the arrival of the serious- looking domestic: and when that individual made his appearance at nine o'clock with the breakfast- tray, the young gentleman inquired, with an ap- parent air of indifference, whether there were many other prisoners in the Prefecture. “1 do not know, sir,” was the laconic answer: and Jocelyn felt annoyed within himself for having condescended to even so slight an attempt to gratify his curiosity through the medium of his reserved and flinty-hearted jailor. After breakfast, the livery-servant returned—ac- companied, as usual at this hour, by the old char- _ woman; and while she was occupied in putting the no doubt as many prison-chambers, While walking in this passage on the present occasion, Loftus paused at the door of the room next to his own, and listened to hear if he could catch any sound: but all was still. In afew minutes the old woman appeared upon the threshold of his apartment, with the intimation that she had finished her avocations therein, This was a signal for him to return to its solitude : and as he did so, the old crone hastily and fur- tively slipped a note into his hand. He clutched it tizht—Oh! as tightly as the rope is clutched that is thrown out to the shipwrecked mariner strugzling in the waves amidst the boiling surges of an infuriate ocean. The old woman hurried onward—and the serious-looking domestic, who had been lounging at the end of the dark passage, now came to close the door upon our hero once more. The instant that Jocelyn was again alone, he hastened to examine the note that had so strangely been given to him. It was not addressed to any one: it was not sealed—-but merely folded up into a sinall compass ;—and its contents, which were written in a beautiful female hand, and ia the English language, were as follow :— ‘‘ FeLLOW-PRISONER,—If you value your liberty and are desirous to escape from this dreadful place, lend your as- sistance to one who is already working to the same end. Be not alarmed, therefore, at any unusual noise which you may hear, or at any strange occurrence that may take place, during the coming night: but be in readiness to fulfil any instructions that you may receive. I am told that you are an Englishman: and you will see by this that it is a fellow-countrywoman who thus addresses you.”’ The astonishment of Loftus at thus discovering that his bold and venturous neighbour was a female, may be more readily conceived than described. Yes—and by her writing she was evidently a lady of good education. ‘That the old charwoman was an accomplice in her project of escape, was evident enough: but how this lady could hope to effect this escape by simply passing from one room into an- other, Jocelyn was at a loss to imagine. However, that some explanation would take place during the next night appeared tolerably evident—the lady having no doubt been enabled to calculate that it only required a little more labour to pierce entirely through the massive partition-wall. Slow and tardy as the time ever passes to persons in captivity, yet this was the slowest and most tar- dily lingering day that Jocelyn had yet known in the Prefecture of Police. He thought the evening would never come: but when at last the sombre shades of twilight obscured his chamber, he even then calculated with considerable impatience that it yet wanted several hours of midnight. However, as nearly everything must have an end sooner or later, so did this wearisome day terminate at last: nine o’clock struck—the serious-looking domestic having brought in the supper-tray, retired with his wonted coldly courteous “ Good night”—and now Loftus felt that he was free from any further in- terruption on the part of his crabbed janitor. Candles had been lighted some time: he endea- = 4 GOmiGvoo (C S (€@)