The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 144: what you’re looking at

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

188 THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. if addressed to me. And then, too, itis absolutely “Them?” cricd the Duke. “You speak of necessary for my purpose that there should exist} more than one.” no possible clue Ah, I recollect, L have an un-'; “I speak of two, my lord,’ answered Madame sophisticated, unsuspicious, docile, and obedient} Angelique. “ It is just this:—In a certain suburb young man in my service. Let me see ?—this is | of London there lives an Eastern lady of the most Wednesday. Well, on Tuesday evening next, at | ravishing beauty; and she has in her household a nine o’clock, this young man shall be in a cab at | Hindoo woman as grandly handsome as herself, the door ; and yeu must have the dresses delivered , though of a different style. I have seen them to him in a box by one of your most confidential | both. They ride out occasionally in a carriage in women.” their own neighbourhood: though for the most “They are all confidential, my lord,” responded | part they live quietly and unostentatiously—and Madame Angelique; “or else I should not have | what on earth they are doing in England, I cannot been able to sustain my establishment unsuspected | tell. The worst of it is, there are English ser- as I have done for so many years ?” yants in the establishment ‘1 “Well, let this be the arrangement, then,” re- “The best of it, you mean!” ejaculated the sumed Marchmont. “At the hour and on the | Duke; “because you can easily bribe those evening just agreed to, the name of Christian | English servants to your purposes.” Ashton will be sent in to you; and you will know “TI fear not, my lord. My confidential agent,” what it means. But mind! he is not to know | continued Madame Angelique, “who first told me what the dresses are.” of these rare Oriental exotics, endeavoured to “ Decidedly not, my lord,” exclaimed the milli- | sound the steward or butler, or whatever he is; ner. “ Your Grace’s commands shall be followed | and he met with such a cold reception that it in every respect. Has your Grace any farther | would not do to attempt anything farther through instructions P” those means. Not that I despair of getting these “ Yes—there is one thing more,” proceeded the | Orientals by some means or another into my Duke. “You will have to spare Lettice Rodney | power; only of course I should run a great for a short time. Ineed her services. Do you | risk fs consent? You know very well that you will be “ Which is as muchas to give me to understand,” paid handsomely for all that you do to serve | interrupted Marchmout, with a smile, “ that the me.” reward must be commensurate. Well, my dear “Your Grace can command in my house as | Madame Angelique, do not speak a syllable upon well as if it were your own,” responded Madame _ this subject to any others of your patrons: but 4 Angelique. | prosecute your inquiries—prepare your plans— “ Good,” said Marchmont. “Then I will make | spread your nets—and wait till I return from Oak- my own arrangements with Lettice. You are | lands. You know that I can be liberal ik convinced that she is perfectly trustworthy—that | “ Your Grace’s commands in this respect, as in she is one to whom may be confided a task of no | all others, shall be paramount with me.” ordinary importance? Remember, she will be| “Ah, by the bye,” said the Duke, “TI had better well paid, as you yourself will be 4 | | give you a trifle on account of the affair of the “T ean rely upon her,” exclaimed Madame | dresses. How much have you there?” he asked, Angelique. “Has she not been with me since | as he tossed a handful of bank-notes into the mil- she was fifteenPdoes she not regard me as her | liner’s lap. own mother ?—have I not done everything for ‘Two hundred pounds exactly, my lord,” was her ?” the response. ‘ My best gratitude f “To be sure, to be sure!” ejaculated the Duke. “Oh, never mind the gratitude,” cried March- “ But I have often wondered what the deuce you! mont. “And now good night. I am going to do with the girls when they begin to fade away | pass a few hours with the young ladies: I have and are wearing out.” ordered champagne and other refreshments Ai “I give them moncy and send them abroad,” * Splendid forced fruit from Covent Garden to- answered the millincr. “Ah, your Grace little | day, my lord,” said Madame Angelique. “ Melons thinks how many I have supplied to a house in | —pine-apples—grapes is Paris. Change of air soon brings them round a “Well, send up all you have got. And now I bit ; and they go on well fora few years in France, | hope you will amuse yourself with our worthy until at length they get down into the streets and | friend Bertin, who is discretion personified. Jam end by dying in the hospitals. But what else | sure ifit were not for you two, I don’t know what can they expect P” gentlemen and ladies having pretty little intrigues ‘What else indeed ?” said the Duke: and with | to carry on, could possibly do.” this heartless assent to the vile woman’s obserya- “Well, my lord, I do flatter myself that neigh- tion, he rose trom his seat. bour Bertin and I carry on the business with a “By the bye, my lord,” cried Madame An.- | discretion that is unparalleled. But then,” con- eclique, beckoning his Grace towards her with an | tinued the milliner, “so long as we have such ex- air of mysterious confidence, “I have found out | cellent patrons as your Grace, we are rewarded for such an extraordinary thing. One of my spies— | our trouble and anxiety.” and your Grace knows that I always have several; The Duke smiled at the thought of Madame upon the look-out “g Angclique’s anxiety as he glanced at the well- “Well, what is it?” asked the Duke. “Some-/| spread table; and nodding her a familar good thing new in the female line P” night, he quitted the room. Returning to the “Something new indeed, my lord—if it is | luxuriously furnished apartment where he had lett possible to get hold of them by any sort of in-|the four young ladies, he found a table spread veigling if with all kinds of wine, fruits, and other light re- COMMCMOOOKS. Eo