The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 184: what you’re looking at

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

i 178 and anon the wind.scemed to be speaking to her in human tones, as if reproaching her for the wickedness wherein she had played a part. then, too, these sounds—at times when the wind san ans of murder borne upon the agitated air. Occasionally too she fancied that she heard footsteps approaching rapidly from behind; and she shuddered at the thought of being seized upon by lurking robbers —shuddered too more deeply still at the reflection that this same road might possibly become the scene of another hideous tragedy—herself the victim! And ever and ‘anon through the deep darkness, shapes—darker | than that darkness—ap- peared to flit; so that there were moments when she shrank within herself—when she trembled to the very confines of her being—while she felt as if awful horror would turn her brain. Lavinia, thou wast already avenged somewhat, in the frichtful sensations which this guilty creature ex- perienced! And now she knew by the turning in the road, that she was drawing ‘close towards the pond; and her limbs appeared © ‘to fail her!” Her knees knocked together—her teeth “el attered : wildly did she seek with straining eyes to penetraté the | and assure herself that there was no) darkness, uriearthly shape standing on that scene of murder. Vividly back to her miud came the incidents of | she fancied she beheld a dark shape—once dis- ; second time on the Cee side of the hedge, Mot for an instant coul And | meee ee SS another hey first night’s walk to Oaklands,—when twice | | appearing from the midst of the road, ‘and the | THE MYSTERIFS OF THE COURT. channel, and suggesting the horrible thought that she was in the hands of a robber and assassin. “T tell you that you have nothing to fear in the form of violence,” answered the individual,—who, we may as well observe, was none other than Clement Redcliffe: “but it is necessary that we should have some little conversation together.” “Conversation P” said Lettice, wildly echoing the word: but so bewildered and lost in terror was she as to be at ee moment unconscious of what she was saying. - “ Conversation—here ?” “VYes—here!” replied Redcliffe: “for this is a spot where the guilty conscience becomes too deeply appalled not to make such atonement as may be in its power. Compose yourself. I need not apologize for constraining you to linger yet a little while in the bleak mnight-air.—you who hesitate not to face it in order to pursue your path of mischief!” “What mean you?” asked Lettice, almost in a dying tone: for she at once compr ehended that al- lusion was thus made to the nefarious transactions in which she had been engaged. Her terror was however so far abated, that she no longer apprehended violence on the part of him who was thus addressing her; and she endeavoured, | through | the darkness, to obtain some idea of his features. Indeed, the suspicion had stolen into her mind that his voice was not altogether unfamiliar to her—at least in its accents—though its deep solemn tone was different enough from. the hilari- ous one he had forced himself to assume on the oc- she now persuade herself | casion of his visit to Madame Angelique’s abode. that those were mere fancies, as she had hitherto | But the collar of his cloak was drawn so high up suceceded in doin all the awful horror of realities. effort she strove to gather up the remnants of her shattered, scattered courage; and she somewhat eucreeded as she drew close to the pond. The feeblest possible glimmer rested upon its surface : | shudderingly she® looked that way to see if any shape of terror intervened to break this glimmer- ing: but theré was none. Her courage rose some- what higher : the pond” was passed—she began to ’ breathe more freely,—when she became aware: that she was not alone—that there was some one by her side. A scream rang wildly forth from her lips; and she dropped as if a bullet had at the instant penetrated her heart. As Lettice Rodney slowly came back to con- sciousness, she thought that she was awaking from a hideous, horrible dream : but’ ‘a sense of awful numbing consternation came slowly and chillingly over her as she gradually became aware of her position. She was by the side of the pond, half supported in the arms of some one; and water had been sprinkled upon her countenance. “You have nothing to fear,” said the indi- | vidual, whose voice sounded low and deep to the ears of the appalled Lettice. “Who are you?—for God’s sake tell me who are you !” frenzy. | “T am a human being, as you are,’ was the response; “although a guilty conscience may smite you with the dreadful thought that I come | from another world.” “And what would you with me?” inquired Lettice, all her fears now suddenly flowing into she cried, starting up in a species of :—they were in her brain with | over his countenance, and his hat was ‘pulled sO With a mighty ' much forward, that Lettice was totally unable to discern his features. She saw that he was tall, and upright as a dart as he then held himself: but these circumstances afforded no clue to the esta- blishment of an identity. “You ask what I mean ?—and in a few words I will explain myself,” said Mr. Redcliffe, still pur- posely disguising - his voice as much as possible, SO as to pass’ undiscovered through the interview. “Tt has come to my Kknowledge—it matters not how—that you are engaged in the vilest and most abominable pursuit that a human being could possibly enter upon, short of such a deed as that which has rendered this very spot so awfully memorable. But it is a pursuit which becomes doubly atrocious when adopted by a female against another of her own sex. JI am no stranger to the outlines of this most execrable conspiracy. At this very moment you wear beneath that cloak a dress which is the counterpart of one belonging to the Duchess of Marchmont. On Saturday night you paid your first visit to Oaklands. I watched you—Il dogged your footsteps—as I have done this night again cs Ah!” ejaculated Lettice, as Redcliffe’s words explained to her the mystery of that shape which she had seen, and which now after all proved to be a Feality—though a reality devoid of the preter- natural associations which at one time had seemed to belong thereto. ‘“‘ For heaven’s sake, sir, tell me who you are, and what you mean to do with | meP Do not—do not give me up to justice!—do not ruin me! I have been led into it—I have been drawn on!” —and the wretched creature CORNIECLOOKS (C(O)