The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 275: what you’re looking at

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a a ee THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. 269 | to the old nobleman’s ideas, we may as well at once state that his misgivings reached such a pitch he tossed down the pen—left himself, so far as his memoirs were concerned, in the grasp of the lion, with a boa-constrictor picturesquely thrown in, and represented as looking down from a tree ready to spring upon them both:—and issuing from the library, he stole into the garden, treading noise- lessly amongst the evergreens. He drew near that very identical arbour where he had surprised Christian and Isabella, and where he had received so smart a blow upon the nose: but all was silent there. He diverged elsewhere; and now his wan- dering steps brought him in the immediate vicinage of the private door. Footsteps rapidly approaching along the avenue, fell upon his ear; and just at that spot close by the door, there were no high trees to intercept the star- light, All therefore was clear; and the ancient Earl popped down behind a shrub to see who the individual was that now approached the gate. It was Christian Ashton; and in the sudden surprise with which the nobleman was thus smitten, he gave such a start as to rustle the shrub :—but Christian heard if not. The Earl tarried where he was, crouching down like a frog: he per- ceived our hero insert the key in the lock—open the gate—pass forth—-shut it again; and then the relocking thereof fell on his lordship’s ear. “ Well, am I really awake?” asked the Earl of himself: “or is this a dream? I have either dis- covered something extraordinary to a degree; or else I am the silliest young dotard that ever existed.” Bewildered and confused, the Harl wended his way back to the library—fillea a bumper—tossed it off—and threw himself back in his chair to meditate. Sleep stole upon him; and he was presently awakened by the entrance of Make- peace. His first impulse was to tell the valet everything that had happened: his second thought was to hold his tongue; for the idea slipped into his head that he had drunk too much wine and had been dreaming. He inquired what o’clock it was ; and was told it was past eleven. Lord Os- mond and the ladies had already retired to their respective chambers; and the Earl accordingly went up to his own. On entering his dressing- room, the first thing he did was to glance ata particular nail to which the key of the private garden-door was wont to be hung:—and there, sure enough, it was. Nor need this be at all astonishing to the reader,—inasmuch as Make- peace had during the day procured a counterpart key, in accordance with instructions given by Lord Osmond, who remunerated him liberally for every- thing he did. But when the Earl thus caught sight of that key, his suspicion was strengthened to the effect that he had dreamt this new incident of the garden ; and as nothing would have been more galling to his mean petty vanity than to appear ridiculous in the eyes of his servant, he breathed not a syl- lable relative to his supposed dream. Yet when Makepeace had retired, the Earl of Lascelles re- flected more and more on the occurrence; and he was haunted by the apprehension that there might be something more in it than a mere dream—espe- cially as it had occurred on the very evening that the garden-ramble was renewed. “The key is certainly here,” he said to himself; “and not for a moment would Makepeace remove it from its nail. I know the fellow is fidelity it- self: I am too keen and shrewd to be deceived by any man’s countenance. No one could have pur- loined the key, because Makepeace always keeps my dressing-room locked. But it is quite possible for that young scoundrel Ashton to have hada false key made. Perhaps he came of his own accord, hoping to see Isabella. Yes—it must have been so: for Adolphus could not possibly so far forget himself as to connive at such a proceeding. Very good, Master Ashton! So youwill persist in looking after my niece—will you? ‘We'll see if we can’t put a stop to it. I’m almost sorry I didn’t pounce upon him: but perhaps it is all for the best. I'll go to the magistrate in the morning —or [lt set a detective to watch. But no! there’s something better than that——-and, by Jove! Vll do it.” Whatever this last idea might have been, it cer- tainly seemed to tickle the silly old nobleman’s fanicy very much: for he rubbed his hands and chuckled—grinning most ludicrously at the same time; and putting on his night-cap with the fringe of false hair, he sought his couch. On the following day Lord Osmond, emboldened by the success of the previous evening’s adventure, called upon Christian to inform him that he might, if he thought fit, have another interview with Isa- bella; and our hero, who was enthusiastically de- voted to the charming girl, was only too willing to accept an offer which he believed to arise from the kindest and most disinterested feeling. During this same day, too, the Earl of Lascelles had a little private conversation with the under-gardener, —giving him certain instructions, and charging him to observe the strictest secrecy. This the man faithfully promised,—all the more readily too, as the Earl slipped a couple of guineas into his hand. The old nobleman, when in the presence of the family, suffered not his countenance to betray that there was any secret scheme which he was hatch- ing: but nevertheless he was too full of it to be enabled to settle his mind to dictate to his son; and thus the proffered services of Adolphus were dispensed with. Indeed, so far ag the memoirs were concerned, the Earl continued in the grasp of the lion, and the huge boa-constrictor was still coiled round the branch of the tree, waiting to spring. 7 When the evening came, the Earl and Countess, Lord Osmond and Isabella, were assembled as usual in the drawing-room to take coffee; and at about half-past eight o’clock, the Earl, rising from his seat, said that he should go to the library and prepare for the next day’s work, as he was posi- tively determined to proceed with his book on the morrow. «And as the heat has prevented you from going out all day,” said Adolphus to the ladies, “ I offer, like a gay gallant, to escort you for a stroll in th grounds.” The proposal was accepted: the bell was rung for the shawls; and the Earl, chuckling with in- ward satisfaction, exclaimed, “ Well, the evening is really beautiful ; and instead of shutting myself up in the library, I will take a lounge with you.” Adolphus and Ethel were enabled, from a course of dissimulation, to maintain the strictest guard COMMNEMOOOKS (E)