The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 74: what you’re looking at

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EN IS NS ET ST Ae ham cS wae ts ee eae 68 THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. her own ideas always settled on money-matters, she added, “I will be bound it was the advertise- ments he was looking after—and that he has got his fortune, and that’s the money that has been paid into the bankers’! Well, but you say he only stayed with you a few days first of all?” “No more he did,” responded the hotel-porter ; and he set off one day into the country with only a little carpet-bag, observing that he should be back in a short time. He did not pay his bill when he went away, but seemed desperate hur- ried. Five or six weeks passed, and the governor” —meaning the landlord—“ began to think he was gammoned, and that the gentleman’s great big trunk might only have brick-bats and straw in it arter all, and that he had took away his shirts and what not in the carpet-bag.” «‘ And avery reasonable suspicion too,” observed Mrs. Macaulay. “I should have entertained it long before the six weeks were up. But go on.” “ Well, ma’am, it was on’y yesterday morning,” continued the porter, “‘ that the governor, finding his customer didn’t come back, decided on breaking open the trunk ; and he calls me to get a jimmy— that’s a crow-bar, you know, ma’am—to do it. So, just as I was going up-stairs with the jimmy, a cab stops at the door ; and who the deuce should walk in but Mr. Redcliffe, followed by the jarvey with the carpet-bag. So I slips the jimmy up my back, under my coat, and makes my bow as Mr. Redcliffe passes. Wasn’t the governor glad that he hadn’t come a few minutes later !—for if he had, the trunk would have been opened as sure as a gun.” “JT know I should have opened it at the end of the first week,” interjected Mrs. Macaulay. “ Well, what next P” “Why, ma’am, just now—about an hour back —Mr. Redcliffe rings and orders his bill. Now, don’t you see, his trunk had been standing in his bed-room for the whole six weeks he had been absent : so of course the governor charges him for the use of the room the whole time. The waiter didn’t much like taking up the bill—though he’s got plenty of brass, that self-same waiter has. But Mr. Redcliffe just glanced at the amount, threw down some bank-notes, and paid the bill without an instant’s hesitation.” “That’s just what I like!” ejaculated Mrs. Macaulay, resolving that her own bills should not be stinted in items, and with a quick mental glance perceiving in a moment how a few little extras could easily be stuck on. ‘“ And I’m blessed, ma’am,” continued the hotel porter, ‘if Mr. Redcliffe didn’t pay all the servants just as though he had been stopping at the hotel the whole six weeks.” “Take another glass of Hollands,’ exclaimed Mrs. Macaulay, becoming bounteous in her exube- rant glee at having such a lodger, and in finding all her suspicions most completely allayed. The man quaffed the strong waters—carried the huge trunk up-stairs—and then took his de- parture. Shortly afterwards Mr. Redcliffe made his appearance, and at once took possession of his apartments,—Mrs. Macaulay having in the mean- time put on her Sunday apparel, including a new cap with pink ribbons, in order to give him the best welcome possible. CHAPTER XIII. THE TWINS. At the same time that Mr. Redcliffe thus arrived at his new lodging, the occupants of the second floor, to whom Mrs. Macaulay had alluded, were seated together at a table, on which were books and needlework. The room was tolerably well furnished for a second floor, and was at least quite comfortable. The two inmates were a brother and a sister; and even a superficial ob- server would have seen that they were twins. We need not enter into any lengthy description of the sister, inasmuch as we have already de- scribed her: for she was none other than that same Christina Ashton on whose account Lord Octavian Meredith fought a duel. We may how- ever remind the reader that she appeared to be between sixteen and seventeen years of age, and that she was exquisitely beautiful. Christina’s brother was an exceedingly prepos- sessing youth: he had large dark eyes, similar to those of his sister; and though perhaps his hair was not of the same intense darkness, it neverthe- less had an almost equally fine natural gloss upon it. Like herself, he possessed a superb set of teeth; and his countenance was pale—not with a sickly pallor, but with that absence of a florid hue which is usually characteristic of youthful faces when set off by dark hair and eyes. Christina’s ficure had as yet all the slenderness and willowy elasticity of her tender youthfulness,—at the same time promising to expand, as she approached more nearly to womanhood, into rich developments. The bust had already its nascent contours,—care- fully concealed by the modest apparel which as- cended to the very throat ;—and that throat, how sweetly beautiful! how transparently white! The youth’s figure was likewise slender, symmetrically formed, and promising as his own years also advanced, to be of well-knit manly proportions. There was a remarkable similitude between this brother and sister—not only in respect to personal appearance, but also with regard to their minds and dispositions. They had been well educated: they were naturally intelligent—and they had in- tellectual tastes. They were devoted to each other ; and thus, when the sister was occupied with her needlework, the brother read to her from some book which was calculated to instruct as weli as to amuse. Over the countenances of both there was the slightest possible shade of pensiveness, which at times even deepened into melancholy: but when they caught this profounder expression on each other’s face, they would instantaneously brighten up, as if it were a tacit consent between them that they should avoid mutually saddening influ- ences. There is always something interesting, about twins: there is sure to be a deep affection existing between them—and most generally a strong physical similitude: their tastes too, and the casts of their minds, generally have much about them that is identical:—but perhaps in no case were all these characteristics so profoundly stamped, so marked, so visible, as in that of which we are speaking. Very interesting therefore was this youthful pair; and as if nothing shouldbe | COMIC OOOKS COL