Rosa Lambert — page 379: what you’re looking at

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

| _ bury the corpse. 068 once said, ‘that your imagination has eyes which can penetrate through that sack. And now are you still in the same mind, and will you earn the other fifty sovereigns ?’—Of course I said ‘ Yes;’ and my unknown friend told me that I must be bandaged again. You may easily suppose that I wanted to ask him a few questions: but I didn’t dare—for I saw that he was not the man to answer them, or to put up with any impertinent curiosity. So he blindfolded me again, and told me to help him carry the sack down the stairs, which I might do well enough by keeping behind while he went on in front. So in this manner we descended the stairs; and I have no doubt he kept a sharp eye upon me to see that I didn’t let goa hand to remove the bandage. We passed out of the same doors; and a carriage was waiting to convey us away. The sack was put inside—we got in also—and away went the equipage at a rapid pace. I had no idea what direction was taken: only I knew that we were soon off the pavement and in the country. Well, the journey lasted for about an hour—for we went at a fine rate BY . “And you were bandaged all the time ?” asked Dick. “Yes, to be sure!” responded Grayson. ‘ You'll see presently that the object was to prevent me from getting a glimpse of the carriage itself when we alighted. At the expiration of the hour we stopped; and still blindfoided I had-to help my friend lift the sack out of the vehicle. I must tell you that he had brought a couple of spades with him; and these we carried between us as weli as the sack; and he said to me in a calm quiet way, ‘if I see you raise your hand to your bandage before I give you leave, I shall blow your brains out.’-—I can assure you, Dick, I had no in- clination to disobey; for the whole proceeding convinced me that I had to do with a man who knew what he was about and would act with firm- ness. J heard him open the gate of a field; and we passed in, carrying our burthen between us. When we had gone some distance, he told me I might take off the bandage—which I did. I saw one or two lights twinkling at a distance ; but the night was so precious dark I could not distinguish the houses; and as for seeing the carriage we had left in the road, it was out of the question. We entered a second field; and as my friend appeared to know the place well, there was no time lost in searching at random for a spot. He lighted a Jantern to guide him to the spot that he did want; and when we reached it, we fell to digging away as hard as we could. I told him I[ thought the light could possibly be seen: but he merely ob- served that if so it would be taken for a will-o’-the- wisp; and then, as I looked in the direction where Thad seen lights glimmering in the windows, I perceived that they were now extinguished. The ground was uncommon hard; and we worked about an hour before we made a hole deep enough to At length it was done: the phovelling back of the earth was an easy task enough: we flattened down the surface as well as we could—and the superfluous soil we threw into n dry ditch close by.” “And what happened then?” asked the man with a husky voice. “My unknown friend counted the remaining fifty —— ee ee er ee oe a ROSA LAMBERT. —_— —_— sovereigns into my hand; and when he had done, he told me to make off across the fields quite in the contrary direction from that where tho car- riage was waiting. He stayed for a few moments to see that LI obeyed him; and then I have no doubt he got back to the carriage as fast as he could, with his implements.” “And you have no idea who the parties were that did the murder?” said Dick inquiringly. “ No more than you have,” answered Grayson; “or I would make the job an annuity for the rest — of my life. Of course, as I retraced my way to London, I found out in what neighbourhood it was where the burial had taken. place; but this was a point that my unknown friend had no in- terest in concealing from me, because he knew very well that I should not go forward and tell the part I had borne in the night’s work. I hed no idea whether the corpse was male or female, or anything about it, until the affair all came out in the newspapers through that farmer fellow haying seen a light moving in the field.” “What a strange story!” observed Dick. “I wonder why on earth the girl was made away with and such a beautiful creature too, as the newspapers said she was!” “I dare say it will never be known,” answered Toby. “And now about that business of yours which you have in hand?” said his companion with a husky voice. “Why, you must know that two or three days back,’ continued Grayson,—“the other affair being all blown over—I somehow or another took if into my head to come up into this neighbour- hood and have a look at the spot by daylight. Well, as I was walking along the road, who should I see strolling in the garden of a fine house facing the very fields where the burial took place, but a handsome lady that is an old acquaintance of mine.” “ And who is she?” inquired the man with the husky voice. “A certain Rosa Lambert,’ replied Grayson; “and perhaps the handsomest woman that I ever set eyeson. It would do you good to look at her, if you are any judge of beauty. Such hair—such eyes—such teeth!—and then such a figure too— it fires my veins even to think of her !” “ And what scheme, then, have you in hand asked Dick. “ Why, the truth is,” responded Grayson, “ that I have as much spite as love for Rosa Lambert; and if I can’t gratify one, I must appease the other—but I hope to do both. From certain in- quiries I have made, I find that she is living in grand style with a young nobleman icognito, who has taken her own name: but I know very well who he is from the description that has been given me of him. ‘They keep carriages and horses, and have plenty of plate: and depend upon it that Miss Rosa has got the costliest jewellery—for she is very fond of decking her pretty person with trinkets of that kind.” “Well, and what then?” asked the husky- voiced individual. “Simply that I mean to break into the house to-night and help myself to all I can get,” an- swered Grayson. ‘“ You said just now—and very truly too~that I generally work alone; but here 599 r | LL OLE LALLA NA COLE CNL ADELE ALIA, \ end ieee biel col ,OOKS 7 ( (Elo) Cc