The Seamstress; or, The White Slave of England — page 114: what you’re looking at

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

enn THE SEAMSTRESS. 107 have kept Charles motionless and petrified as a “Spare your threats, young woman,” said th statue, even if the appallingly mysterious nature | Duke, the hollowness of tone again absorbing his of the discourse had not produced that paralyzing | voice in its sepulehral gloom: “I have not yet effect upon him: for all the words that had hitherto | refused to treat the affair in the friendly light of been uttered in his hearing and all the vague but | which you speak. But let us see how stands the dreadful thoughts to which they gave rise, were | business? Mr. Lovel has forged the names of a terrible to contemplate as the fabled Medusa’s | certain mercantile firm to several bills which he head covered with hissing snakes, and the view of | has issued, and which amount to some six or seven which turned the beholder into stone. thousand pounds. Three of these bills, held by a “ Well—I have told you so already,” said Mrs. | professional discounter, have fallen ‘due and are Lovel,—“ TI have told you that I know everything! | repudiated by the bankers of the alleged accep- And dreadful as the crime was, yet I still love the; tors. Therefore Mr. Lovel is arrested. The criminal—or else I should not have called here to | other bills, which are not yet due, are in the hands enjoin you to save him. Besides, my lord—in that | of Mr. Collinson, the attorney. Is it not so ?” one dark deed, you were the employer—you were Julia replied in the affirmative. the instigator si : “ But suppose that the discounter is settled with “Madam, justice is not taking cognizance of | and that Collinson is satisfied,” observed the Duke, that matter,” cried the Duke, with the impatience | “how do you know that the mercantile firm whose of feelings horribly goaded and poignantly excru- | names Mr. Lovel has borrowed, will not take ciating. “ Let us talk of the things already known | criminal proceedings against him ?” to the authorities “Simply because the firm does not exist at “The forgeries ?” said Julia. ‘“ Well—there | all,’ responded Julia, “I thought that your are but three which have transpired as yet and | Grace understood as much. The bills, so far as the prosecutor can be bought off. He only re-|I can see into the matter, are rather frauds than quires his money: indeed, he would much rather | forgeries; and therefore a few thousand pounds have it than encounter the unsatisfactory trouble | will save poor Lovel from transportation—and also and expense of sending Lovyel to New South/ prevent your Grace from becoming the victim of Wales for the rest of his life. He is not as yet | any revengeful proceeding to which desperation bound over to prosecute—Lovel was this morning | may goad him.” remanded by the magistrate for a week, and| “ I comprehend you,” interrupted the Duke, was not finally committed for trial: there is con-|curtly. ‘“ If I do not save Mr. Lovel, he will dare sequently time to settle everything « even hanging in order to ruin me?’ added the “And you say that six or seyen thousand | nobleman with a concentrated bitterness of voice pounds will do it all?’ exclaimed his Grace of | and a frightful working of the features. Belmont. “O God!” moaned Charles in his place of con- SS “Yes—the three bills which are already due, | cealment: and he was about to spring forward and and those which haye yet some time to run,” | demand an explanation of the mysterious perils answered Julia. which seemed so horribly to menace his father, “ But who holds the forged bills which are not | when he was restrained and still held motionless yet due ?” demanded the nobleman. and silent by the words which instantaneously fell * Mr. Collinson—a lawyer *4 from Julia’s lips. “ Collinson !”’ echoed his Grace. “Your Grace has put the matter in its proper “Yes, my lord,” replied Julia. “Mr. Collinson, | light,” she said: “and a fearful explosion can of Bedford Square H alone be averted by prompt action on your lord- “T know him well—too well!’ murmured the | ship’s part!” Duke: and he resumed his hasty, uneven, troubled “Come to me again to-morrow, Mrs. Lovel— walk to and fro in the saloon, early in the morning—say at ten o'clock,’ ex- “If your Grace knows Mr. Collinson,” ob- | claimed the Duke, in a piteous condition of ner- served Julia, “it will doubtless facilitate the set- | yous excitement; “and I will see what is to be tlement of the affair.” done. But I am bewildered—misfortunes of every “Know him!” cried his lordship, bitterly: “I ”? tell you that I know him too well—far too well. At eight o’clock this evening—here—in this very room—will that same man Collinson prove a second Shylock, exacting his pound of flesh !”— and the Duke’s voice quivered with deeply con- centrated rage and hatred. “But all this does kind are menacing me “And this is doubtless the worst of all,’ inter- rupted Julia,—‘“‘ and therefore the one that must be settled first.” “ Settled first ?’ exclaimed the unhappy noble- man with increasing agitation: “who told you that I would not settle my debts? Did I breathea not concern you, young woman,” he exclaimed | hint of sucha thing? Speak, woman—speak! Has almost immediately, and with a sort of start as if | any inadvertent word dropped from my lips 2% his ideas had suddenly struck into another chan- | “Wherefore excite yourself in this manner ?” nel: “nor was I prudent thus to allow my feelings | said Julia, now surveying the Duke with intense to hurry me away.” curiosity. “ Your lordship appears to be sur- “Ah! I wish your Grace would talk the | rounded with phantoms, some real—some con- matter over as coolly as you did at first,’ said jured up by your own imagination —and all Julia: “you only excite yourself—excite me also | threatening you strangely.” —and both so uselessly. If your lordship means| ‘Good heavens! how closely you have hit the to regard the affair in a friendly light, be it so: | truth!” exclaimed the miserable old man, elevating but if your Grace means to treat it otherwise, then | his arms with despairing gesture. Lovel declares that he will confess everything in| “But ah! what do I see—what do I behold ?” order to avenge himself on you, no matter what cried. Julia, with startling abruptness. “My may be the consequences to him.” ' God! that face—those features——” La hts | ; EORNIELOOKS