The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 160: what you’re looking at

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

EDGAR AND CHRISTIAN 137 the habitation. The chaise contained three persons, Edgar Beverley, Christian Ashton, and the friendly mountebank, — this last-mentioned individual being, as a matter of course, attired in his plain clothes. The equipage halted at a dis- tance of barely a hundred yards from the house, it being deemed expedient to have it thus close to the scene of action in case of the principal actors themselves being pressed hard by pursuit. Moreover, the spot chosen for the halting-place of the vehicle was completely embowered by the trees skirting both sides of the road, and the boughs of which interlacingly joined overhead. Beverley, Ashton, and the mountebank alighted from the chaise; the postilions, already well instructed, and likewise liberally remunerated, retained their seats upon their horses; and the three individuals advanced cautiously, like a reconnoitring party, toward the house. They however soon stopped by the side of a thick hedge, and thence they drew forth a ladder which the mountebank and one of his companions had procured and concealed there in the course of the evening, according to the instructions given by the lieutenant and Christian. But scarcely had they thus possessed themselves of this necessary implement for the scaling of the fortress when, through the deep gloom of the-evening, a female form was all in an instant descried advancing rapidly toward them. The woman had just passed by the equipage; she had there- fore seen it, she was proceeding in the same direction as themselves, and if she belonged to Verner House, she would of course give the alarm. All this struck Edgar and his coadjutors in a moment, but just as the lieutenant was about to whisper some rapid words of consultation, our young hero’s lips sent forth an ejaculation of ‘“‘ The negress! ”’ At the same moment he sprang forward and caught her by the arm. He had recognized her at once; her hideous coun- tenance, as well as her apparel, pointed her out as the same whom he had seen in the garden, and to whom Laura Hall had specially alluded in her letter to Edgar Beverley. The woman, on being thus seized upon, gave vent to a shriek of terror; but Christian, vehemently bidding her remain silent, assured her that she had nothing to fear if she held her peace. She was much alarmed, and tremblingly besought that no mischief might be done her. “Be silent,’ reiterated Christian, ‘‘and you have no CORnnICLOOOKS (CO