The Young Duchess; or, Memoirs of a Lady of Quality — page 301: what you’re looking at

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

re rrr er a a eg THE YOUNG DUCHESS; GR, MEMOIRS OF A LADY OF QUALITY. 287 explained, began to take possession of her soul. A sensation of awe came over her; it even par- took of the nature of an unknown mysterious terror; and, she vainly endeavoured to shake it off—she fruitlessly strove to reassure herself by saying inwardly, ‘‘ How foolish Iam! It is no- thing more than what I first supposed,—some girl who has been carried off and who has fainted through fear or brutal usage!” The reader may now easily comprehend kow the state of Hester’s feelings was such as to sus- tain, or even sharpen her curiosity to a degree impelling her to penetrate farther into the mys- tery. Whether she did so, we shall presently see; for we must now carry the reader’s attention pnce more to the lower part of the house. Scarcely had Grills and his wife conveyed their dreadful burden into the scullery, when there was aring at the front bell; and the man ejaculated, “That's Ponchard come back!” ** Shall I take the light to let him in, or leave it here?” asked the woman. ‘Take it, to be sure!” replied her husband, with a brutal chuckle. ‘‘ You don’t think as how I’m afeard to be left with a stiff ’un ?” “T should hope not:”—and tous saying, Mrs. Grills issued from the scullery, leaving it in total darkness. She sped to the front door, and gave admittance | to Henri Ponchard,—to whom she at once con- veyed the intelligence by means of a significant nod that all was right. Ponchard beckoned her into the parlour, and hastily inquired, “ Have | you stripped ié 7” “ No—it is only just brought into the house.” ‘¢ Then go and do so at once. We cannot dis- ‘necessity of securing their own safety ! pale face peeped in at the doorway; and thera upon the threshold stood Hester Sergeant, trans- fixed with horror—entranced by the appalling spectacle which met her view! But she herself remained unobserved—her presence unsuspected— so noiselessly and in such spirit-like silence had she glided down the stairs. She had heard the front door open—she had heard Mrs. Grills give admittance to some man whom she supposed to be Ponchard—then a few moments afterwards she had heard the bolting of the front door and the woman of the house descending alone to the scul- lery. So the girl fancied that Ponchard, or who- ever it might be, had taken his departures and she had no longer hesitated to obey the impulse of her curiosity. What she saw has already been described. © She was transfixed upon the threshold of the place—but only for a few moments. A terrible revulsion took place within her. Accident had rendered her the witness of those unmistakable evidences of a stupendous crime having been committed :—if she were seen, therefore, by Grills and his wife, her own moments might be numbered—her life would be sacrificed to the This idea suddenly galvanized the girl as it were; and she stole away from the threshold whence she had be- held so appalling a spectacle. As noiselessly ghost- like and as spiritually airy as before, were her steps as she ascended the stairs. Thus, though the parlour door was open, and Ponchard’s ears were keenly alive to any passing sound, he heard naught to disturb him as he sat there, meditating in the darkness upon all that had occurred. Hester gained her own room ; and the courage pose of it completely to-night—there are precau- | which had hitherto sustained her in beating so tions to be taken! The identity of the deceased must be thoroughly destroyed! There's a copper below ?” “Yes,” said Mrs. Grills. “But how did yon know it?” “JT took a peep down stairs before you came heme, and while the girl went out to fetch some wine. There is likewise a hatchet there ?” Mrs. Grills nodded an affirmative; but she looked puzzled to comprehend the foreigner’s meaning. ““Go and get the body stripped—and by the time you have done it I will come down to you. No, no—don't light the other candle! I care not for being here in the dark for a few minutes. I am tired of the excitement—I want to rest my- selé There! just put the brandy within reach, and now go.” Mrs. Grills accordingly issued from the parlour ; but for precaution’s sake she stopped for a mo- ment in the passage to bolt the front door. She then stole again down to the scullery, where she communicated to her husband the instructions she ‘had received from Ponchard. ‘tA hatchet? To be sure, here's the hatchet!” said the man, grasping it. “Ah! I know now what he means! —it’s all right. But let’s get the stiff "un out of the sack. There! put that piece of a broken bench slantwise. That's right !” Then, while the woman held the candle, the man drew the corpse out of the sack, raising it partially up against the board, so as to be ina more convenient posture for the process of strip- ping off the clothes. And just at that instant a guarded a retreat from the presence of those who might in an instant have become her murderous enemies,—all this self-possession, we say, sud- denly abandoned her, and she threw herself upon ‘| the bed overcome by horrible consternation and dismay. CHAPTER LV. THE MURDER. WE must now speak more particularly than we have hitherto done of the internal arrangemeg of the mansion at Thornbury Park, as well. the junior branches of the Ardleigh family. - One suite of apartments was devoted -to -fhe special use of the: Dowager-Ducheés and her keeper Mrs. Quinlan. This suite consisted of a handsome sitting-room, a dining-rtoom, a-sleeping apartment and a dréssing-chamber. were two b in: the -sleeping-apartment — —one being placed in 2 sort of alcove or recess ;: and it was this couch which was occupied by ‘Mrs. Quinlan. The rooms communicated from one another in the order in which we have des¢ribed them: but there was a door vols fromh the dressing-room upon a p e whefice a staircase led ¢own to the vicinity of the servants’ offices. The reader will therefore undersiand that while the principal entrance to this syite of apartments was the sitting-room door gopening from a wide landing, there was another means of communication—