The Young Duchess; or, Memoirs of a Lady of Quality — page 307: what you’re looking at

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

THE YOUNG DUCHESS: OR, MEMOIRS OF A LADY OF QUALITY. the Police Inspector's cool, deliberate, and business- P ’ like strain of reasoning. ‘And therefore the con- clusion to which you come——” “Ts beyond all doubt, your Grace,” answered the inspector. : “Yes, beyond all doubt,” added the surgeon. “What ?” inquired our heroine in a faint tone. “The truth must be told, my lady,” rejoined the Inspector. ‘It’s asad business, but one that’s easily accounted for; and that’s a blessing in this respect—that it leaves no room to cast unpleasant suspicion upon any other party. In plain terms, my lady, it must have been the act of one who can't be held responsible—I mean her Grace the Dowager.” The young Duchess made no answer, but averted her countenance, which she almost im- mediately concealed by raising her kerchief to it. “ And now I have something still more painful to say, my lady,” resumed the police official; ‘‘ and that is - “What is it?” asked our heroine quickly. “It is, your Grace, that I must Keep an eye upon her ladyship——I don’t wish to do the thing rudely at all—heaven forbid!—but law is law, and I am only a humble agent of it after all. I left word at Beaconsfield, when I learnt what had happened up here, for a couple of my men to come present] ” ‘“You mean two police-constables ?” said the young Duchess in a hollow voice. “The truth is, my lady,” said Mr. Brooks, who thought it time to interpose, inasmuch as the Inspector through very excess of delicacy was torturing the young Duchess with a prolonged suspense,—‘‘ you must make up your mind for all the usual unpleasant consequences of such a dread- ful occurrence. Her Grace the Dowager will be put under arrest In this respect she must share the fate of the lowest and the humblest individual And what is more, she will have to appear before the proper tribunal ” ““ What! be tried?” exclaimed the young Duchess, her accents mingled with a shriek. ‘* But yes! Iseeit all! I understand what must hap- pen!’—and she sank down upon the chair from’ which she had started up. ‘Your Grace must arm yourself with all your courage,” observed Mr. Brooks. “TY know it! I feel it!” “There will be a Coroner’s Inquest——” “Yes—for that ceremony I was indeed pre- pared: I have sent a messenger to communicate the dread intelligence tothe Coroner :”—then, after a silence of upwards of a minute, the young Duchess turned towards the Police Inspector, saying’ in a voice that was scarcely audible, ‘I hope you will do nothing till the Duke comes ?” “Nothing, wy lady—nothing,” was the re- sponse. “As the circumstances are so suspicious against the Dowager, I am bound to keep an eye upon her—but I need not actually arrest her until the Coroner’s warrant is issued. So my fellows, when they come, shall just sit down in the hall, or the kitchen, or wherever your Grace thinks fit ; and I trust. to your ladyship to see that the Dowager does not escape.” ‘¢T will promise you that my mother-in-law shall not set foot beyond the threshold of the house,” replied the young Duchess. She then intimated that if the surgeon or the 293 ————- Inspector required anything they might ring the bell; aud she quitted the apartment. wet CHAPTER LVI. THE TRUTH DISCLOSED. Some hours elapsed—it was now between two and three o’clock in the afternoon—and’ nothing of any consequence had in the interval occurred at Thornbury. Mr. Condamine and Mrs. Boyle had respectively informed their pupils of the terrible tragedy which had taken place, and which was so awfully associated with the name of their unfor- tunate mother. The young lords and ladies begged to see their parent; but the tutor and governess besought them to remain in their own apartments until the arrival of their brother the Duke from London. The young Duchess joined them for about half-an-hour, and seconded the representations of Mr. Condamine and Mrs. Boyle. As for the unfortunate Dowager-Duchess herself, she seemed to have lost all recollection of any- thing dreadful that might have occurred ; and falling asleep upon the sofa in the Green Drawing- room, she slumbered for some hours. Shortly after two o’clock a carriage drove up to the mansion; and when the hall-porter went forth to see who the visitor might be, Count Man- deville—for he it was—gave him his card, say- ing, ‘‘I was on my way to pay my respects to her Grace when I learnt at Beaconsfield of the terrible event which has occurred during the past night. My first thought was therefore to avoid intruding upon a scene of grief. But then it struck me that I might possibly be of some use, and that the offices of a friend might be accept- able under such circumstances. Will you have the goodness to go and repeat all this to her Grace ; and I will wait in my carriage until you return with her ladyship’s answer.” The hall-porter bowed and withdrew ; and at the expiration of about five minutes he returned, saying, ‘ Will you please to alight, sir?” Mandeville was shown up into a drawing-room, where he found the young Duchess waiting to re- ceive him. The instant the door was closed by the domestic who had escorted him thither, he seemed to be so struck by our heroine’s appear- ance that he stopped suddenly short as he was advancing towards her. ‘ Unhappy man!” she said, clasping her hands with every appearance of the direst anguish, and bending upon him a look in which terror and com- passion seemed to commingle; ‘“‘ how could you have recourse to such desperate means? But, Oh ! think not that you will hear reproaches nor up- braidings from my lips! No, no! I appreciate —yes, my God, I appreciate all the love and ten- derness on your part which has led you——” ‘* Mary, you confound me!” interrupted Man- deville. *‘ This is absurd !—yes, a thousand times ridiculous! It is so utterly needless! Do you think that I should betray you?” “What!” cried the young Duchess, starting back with all the appearance of a strong recoil: “vou pretend—you afiect-——~” “Mary, ’tis you who pretend and afiect !” oO COMO i Colin