The Young Duchess; or, Memoirs of a Lady of Quality — page 325: what you’re looking at

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

a THE YOUNG DUCHESS; OR, MEMOIRS OF A LADY OF QUALITY. rage: but evidently making an effort to master his angry feelings, he said, ‘ “There surely must be some mistake! ‘Tell me what you mean ?” ‘‘ Before I speak another word of explanation,” said Mrs. Grills, again getting bewildered, and to some degree frightened, ‘‘ you must tell me what you mean ?” “What I mean?”—and the tall form was drawn up with the loftiest hauteur. “ ‘Yes—what you mean,” persisted Mrs. Grills. ** Tl put a question if you like. You mentioned a certain name just as you came close up to me ” ‘* Yes: and since I have said it once, I will repeat it. It was the name of Ivan Zadouski.” ‘‘ And why did you mention that name ?” asked Mrs. Grills. “You know the name, it appears ?” said the: stranger. “T have already admitted it. —why did you mention it ?” It was now the stranger’s turn to form some conjecture; and this was very similar to the one which the woman herself had conceived a few minutes back. The fact is, he supposed she had beer sent thither to meet him, and she had there- fore come instead of the person whom he was ex- pecting at that hour to fall in with upon that bridge. “IT see, my good woman,” he said, “ that though you are pretty sure in your own mind that you have encountered the right perscn, yet you are properly cautious, and you seek to convince yourself beyond doubt of the fact. Well then, I will tell you I am here to meet Ivan Zadouski.” ‘“‘ Here—to meet him?” said Mrs. Grills, faintly. “ Yes—I am here to meet him,” stranger, woman. “To meet him?” she repeated; for it struck her that there was something horribly ludicrous in the fact that if he had come in the hope of meeting the living man, he was now wncon- sciously encountering all that remained of Ivan Zadouski inside that very carpet-bag which she carried in her hand! ‘* And you perhaps,” said the stranger, not un- derstanding her hesitation and singular manner,— ‘‘and you have come to tell me that Ivan Zadouski cannot meet me to-night ?” ‘‘ That’s just it,” answered Mrs. Grills, catch- ing at this means of puting an end to an inter- view which was not only detaining, but also be- ginning to alarm her. “Ah, this is provoking!” ejaculated the tall personage. ‘' When will he come ?” “To-morrow night instead,” rejoined Mrs. Grills. “Good! But are you sure? can I rely upon him? May not the same cause, whatever it be, which prevents him from coming to-night, also prevent him keeping the appointment to- morrow ?” Mrs. Grills shuddered despite all her brazen hardihood: but perceiving at the moment another person approaching, from the Surrey extremity of the bridge, she plucked up all her presence of mind, and said, as if in a decisive manner, ‘‘ You | But auswer me repeated the and he looked searchingly at the | Mrs. Grills: —— 311 er “Tell him to fail not :"—and the tall personage then sped along towards the Strand extremity of the bridge. Mrs. Grills was also continuing her own way, wondering at the incident that had just occurred when she again heard the name of Ivan Zadouski breathed close by—it seemed to be in a subdued whisper—then all was still and she perceived no one near! She glanced back :—could it be the tall stranger again talking to himself? No: he was too far off for the sound of his voice to be heard. What could it mean? She looked about in bewilderment and terror: but, Ah! what a mortal dread seized upon her when between the granite balusters or pillars of the parapet she be- held a human face looking straight at her. The bag dropped from her hand—she closed he eyes—she staggered back—and she would have ‘| fallen if the arm of some one who appeared at the instant upon the spot, had not sustained her. “ What is the matter?” asked the individual, with a foreign accent. ‘‘ Hah! it must be!” and then fixing his eyes significantly upon the woman, who now opened her own, he said with marked impressiveness, '‘ Henri Ponchard » “To be sure! that’s the pass-word! and you are Karl Petronoff?”—for Mrs. Grills not merely knew him by the fact of that watchword, but like- wise by the personal description which had been given of him. ‘‘What is the matter with you?” he quickly demanded. | ‘ Ponchard told me you were brave “ Look over the parapet,” ejaculated Mrs. Grills, with a feverish terror. ‘ Quick, quick!” ‘‘ There is no one here,” responded Petronoff, as he obeyed her mandate. “ Look well along the ledge !—make sure! Do you see no one?” ‘No one, I repeat.” “No one crouching down anywhere? Look well !” “T seeno one. But why do youask? What are you frightened at ?” inquired Petronoff, who though of desperate intrepidity and hairbrained dauntlessness, nevertheless began to catch the in- fection of the woman's own terrors, especially when he glanced again and again at the carpet- bag which lay at her feet. ‘“‘ Perhaps it’s nothing,” said Mrs. Grills. “Come along, and let’s be quick. There! carry the bag. I can’t any longer: ie “Yes—it 7s heavy,” said Petronoff, as he lifted it. Well,” continued the woman, “I don’t know that it’s al together because it’s heavy that I can’t carry it any further; but the truth is I’ve already had enough of it, and shall be only too glad to | get well quit of it. sd “This woman is a coward after all!” muttered Petronoff to himself: ‘‘ how the devil could Pon- chard have been so deceived in her? — Come, come,” he said, speaking audibly, “‘ cheer up.” “Here, let us stop at this seat,” interrupted “it’s a convenient place. I’ve got a cord—and you can stand upon the parapet and lower ” “Hush !” said Karl, nudging his companion | with some degree of violence : ‘*people are coming! may be sure ‘of meeting him here to-morrow | : Let’s place the bag on the seat and sit so as to night.” Rees, conceal it.” oO COMO ——. Colin