The Mysteries of London, Vol. IV — page 351: what you’re looking at

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

a Pe 846 {U1 MYSTERILS OF LONDON. arta ae etl OT ED St ee “Yes—hore, whero I now pen theso lines! Oh! I havo been mad—raring mad 3 and Ileaven knows that I have endured cnough to make meso. Such persecution could only end in insanity. But Iam better now: nay—-I am well—althout’h my friends will not believe it. My brother was here yester- day; and 7 saw by the way in which he hunoured me when I told him I was fast recovering my ref- son, that he still imagines me to be insane. I im- plored him to Iet mo sec Editha and my boy: he declared that [ should have that pleasure next Sunday. He likewise told mo that they wero well in health, but deeply grieved on my account, "Now I have mado up my mind how toact. I shall escape from this horrible place, and proceed to France. Thero I shall adopt an assumed name— and thence I shall write to Editha to join mo at once with our son. We shall be beyond the reach of the‘extortioncr—and tranquil, if not happy days may yetawaitus. Yes—thisismy hope! But shall I destroy the manuscript upen which J have la- boured so arduonsty, and which has furnished me pith an occupation that has done me so much good ? No: I cannot consent to annihilate the papers which contain a narrative so fraught with awful warning, But does it not Lkewico contain my secret ?—and is not my name mentioned in the course of the recital? ark! footsteps approach —I must conceal my papers ad CHAPTER CLAXXIX. SCENTS IN THE LUNATIC ASYLUM, Titus terminated the extraordinary manuscript which Lord William Trevelyan found in the ward- robe, and the perusal of which occupied him nearly two hours, Tle was undecided how to dirpoce of the papers, Should he return them to the place where they hed been concealed f—should he destroy them ?—should he take them away with him, in the hopo of being one day enabled to discover their writer, and by restoring them to him convince hira that they had fallen into the possession of an honourable man, who, though having had tho curiosity to read them, would, nevertheless, religiously keep the scerct which they contained ? Tor, from the abrupt termination of tho manu. Ecript, Lord William very naturally concluded that the unfortunate author hind succecded in effecting his escape from tho lunatic-asylum very shortly after he had penned the Jast words in the narrative; and the young nobleman, therefore, considered it to be possible, though perhaps not very probable, that he might sooner or later encounter Mr. Macdonald in the great and busy world, Lord William had likewise another motive fer retaining the papers, The reader has seen cnourh of him to be aware that there was iu his disposition much of the same chivalrous spirit and philanthropic principle which characterised the Earl of Ellingham; and it was therefore natural that ho should become suddenly impressed with tho idea of adopting measures, in duo course, for tho purpose of fully exposing tho atracions system of quackery that was carried on by pscudo-medical advertisers. Ho \womembered that the newspapers contained A DT pa ET es ee a a many advertisements announcing such works as the one which had proved the means of ensnaring the unfortunate Mr. Macdonald; and ho was resolved to loso no time in employing bis solicitor to in- stitute all the necessary inquiries into tho charac- ters, histories, proceedings, and social positions of the scoundrels who thus accumulated large for- tunes by means of the most atrocious quackery, deceit, rascality, and extortion. The manuscript ‘which chance had this night thrown in his way, contained so many important particulars, and furnished such a completo cine to the entire ramifications of the dark iniquity which the young nobleman was determined to expose, that he regarded it as a powerful auxiliary to the crusado ho was about to undertake; and this consideration, added to the motives nlrendy mentioned, decided him in retaining possession of tho document. It was now one o'clock in the morning; and a profound silence reigned throughout tho lunatic astluim, Lord William noisclessly opened tho door of his chamber, and looked forth into the long passage, which was partially lighted by a single lamp that had been left burning. No liting being was to bo seen; and nothing dis- turbed the dead stillness of tho hour and the place. It now struck the young nobleman that the door of the chamber which he was anxious to enter— namely, No. 12, in the samo passage as his own npartment—was most probably locked; and, in this casc, ho mado up his mind to force it at all risks. A little farther reflection suggested to him that, inasmuch as he had seen tho housekeeper with only asinglo koy In her hand, [t was probable that this key was a pata to all the chambers; and he thenco inferred that the key of his own room might perhaps fit the lock of the door belonging to 2V6, 12, Atallevents this was the first experiment that he resolved to try; and, without any longer delay, he procevded ss cautiously as possible down the passage, until he reached the chamber which ho hoped and belicved tole the ene cecupied by his friend, There was s bolt outside the door: this was immediately drawn backj;—and 'frovelyan essayed the key. To his indescribable joy, the key turned easily in tho lock; and, with a beating heart, the nobleman entered the room—closing the door behind him. The chamber was quite dark: but Trevelyan specdily groped his way to the window and dreve aside the curtains, £0 as to permit the powerfal moonlight to pour its silver flood into the room He now appronched the bed—and there, te his | delight, he beheld the well-known, though worn and wasted, countenance of his friend Sir Gilbert Heathcote, who was wrapped In slumber, Lord William shook him gently; tho baronet, awoke with a sudden start and ejaculation; but at, the samo instant a friendly voice said, hurriedly,’ | “Year nothing! ’tis I—Trevelyan—and Iam como | to deliver you from this accursed place.” | Sir Gilbert, who had ralsed his head from the | pillow, fell back again, and closed his eves for o few moments. Ilo fancied that he was dreaming. <a mt re ree ec rr nr eer err a Nr i cS NN gS Ne, ae mee Ile conld not believe that those welcome words had in reality sounded in his cars, or thas tho moonlight had shown him tho form of his friend by tho bede sido, a Pee geen e et en ee RR EConnicloooks (CO)