The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 66: what you’re looking at

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

—<— TER MYSTERIZG. the merumg to relieve you frem suspense on that head.” “ A thousend thanks !” exclaimed the youngnoble- men. “ Bid your messenger wait s few minutee—he shail not return empty-handed.” “You are always generous, my dear Fiorimel,” said the milliner, with one of her sweetest smiles. “Shall I offer you a glass of wine?” “ No—I seldom drink anything stronger than eofve or richer than chocolate,” observed the volup- @uary, rising from his seat: then, as he surveyed himself complacently in the mirror over the mantel- piece, he said, “ Verily and truly I do believe that f shall look uncommonly pretty, when in female attire. But who is to preside over my toi- lette?—who will arrange my hair?” he demanded, turning abruptly towards the milliner, as the idea flashed to his mind. “J am afraid that it will prove imperatively neces- gary for me to enact the part of lady’s-maid,” an- ewered Mra. Brace, Jaughing. “TI could not desire a more charming cameriste,” said Florimel, passing his hand gently over her seme- what buxom checvk—a liberty which the worthy lady did not in the slightest degree resent. The young nobleinan then took his leave, Mra Brace attending him as far as the passage leading inte the hoyee behind: ani when she parted from him, a domestic in handsome livery escorted his lord- ship to the door opening intoSt, James’s Square. CHAPTER XV. THE POCKET-BOOX, Wa must now return to Mr. Page, whom we left at the moment when he had succeeded in reaching the George and Blue Boar in safety, after his escape from the duugeun in the eastern district of the metropolis, On gaining his chamber at the tavern, he hastened to examine the pocket-book which had fallen inte his possession in 20 remarkable a manner: for ale though it was now three o'clock in the morning, and the commercial traveller was exhausted with the fatigues of the night, his curiosity was such that he e@ould not retire to rest until he had completely gra- tified it. Fortunately the materials for a fire were Jaid in- the grate in his bed-room; and applying a light to the faggot whereon the coal was piled up, he soon created a blaze that imparted a genial glow to his frame, which a few moments before was shivering ffom head to foot. Seating himeelf in a chair drawn close to the com- fertable Nearth, Mr. Page proceeded to the inspection of the povket-book. It was old—very old,—stained with grease in several places, and worn away at the The strap, or fastening, was torn off; and it was tied round with a riband so faded and dirty that it was impossible to conjecture of what colour ft had originally been. Carefully laying the pocket-book open upon the fab.e, the commercial traveller found that it con- tained several pepers, very much soiled, worn, and dingy ;—and theee he examined one after another. The first appeared to be a small packet, enclosing something soft and elastic to the touch; and on un- folding the two or three pieces ef stained and moul- dering paper in wh Spree nerer EER a ich the contents were wrapped, | grieves 61 Page drew forth a long trees of hair. Though thd dust had penetrated to this relic, which was braided, it was nevertheless easy to perocive that t hair was of the darkest hue, and that it was soft at silk; and when the commercial traveller unrolled if carefully in his hands, it measured upwards of twe feet in length. Yes—the jetty hue and the velvet scfiness remained to that hair: but the shining gloss siness, which the idea inevitably associated with su a tress, had been dimmed and deadened by the h of Time! | Having contemplated for several minutes that reli¢ which appeared to tell of the loves and hopes of fond hearts in by-gone and better days, the commertial traveller minutely examined the papers which had enveloped it; and on the innermost one he at length succeeded in decy phering the following words, which the lapse of long, long years had ali but obliterated :—~ “Hannah Lightfoot, her hair. St. James’e Strest. December, 1156. For her well-beloved.” Page started with surprise: for it will be remem- bered that on the evening when we firet introduced him to our readers, in the commereial room at the George and Blue Boar, he related an anecdote, or rather alluded to a rumour, in which the names ol George III and Hannah Lightfoot were coupled. The discovery of this tress, which had no dont belonged to the beautifu. Quakeress of former times served therefore to give a sharper zest to a curiosity already powerfully excited; and having restored the hair tc its several enveiopes, he lost no time in ex- amining the next paper which he took from the pocket- book. This was buta mere scrap—and, on minutely scru- tin'zing it, the commercia, traveller discovered that it was a memorandum one half of which was want- ing. It seemed as if the folu where the paper was doubled up, had so completely worn away that the document had parted in two, one portion whereot Page vow held in nis hand. But where was the other moiety? Vainly did he search amongst the contents of the pocket-book: the misalog half was not there! Disappointed and vexed, Page now addressed himself to the task of decyphering the writing on the piece that remained: and after some dugree of trouble,—for the traces of the ink were so deadened by time that they appeared only ofa dingy brown in some parts and of a light dirty yellow in others while the paper itself was so discoloured and brittle that 2¢ seemed as if it had been scorched at the fire,--the commercial traveller succeeded in mak- ing out the following fragment, written in a bold masculine hand :— ‘ Tazs notice, all ye whomis ° men, by these presents, that I Wales, do hereby declare and a and solemaly consider toa be my heaven and before God, the lik Lightfoot, whom I alncerely, te all my heart and with all my so tenderly, and devotedly loveth heart and ell her soul: and kno it may concern, that I do sclexg myself, before God and in the # when the wil] of the Almighty CORNICE OOO CO