The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 274: what you’re looking at

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

TNE MYSTERIES OF THER COURT ment he set foot in Paria, every act and proceeding on his part was sure to become known to the autho- rities and be duly chronicled in the Black Books at the Prefectare. Ah!” added the handsome but affected official, “what a blessing it is to have such a well-ramified system of police as we have got!" * But you must observe in this case, Jules,” said the Prefect, “that it.was not my business to trouble myself about Mr. Jocelyn Loftus or the Misses Owen unless in pursuance of the special wish of certain parties in England: and such wish was speedily intimated to our government. I need not remind you, my friends, that at the restoration of his Majesty Louis XVIII to the French throne in April last, a secret compact was made between this august monarch and the illustrious Prince Regent of England, to the effect that they should mutually forward, advance, and succour each other's interests, aims, and purposes to the utmost of their power. Hence it followed as a matter of course, that whatever project the Prince Regent of England might putin force with regard to his wife now in Italy, was certain to be privately aided and abetted by the government of his Majesty Louis XVIII. Now, when Mr. Jocelyn Loftus, with more can- dour than discretion, made known hie chivalrous de- signs to the three Misses Owen, they at qnce wrote off to England for instructions: and the immediate con- sequence was a private communication from the Prince Regent to our own moet gracious Sovereign, requesting that the person calling himself Jocelyn Lottus might be immediately arrested and detained in some secure place. As a matter of course, our excellent King, mindful of his compact with the Prince Regent, lost no time in complying with the demand: and the order to take the necessary steps ju the matter was forthwith sent to me from the palace. Hereupon, I lost no time in causing the young man passing under the name of Loftus to be apprehended, on the ground that he was resi- ding in France with a passport made out in a false name.” “ And did not the police agent take possession of ali the young Enaglishman’s papers at Meurice’s Hotel ?” inquired Jules Martignac. “ Methinks [ heard something of the sort mentioned at the Mis nistry of the Interior———"’’ “As a matter of course,” replied the Prefect: *all his correspondence was taken possesion of and brought hither. The contents of those letters were not however very important, ohiefly tending to show that Mr. Loftus was engaged to be married to a young lady named Louisa Stanley, who resides at Canterbury-——" “ Ah! that’s the capital of the beautiful county of Kent,” exclaimed Jules Martignac. “For you know that I have visited England? Well, and I have passed a few days in that fine old city of Can- terbury. Its cathedral is sublime! But pray proceed. What else did the letters and papers show?” “That there was a Miss Mary Owen — the youngest sister of the girls whom we have already been speaking of-——” ‘ Well—what of this Mary Owen 2?” “Simply that she had rau away from home, I believe—or else deserted her mother and sisters in some peculiar manocer—and bad found a refuge with that same Miss Louisa Stanley at Canterbury. These were the principal points developed by the letters and papers seized at Meurice’s Hotel,” con- oe A ee —_— tinued the Prefect: “and not knowing how service- , able they might prove, I at once despatched them all tohis Royal Highness the Prince Regent in Lon- don.” “ But the three Owens who were on their way to Italy,” inquired Martignac,—“ have they not con- ‘ tinued their journey ~ * Two of them have,” responded the Prefect: “and | have joined her Royal Highness the Princess of | Wales by this time. They travelled under the es- cort of a certain Mrs. Ranger, who had charge of them ———"" “ But firat, your Excellency should recollect,’ ex- claimed one of the Prefect’s Private Secretaries, “ that even after the arrival of the instructions from England to arrest Mr. Loftus, it was deemed advis- able that the three sisters should remain in Paris a few days, so as to await any fresh commands from England that might follow after the receipt of the letters and papers which were sent over to the Prince ¢,”" ‘“ Exactly so,” observed the Prefect: “ and in due course the Marquis of Leveson came over himself.” “The London papers hinted at the time,” re- marked one of the gentlemen-spies, “that his lord- ship left England so suddenly to be out of the way while his niece’s husband—a profligate fellow of the name of Dysart—- was tried and hung. The statement was copied into all the French papers——”’ * To be sure !” exclaimed the Prefect. “It was an excellent excuse for his lordship’s sudden departure from England and visit to Paris. But [ can assure you, from what I have heard the Marquis himself say, that he felt not the slightest sympathy on ac- count of his niece’s husband: and we know that his lordship really came over to Paris about this affair of the Owens and Jocelyn Loftus. Well, the day after his arrival he sent the two eldeat young ladies —Miss Agatha and Miss Emma, I think their names are—he sent them, I say, post-haste forward on their journey to Italy, along with Mrs. Ranger. But he kept the youngest of the three girls, whose pame is Julia——"” “Ithought you just now said Mary,” observed Jules Martignac. “No, n0,” replied the Prefect. “Mary is the youngest of ali, and is living with Miss Louisa Stanley at Canterbury. It is Julia, the youngest of the three over in France, whom the Marquis kept with him.” “The wicked old fellow!” exclaimed Jules. “But I have heard that these Owen girls are ravishingly beautiful-——” “True! But you are quite wrong in your present suspicions,” interrapted the Prefect: “for the very samé day that Miss Agatha and Miss Emma departed for Italy, Miss Julia was con- signed a prisoner to the Prefecture-——" “Ha! ha! capital—was it not?” exclaimed the three gentlemen-spies and the two Private Secre- taries, all rubbing their hands with the air of men who were relishing an excellent joke. “Only fancy that sweet pretty girl Julia Owen, being locked up in a gloomy room in the Prefecture !” “Indeed! and what was that for?” demanded Jules Martignac, now completely at fault as to the meaning and motive of the circumstances just related. “You must know in the first place,” said one of —— ques te SEE aD wae ee Ey oD Oewheste-Ga 2 eres ae + ecomiclboe SS CO