The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 372: what you’re looking at

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TTB MYNTERIRA OF THE COURT. . 889 are not like a murderer or a felon, on whom heavy frons are put when he attempts to escape.” The truth of these observations forcibly struck Jocelyn Loftas; and even if he were not tho- roughly convinced of the old woman's fidelity, he at all events resolved to allow the matter to take its course. But to the note which he had just penned, he added the words—*% Nevertheless, use the utmost caution.” The old nurse presently sallied forth with this letter; and in about an hour she returned, bear- ing a written reply which ran as follows :— “Your note is received; and in pursuance of your re- commendation fo was caution, we shall not commit any of our plans to paper. Suffice it to say that we are neither inactive nor irresolute. Miss Clara Staniey was residing m Stratton Street when we left London a few days ago. “YOUR FRIENDS OUTSIDE.” “PS —Untess anything of Importance should transpire —uch, for instance, as the postponement of your removal —it will not be necessary for any farther communication to take place between us, We have given the old woman a nundred guineas.” It can scarcely be necessary to inform our readers that the remainder of this day and the whole of the next passed amidst mach anxiety and torturing sus- At one moment Jocelyn was buoyed up with exulting hope, feeling confident in the success ef the plans, whatever they were, which his friends eutside were conducting: at another moment his epirits drooped, as a bird plunges down from the toftiest clouds into the lowest abysses of some yawn- ing gulf—and he fancied that he waa betrayed! As the hour approached for his removal from the Pre- fecture, the restlessness of his spirit armounted to a positive excruciation ; and he felt the blood coursing at a fever-pace in its crimson channels. CHAPTER XCIV. THE JOURNEY Az ten o'clock on the night fixed for Jocelyn’s departure, the Prefect visited him, and made a last effort to induce him to sign the bond. “You see,” observed his Excellency, “what a high opinion even your very enemies have of your honow. and integrity, since they are will'ryg to permit you to go at large in the world, the pos- eessor of all their most important secrets, with no other guarantee than your simple written pledge that you will not reveal them.” “Yes,” said Jocelyn, bitterly;—“they first at- tempted to destroy every sentiment of virtue and paralyse every impulse of honour within my breast —for that this was the aim in subjecting me to the seductive wiles of the temptress Julia Owen, I cannot doubt. But having had so signal a proof that I prefer the approval of my conscience to all the blandishments of transient pleasure, and that I cherish honour as if it were a worship,—my ene- mies, as you justly style them, are now willing to trust themselves to that integrity and that sense of rectitude which they have vainly endeavoured to subvert. They know that my pledge would be my bond, and that my written promise would never be falsitied. Bat that pledge and that pro- mise they will not obtain from me {” make in the circumstances of your position? You i These words were uttered in so firm a tone that the Prefect of Police offered no farther remon- strance and attempted no more persuasion; but coldly bowing to our young hero, he quitted the room. <A few minutes afterwards the old nurse entered to take leave of Jocelyn; and she spoke her farewells with an air of so much sincerity that all remaining suspicions with regard to her were banished from his mind. A little before eleven Jocelyn was fetched from his room by a couple of gendarmes and condacte:i down to the court-yard, where a post-chaise and four appeared In readiness. The postilions were ready mounted—the lamps of the vehicle were lighted—and the moment Loftus entered, the door was banged aod the equipage rolled at a rapid rate through the gloomy gate of the Prefecture. Inside the chaise Jocelyn fuand himself in the compasionship of two individusla. One of them he speedily recognised, by the light which the street-lamps shed into the carriage, as the very same police-agent who had arrested him nearly two months back at the Hotel Meurice: the other was unknown to Jocelyn, but was no doubt like- wise an official of the Prefectore. Brth were in plain o:othes; and the first-mention«d one imme- diately addressed oor hero in cerms of politeness, to which a somewhat cold thongh sufficiently cour- teous response was given: bat it was not to be supposed that Jocelyn could feel very well in. clined to converse familiarly with any of the agents of that tyranny to which he was being subjected. On emerging from the Prefecture, the post-ohaise rattiod along the quaye bordering the Seine; and turning into the central avenue of the Champs Elysées, took the road for St. Germain. While in the Champs Ely-ées, and indeed within the imme- diate precincts of the suburbe, there were so many vehicles harrying in every direction that it was iun- possible to say whether any particular oue was fol- lowing the post-chaise; bat when proceeding’ farther along the road and the upen ovuntry was gained, Jocelyn listened anxiously fur the sounds of any vehicle in parsait. For if hw English frieads were not thus following, how was is ble thag they could accomplish his reecue? Such was the question which he asked himse'f a duzen times during the first half-hour that elapsed after leaving | the Purisian suburbs bebind: but no sounds of any vehicle in pursait reached his ears. The weather was fine, clear and frosty: the moon sat enthroned in silver splendour amidat the deep blue of the cloudless over-arching sky, which was gemmed with myriads of stars, those chaste handmaids of the Queen of Night! The police- agents, finding that Jocelyo did not encourage them in conversation, soon sank into silence: but through the semi-obscurity whith prevailed inside the vehi- cle, our hero could observe their eyes fized upon hin with the keenness of custodians whom no scothing influence could lull into slumber so long as a watch must be kept. The journey had now lasted upwards of an hour when suddenly a man on horseback, coming fro behind—that is to say, from the direction of Paris— shot past the post-chaise with incredible speed. “His horse has run awa¥ with bim,” observed one of the police-agentsa: and as he put down window and looked forth, the movement of his made his coat open somewhat, and Jocelyn observed COMME lOO© Ss CO