The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 339: what you’re looking at

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

THE MYSTRRIES: OF THR SOURT. Harold Staunton made no retort; but took his departure from Evergreen Villa—crestfallen, dis- confited, baffled in every way CHAPTER LXVIIL THE PHYSICIAN AND HIG NIGHT'S ADVENTURES. Ir was the same night as that on which the in- cidents of the two preceding chapters occurred, and between eleven and twelve o'clock, that Dr. Ferney was engaged in his dissecting-room. Several apart- ments im the eminent physician’s mansion,—which was situated in Conduit Street, Hanover Square,—- have been minutely described in an earlier chapter : but the one to which we are now introducing the seader, was not noticed upon that occasion. It had @ grim and ghastly appearance, as all dissecting- rooms have; and the atmosphere was damp, raw, and sickly, like that of death. All the paraphernalia necessary for anatomical purposes, met the eye;— and the floor, though carefully scoured after each dissection, retainud upon its deal boards the ineface- able marks of the fluids which flow from a corpee. For some years past Dr. Ferney had seldom under some peculier circumstances he obtained pos- ecesion of a “anbject.” Such was the case on the oecasion when we now into the dissecting- room; and. there, by the light of a powerful gas- lamp suspended over the table in the centre, shall we find the medical man engaged in the dissection wf a corpee. It was the body of an elderly female, and was éut little decomposed. Nevertheless, there was a eertain discolouration of the skin, which the phy- sician had not failed to observe the moment the corpee was drawn forth from the sack by the body- ensichers whe had bWooghs it to the house half-an- hour previously. That certain suspicions had en- tered Dr. Ferney’s mind, was evident enough from the peculiar gravity which sat upon his pale pensive countenance: but with the imperturbability cha- racteristio of his profession generally, and of bim- eelf in particular, he pursued his work steadily and | placed upon apart from al] excitement. For about an hour did he continue to use the scalpcl,—laying open the throat which he corefully examined, and subjected to several tests—likewise the stomach, which he treated in s similar manner. At length he put aside his instrumente—washed his hands in a bason When he had performed his ablutions, he looked at his watch and found it was near one o'clock in the morning. For a moment he hesitated whether to retire to his chamber and postpone till day-time the which he had in view: but he felt that he should not be able to asleep until he had got it off his mind ;—and issuing forth from the dissecting- room, he locked the door, putting the key in his pocket. He thence proceeded to his laboratory, where he unlocked a drawer, and taking out a phial with a sealed cork, assured himself that this seal had not been broken. Returning the phial to the drawer, Dr. Ferney now descended the stairs ; and taking a latch-key with him, quitted the house. Proceeding to the nearest cab-stand, he entered one of the vehicles, and ordered the dnver to take him to John Street, Clerkenwell. On arriving in the vicinage of Cow Cross, Dr. Ferney alighted from the cab—desired the driver to wait for him—and entering « narrow dark ailcy, speedily reached that same knacker’s yard which Lady Beas had visited when seeking an interview with old Bob Shakerly. This was likewise the in- dividual whum the doctor came to visit. The old man was in bed; and not a glimmering of a light shone forth from any window uf the wretched litt house which he inhabited close by the gate of his yard. However, Dr. Ferney was resolved not to be disappointed; and he accordingly knocked at the door until a window was opened—ea head, with a night-cap on, was thrust out—~and Bob Shakerly’s voice demanded who was thero? “Tt is I, Dr. Ferney. I wish to speak to you moet particularly.” ‘“* Coming, sir—coming in a few miuutes,” at once responded the old man; and drawing m his head, he closed the window, whbnoe, almost immediately afterwards a light glimmered forth. In a minute or two steps were heard descending the stairs within. The door was opened—end Bob Shakerly appeared, his scraggy form envoloped in an + enne-cown, and his dirty cotton nightcap upon “Walk in, air. Sorry to keep you waiting. Nothink wrong, I hope? The traps hav’n’t got scent of the job?’—and he surveyed the doctor with some degree of anxiety. “ No—nothing of that kind,” answered Ferney, as he entered the house. “That's all right, then,” eaid Shakerly, much relieved. “Walk into this room, sir; it’s not over tidy—for as I'm s bachelor, 'vegot nobody to make things neat and comfortable.” ” answered the doctor, “No is as he entered a little where apartinent everything was dirty to a degree, although it was by no means poor in furniture. ‘‘Sit down, sir—pray sit down :”—and Shakerly the table the candle which he hed held in his hand. “Now, sir, what is it?” “I wish to ask you a few questions,” said the doctor. “Were you present with your men when that corpse was exhumed ?” “To be suro I was. It’s very litde—as you knows, doctor—that I does in that way now: but when any of my chaps tells me of a chance, why, I doa't choose to le it sip through my finger.” “Well, well,’’ interrupted the physician: “we will not waste words. Did you notice whose name was upon the coffin-lid ?” “TI always does,” replied Shakerly; “aed what's more, I makes a memorandum of it when I somes home, just for the fun of the thing—to see how many stiff ’uns I have had up in my time.” “What is the name of this woman you have brought me to-night p” demanded Ferney. . “‘ Here it be, sir,” answered Shakerly, taking out an old well-thumbed dog’s-eared book from the table- drawer, and turning over some of the pages. “There, sir—you can copy it,—end there’s pen, ink, and paper. But is there summut wrong ?” 5 ad NOOK CO