The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 211: what you’re looking at

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

ZO0 THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. It was Queen Indora’s carriage which had brought Christian and Christina to Tudor House ; and we must here observe that the groom happen- ing to be ill, the coachman only was in attendance upon the equipage. It was the first carriage to issue from the grounds of Tudor House; and while it was proceeding along, Christina was re- lating to her brother everything that had between herself and Lord Octavian Meredith. All of a sudden the carriage stopped; and the coach- man shouted out, “ Now then, my man, whas is it that you want p A rough voice, speaking what appeared to be broken English, implored that whoever might be inside the carriage would give alms to an unfor- tunate Lascar‘sailor. The coachman gave vent to an ejaculation of impatience, and was on the very point of urging the horses on again,—when Chris- tian, putting his head out of the window, ordered him to stop a few moments longer while he com- plied with the mendicant’s request. At the same time the false Lascar himeelf came up to the car- riage; and coolly opening the door, began thank- ing the young gentleman for his liberality. Christian, setting down the fellow’s presumption to the account of his ignorance, drew forth his puree; and the chink of gold caught the Lascar’s ear. Inthe twinkling of an eye he snatched the purse from Christian’s hand, and darted away with the speed of lightning. Inspired with indignation at this feat, as audacious as it was villanous, Christian sprang from the carriage, and rushed after the false Lascar. It was in a very lonely part of the road that this incident occurred; and the road itself was too narrow just at that spot for the equipage iteelf to be turned round in pursuit. The reader will un- derstand that the daring robber had rushed away in the direction from which the carriage had come ; and therefore towards Tudor House. Christina screamed as her brother sprang forth: bat he was too indignant to think at the moment of her alarm, and too courageous to care for the danger which he might have to encounter. He flew as if on the wings of the wind in pursuit of the Lascar, whom he overtook at a distance of about a hun- dred yards from the scene of the robbery. The fellow turned round to face his pursuer, at whom he aimed a desperate blow with a large bludgeon which he carried: but Christian, nimbly evading it, at once grasped the bludgeon and closed with the plunderer. So well directed and so irresistible was this attack, that the falee Leascar was thrown down; and Christian, wrenching the bludgeon from his hands, hurled it to a-distance over one of the high hedges that skirted the road. The pros- trate robber endeavoured to gripe our young hero by the throat: but Christian not merely protected himeelf bravely, but likewise overpowered the Lescar effectually. At that moment the sounds of an advancing equipage were heard: another des- perate attempt of the Lascar to free himself was defeated ; and finding himeelf foiled and powerless, he said, in unmistakable vulgar English, “Come, young feller, take your puree back again, and let me 99 Bat Christian kept him down until the equi- page came up to the spot; and it proved to be the dashing phaeton belonging to Lord Rushbrook. “ By heaven! the scoundrel Lascar who robbed me the other night!” ejaculated the Viscount, giving the reins to his groom, and springing into the road. “ He is no Laccar, my lord,” said Christian,— “bat an English scoundrel in disguise. His speech has just betrayed him.” “Ah! is it you?” exclaimed Rushbrook, now recognising Christian. “By heaven! this is a bold feat which you have evidently performed ! Here—let me fasten a hold upon the villain like- wise.” Rushbrook, although naturally a coward, was now brave enough when he saw that the work was already done for him ; and he took a firm grasp of the Burker’s garments: for we need scarcely in- form the reader that he was the individual of whom we are speaking. Christian likewise kept hold of him; and they made him get upon his feet. “Well, I say,” growled the Burker, “this is a pretty pickle for an honest chap like me to be placed in. But blow me! if this meeting isn’t a queer one !”—then turning to Rushbrook, he added, as he looked him very hard in the face, “What about that there safe and the kesh-box ?” The Viscount’s hands suddenly quitted their hold upon the Burker’s garments, as if those hands were paralysed; and he staggered back a pace or two. At the same instant, by one desperate jerk, Barney released himself from the hold which Christian Ashton had upon him; and in ‘the twinkling of an eye he had darted right through the hedge with the force of a cannon-ball. Our hero flew after him—but stopped short at the hedge; for it was a barrier which he did not chooses to attempt the bursting through after the same fashion as the escaped robber. “What did he mean, my lord?” demanded Christian, somewhat indignantly, and with still greater astonishment, as he turned towards the nobleman. © T can’t for the life of me understand,” replied Rushbrook. “ It was a sudden pain which seized upon me-——” “It is excessively provoking,” cried our young hero, “after the trouble I took and the risk I in- curred. But he seid something about a safe and cash-box P” “Did he P” inquired Rashbrook. “ Well, I did not hear him—or at least did not understand. It was a sudden sickness—a dissiness that seized upon me—eomething at supper which disagreed with me——” “It is indeed provoking !” ejaculated Chris- tian. “So daring a robbery —— “ He robbed you, then P” ejaculated Rushbrook. “ Of my purse, which contained some twelve or fifteen pounds. For that I care comparatively nothing——but the annoyance of letting the ruffian escape ——” “Well, all I can say, my dear fellow,” responded the Viscount, “ is that I could not help it ; and I am exceedingly sorry for it. I repeat, it was a sudden dissinees that came over me. And I say, be so kind, Mr. Ashton, as to keep the matter a secret: for people are so malicious in this world— they may put a wrong construction on the affair— they may pretend that I was afraid—and I should get unmercifully laughed at——” “I really have no inclination to say anything EOMICOOOLKS. CO