The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 262: what you’re looking at

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

—_—_—_———— Se THWE MYSTRRIES OF THE COURT. 251 dences of something very unusual having occurred. His apparel in some parte was stained with mud; and pieces of straw were amongst his hair and whiskers. His talo—as a matter of course an invented one —was speedily told. He was a gentleman who had experienced the misfortune of losing a very large sum of money through the dishonesty of a friend whom he had trusted; his creditors had dealt harshly with him; they had set the bailiffs on his track; and it was with the utmost trouble, after fording a river and hiding in a farm-yard, that he had succeeded in eluding those harpies of the law. All he wanted was a little temporary succour ; for if he could once get to Paris, he had wealthy friends residing there, whose purses would be placed at his disposal; and he should then be enabled most liberally to reward those who might now assist him in his need. Such were the explanations givon by De Mar. gaux to the troop of strolling players; and the effect his words produced was precisely such as he had anticipated. He had enlisted their sympathies by the tale of his misfortunes: he had excited their cupidity by his promises of eventual reward. Their offers of services were promptly and heartily made; and it was left to himself to point out in which manner they could be best rendered avail- able. A disguise, to enable him to elude the bailiffe—his amalgamation, so to speak, amongst the troop, that he might journey under the pro- tection of the passport which served them in com- mon-—and a removal from that neighbourhood with the least possible delay,—these were the boons which De Margaux required and the suggestions which he had to offer. - The members of the company had only heard vague reports relative to the capture of a horde of banditti: they were too much occupied with their own concerns to pey perticular attention to what was passing around them in a foreign country. Thus, not for a single instant did they mistrust the tale so speciously told them by De Margaux, nor suspect that he was aught beyond what he repre- sented himeelf. The strollera consisted of about a dozen persons, including the “ violins’ and the “ flageolet;”” and three or four of them were females. With these latter De Margaux became an object of especial sympathy: they considered it so shocking that a gentleman with such a hend. some moustache should have been deceived by a faleo friend and hunted by bailiffs through the muddy waters of a river and the slough of a farm- yard. It was a matter of perfect indifference to the entire troop of strollers as to the particular direction in which they proceeded ; and they there- fore readily yielded to the wish expressed by De Margaux, that by a circuitous route they should make for the capital. A removal from the village- barn at a very early hour in the morning was ac- cordingly resolved upon: but in the meanwhile it was necessary that De Margaux should effectually disguise himself. He eommenoed by shaving off the moustache and the luxuriant whiskers which had so captivated the ladies of the troop: he like- wise cropped the rich growth of his hair. The whole of his faco being clean shaved, s¢ once altered his appearance considerably ; and a brown wig, supplied by the “theatrical properties,” com- pleted the metamorphosis in respect to the head. His own apparel was exchanged for a rusty suit, of quite a different style and fashion, which the manager lent him; and thus, when his toilet was accomplished in a corner of the barn behind a por- tion of the hanging scenery, it was next to impos- able to recognise the late fashionable and almost briliant De Margaux in the fallen, dilapidated ap- pearance which he now presented. At a very carly hour in the morning, a cart was borrowed from the good-natured farmer who had lent the baru; and the strollers, with their new acquaintance and the boxes containing their theatrical properties, took their departure for another place,—De Mar. gaux being careful to direct them in a route which carried him farther off from the scene of his late exploits. Hitherto he had succeeded in a manner which almost transcended the hopes and expectations he entertained when first resalving to make use of this itinerant company for his own purposes. But still one source of dread haunted his mind. What if any of his companions, two or three of whom understood French, should happen to read the placards which, as he had foreseen, had sprang as it were into existence in a marvellously short space of time? They could scarcely fgil to identify him as the escaped felon whose personal appearance at the time of his flight, was described with such painful accuracy in those bills. But he managed so to beguile the way with his conversation—he told so many anecdotes to interest his new com- panions, that he suecpeded in engrossing their whole attention, and preventing them from fixing their regards on a single placard on any of the walls or fences by whieh they passed. Fortunately likewise, the farmer's man, who drove the cart, could not read; and thus every circumstance ap- peared to progress favourably for our adventurer. CHAPTER CXXXIV. VATHER AND DAUGHTER. Wa must now take a temporary leaveof the strolling players, and return to the pricon whence De Margaux had escaped. Finette, i¢ will be remembered, had thrown her- eelf in a state of distraction upon the prostrate and inanimate form of her sire, whom she believed to have been killed by the violence with which he was hurled to the ground. He however speedily showed signs of life; and thus a tremendous weight was lifted from the mind of the unfortu- nate Finette. The alarm raised by the turnkey immediately previous to his struggle with De Margaux, had reached the ears of his brother- doorkeepers inside the prison, as well as of the sentinel who paced in front of it. Several persons therefore were soon upon the spot where the con- fliot had taken plaee, and where the drugged soldier still iny senseless, while Finette’s father was coming back to consciousness. The fact that De Margaux had escaped was quickly made known 3 @ pursuit was institated in every direction ; and a printing: press in the town was promptly set to work to turn out bills and placards offering a re- ward for his capture. A mounted police-officer passed through the very village in the neighbour- COMIC OOOlK<S conn -