The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 27: what you’re looking at

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

14 tambstones in the hope of finding Carnabie, Crazy dane hed caught a glimpse of the Rurker’s form ; and at once recognising him as the man whom she had gcen with Jonathan, she thought of inquiring where the sexton himself was? She had ap- prosehed aociselessly end unpesceived, though she | form af hed nos at first studied this degree of caution: just ga che was aboys to address him, he began to speak ; end his voice struck her with an effect ag if @ heavy blew had been dealt ber. She knew it at ance: it was that of the man whom she had heard convers- ing with Mra. Webber at the beck gate of Pol- lard’s house at Liverpool, aa the night when the murder of that unfortunate gentleman was aecom- plished. Orazy Jane glided behind the tombstane, and listened ip dumb horrar te the words of ynu- mistakeable menace that issued from the villein’s lipa. When he had ceased speaking, she glided away, op already stated; and this time she did siudy (@ Rareie her path an nalecleaaly 46 Pos. sible GCHAPTRER LEXXY, WOODRRIDGR. Te wae eight o’clock in the evening, when e pont- chae drove into the little wilage of Woodbriiga, and stopped at the inn. A single traveller alighted —and this was Mr. Bedelifie, In anawez to the imquirisg of the landlord, he stated that he might remem a day or two ip that plece; and be nodded an assent to the propos) that refreshments gbould he at onea sazved up. Thoes however he ecescely touched, and presently stzolled ferth te woa the gentle breeze of the cryen, ing, end perheps to seck come salitude where for 9 while he might be silane with hig own thoughts He had contain inquiries to make ip (hig neigh- bourhood ; but he postponed thega until the morrog fon hia veflogtionn during the dey’ traxelling hed, as wes indeed often the oace with the unhappy eat tee exemted his feolvags ta the extremest te oe steps taok » teok him towards the churchyard : it was nog a little past nine o'elock—tha gyening was beautifully cleer—and slowly did Mr. Red- cliffe pursyp his way through the cemetery, con; templeting the greve-stones. Presently his ayes settled upon that particulas one which hag been 60 often mgationed, and which bore the inscription of October, 183). donathen Caguabie’s care had recently blackened the indented letters forming this ipecription; eo that it waa plainly visible on the gleaming white aurface of the atane. Mr. Red- cliffe was naturally struck by the guguler brevity of thie graven memogial of the buried dead; and the date too appeared to give 9 thrilling keenness to the wemories that were floating in hie mind. “ Siogular epitaph i” he said in an audible tone: “wherefore the absence of any name to indicate to the paseer-by who reposes beneath? Was it that the dead who lies bere, was, when living, a0 stained with ctame that surviving relatives, though be- towing the right of solemn eae yet dared not perpetuate a name that guilt had rendesed in- famous? And yet it can soareely be ao; for if it were, the remains of thie unnamed one would SUR MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. scarcely have found sepulture in consecrated qs At that ingtant Mr. Redcliffe became aware of a human form approgching along the walk inter- aecting the churchyard: he saw that it was the & woman—and a second glence made hia start and ejaculate, “Ab! ong of the objects of my search !” “ Mr. Radcliffe,” said Crazy Jane~-for she in- deed it wag—and she presented herself with ne greeting of cogrtesy, nox with any apology for hes abrupt and secret withdrawal from the asylum which he had provided fos hey afters the trial of Lettice Rodney,—“ Mr. Redcliffe, there lies the one cancersnjng whom you have twice or thrice spoken to me!” Crazy Jane pointed with her lank arm to the grave; and Redcliffe, hastily turning gside, con- cealed fram the woman's view the yauttesable emotions which had suddenly found silent but eloquent expression in his countenance. “Then she is dead!” he a§ length lowly mar- mured ta himself: but the women beard not what he said. “How know you,” he inquired, after another pause of nearly a minute,—" hoy kuow you that she lies here ?” “You yourself shall knog it from the same source whence | learnt it,” gnewesed Jane. “O Mr, iffa! I am not mad at this moment. No, na !—never, never for long yeara heve I yn- desetaod myself so well ag at this instant !—no, no$ even when telling all | kuew to the magim trates and yourself in respect to the horrible myrtdes gt Liverpool! ing,” she continued, alowly and gravely, and in a pesfeotly callected manner, “which have made me reflect in a way that 1 bave not reflected beforze tor a long, long time. A change bas taken place within me. I feel it Aerg,” she said, placing lce hand upon her brow; “and I feel it here, 100," she added, placing her band upon her heagt, “I am rejoiced to hear you thus speak, Jang {” replied Redclifie: but though he spoke of joy, there wag nevertheless a deep sadness in hig tune, he ne Seinen from tbe fountaing of his “ Yea, sir,” proceeded the momen, “I felt that I had @ mission te sccomplish, crazed though | were —a& migsign (0 discaver the fate of my beloyed mistress; and at the very time when methought my footetepa were most wayward, heayen itself was guiding them towards the spot where the mystery wes to be solved!” “ But, Ob! bow js this mystery eolyad 0” asked Redcliffe, in, @ voice where pathos, and angvish, and suapense were so commingled that they seemed to give to his accents a new tone, and at the same time the mournful workings of hig countenance expressed such kindred feelings that they eppeared to give it a now aspect. Jane started gs if something had suddenly gal- vanized ber—aqs if eome long-slumbering memory of the past was Dow all in an instant awakened; and with a species of dismayed suspense, strangely bleaded with a wondering j joy that dared no§ have faith in the source of its awn existence, ber eyes were fixed keenly and searchingly upop bin. “Good heavens!” ” she ¢jaculated, “is 14 pps- sible? Oh! what wild ideas are these 2—ideas of the lang lost—yea, even of the dead——” I heard things this mora. GOHMGooOo @) cS) CO