The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 338: what you’re looking at

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THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. really tarned her brain, and she resolved to speak ¢o the local authorities in the morning. But the lady never came back. Some time afterwards sho yead in an old newspaper that happened to fall into her hands, a narrative of the tragic events which had occurred at Oaklands; and she was more than half inclined to fancy that the strangers whom she had seen at her house were none other than Ber- tram Vivian and the Duchess Eliza: but afraid of gotting into some trouble if it were known that she had held any communication with persons who were accused of such crimes, she held her peace con- cerning them. When now asked to describe to the Oommittee of Privileges the lady who had thus remained a few hours beneath her roof so many years ego, she drew a portraiture which pre- cisely corsesponded with that of the unfortunate Duchess. The next witness was the proprietor of a lunatic asylum jn Northumberland. This gentleman stated that in the fall of the year 1829—and, so far as he could recollect, about a fortnight or three weeks alter the dates mentioned by Mrs. Hutton—he one morning found a lady wandering in a wild state in the feids near his establishment. He conducted her to his house; and he found that she wes com- pletely deprived of her intellect. She was no sooner located there than she sank into a deep silent brooding dejeetion. He made inquirics throughout the neigbhourhoed and advertised in several local newspapers—but sould obtain not the slightest clue relative to who she was. As she was evidently a person of gentility, or at least had known better days, he and his wife took compassion en her: and when they found that she was ina way to become a mother they looked upon her as the victim of seduction who had most probably been disearded by her friends; and they therefore deemed i unnecossary—or rather, we should say, useless— to institute any additional research on her behalf. Ghe never spoke a word—but was docile as a lamb, gave end except if any one endeavoured te examine the little bag whieh she kept in her basom; and then sho grew frantic. They therefore for huma- pity’s sake desisted from their endeavours to see what it contained; and still from motives of cha- vity they kept her at their asylum. At the oxpi- vation of some weeks, however, she grew violent, and gave indications of approaching delirium. Her head was accordingly shaved: but during the night that followed, she escaped from the asylum, and was heard of by the witnese no more. The noxt witness produced before their lord- ships was Jonathan Carnabie. He deposed that he was sexton and parish-clerk at the village of Woodbridge, in Westmoreland. He recollec that in the begigning of the year 1980, he very early one morning beheld a fomale lying over a grave in the ohurehyard. He hastened to raise her: be thought that she was dead—for she was pale, cold, and rigid as a eorpsee. She however proved to be merely in a deep swoon. He know that she was a lady by her appearance, though her dress was much travel-scited—holes were worn through her shoes and stockings—her feet were out and bleeding. Jonathan bore her off to the parsonage, which was close by the church: the clergyman and his family were sbsent at the time oa a visit to sume friends in Lanvashire; and th@e was no one but a female-servant in the par- 327 sonage. This woman however did her best to re- cover the poor lady from her iusensibility ; and in time she succeeded. A medical man was sent for; and he at once pronounced that she was utterly bereff of her senses—that her reason was gone—that her mind was a perfect void. Indeed, her head had evidently been but very recently shaved ; and it was therefore concluded she had escaped from some lunatic asylum. She had a little velvet bag attached toa ribbon round her neck; and the only sign of vital consciousness which she displayed, was when any one attempted to touch this bag. The surgeon said it was use- less to excite the poor lady to frenzy by taking the little bag from her in order to open it; for that it doubtless merely contained some trinkets which had been given to amuse her at the asylum whence she had escaped—and that therefore these trinkets themselves could not be supposed to afford any clue as to who she was or whence she had come. The intelligence of the discovery of the poor lady in the churchyard speedily spread through the village, and reached the ears of a worthy gentleman of the name of Ashton, who was then residifg at Woodbridge. He felt interested’ in the case; and he gave the poor lady a home. He watched the newspapers of Wesat- moreland and the surrounding counties, in order to see if any advertisement appeared describing who the lady might be: but no notification of the kind was given. Sho therefore became domiciled at Mr. Ashton’s; and it was in the month of May, 1830, that she became the mother of twins. She never recovered her senses sufficiently to give the slightest account of herself: but she displayed the most affectionate tenderness towards her poor babes. Mr. Ashton, who was the most benevolent of men, treated her with a kindness which could not have been greater were he her father; and he bestowed his own name on the poor children. As they were twins, he resolved to give them Christian names which should have a kindred significancy, or rather similitude; and hence those names of Ohbristian and Ohristina, In the month of Oo- tober the poor lady died; and she was buried in the churchyard at Woodbridge,-— Mr. Ashton causing the stone, with the simple inscription of * October, 1880," to be erected at the head of her grave. Very shortly afterwards he removed to some place about five-and-twenty miles distant; and Jonathan Carnabie heard no more of him nor of the children. In answer to leading questions that were put, the old sexton drew a portraiture of the lady, which corresponded with that of the Duchess Eliza; and he produced the baptismal ted | certificate of the twins, their birthday being the one which, according to Christian’s previous state- ment, they had always been wont to keep during the lifetime of Mr. Ashton. Eord Clandon was the noxt witness who at- tended to give his evidence before the Committee of Priviloges. He stated that immediately upon his return to England from India, he set off into Cumberland, and called at the bouse of Mrs. Hutton, where he had bidden farewell to the Duchess Eliza so many years back. Mrs. Hutton did not know him at first: but when he began in- stituting inquiries, she recognised him; and sho grew frightened—for she had all along believed that he was really Bertram Vivian to whom the ——— . GOnNGIOOKSHeOn