The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 24: what you’re looking at

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

6 THE COURT OF LONDON “Murderess, you will yet swing upon the scaffold! ” shouted the Hangman, in a terrible voice. But Ernestina gave him no answer, and the next moment he heard the secret door in the wall quickly close, and then all was still, The miscreant was alone, and imprisoned as he was, enveloped, too, in the deep darkness, he began to shudder lest the avenging lady had indeed prognosticated his doom but too truly. We must, however, follow the steps of Lady Ernestina Dysart. Having issued forth from the secret chamber, she did not ascend again into her own bedroom, but proceeding down-stairs she noiselessly opened the front door, and draw- ing down her veil, quitted the house. The heaven was still quite dark, but the street-lamps at once showed her a tatterdemalion form walking to and fro on the opposite side of the way. The instant, however, Lady Ernestina sallied forth, the disguised officer turned and stood still for a moment, but he was about to resume his lounging, shuffling walk again, ere following her at a distance, when to his surprise Lady Ernestina crossed over to him and said, in a firm voice, ‘“ I know who you are, I know what you are here for. I am going to Hanover Square. Follow me if you like.”’ The officer was certainly taken aback for a moment; but instantaneously recovering himself, he affected not to be able to comprehend what her ladyship meant. Not knowing what her object could possibly be, he fancied that this proceeding on her part was a portion of some stratagem, and therefore resolved to act in a way which should give her no opportunity of entrapping him into any revelation or admission that she might be seeking to elicit. But having addressed him in that manner, Lady Ernes- tina said no more; and instantaneously turning away, she hurried into Bond Street, and thence by the nearest cut to Hanover Square. Not once did she look behind until she reached the house with No. 20 on the front door, and then, having knocked and rung, she gazed about her. At just a sufficient distance to enable her to distinguish the object by the lamps, but too far off for her to descry its aspect, she beheld a human form, and she felt persuaded that it was the disguised officer who had followed ther. . Several minutes elapsed ere any answer was given to her CORnNIC OOO (Cl)