The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 264: what you’re looking at

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

242 THE COURT OF LONDON clear, and finding that it was so, he led the way to the Crim- son Drawing-room, where he knew lights to be burning. ‘Will you remain here for a few moments,” he asked, ‘‘ while I go and send the attendants up to my niece? They will not return to her until they hear the bell ring, or else receive orders to the same effect.”’ ‘“ And what guarantee have I,’’ demanded the Hangman, ‘‘ that you won’t come back to me with two or three con- stables at your heels? ”’ “The same guarantee which prevents me from ringing the bell now and summoning assistance,”’ and as the marquis thus spoke, he looked firmly in the Hangman’s face. “ True,’ said Daniel Coffin. ‘‘ And besides, you dare not provoke exposure, for a variety of reasons. Go, then, but be not long absent. One moment, however,” he added, as a thought struck him. ‘ What if any of your tall flunkys should happen to come in here during your absence? They might think it rather odd to find a genelman like me in the place, and not believing my word that you and I are old friends and have got private business together, they might unceremoniously drag me out into the street and lug me off to the watch-house. Now, this is a chance I should like to avoid.” ‘“‘ Well,’”’ said the marquis, after a few moments’ considera- tion, ‘‘ take one of the candles and step in here. You have been there before,’”’ he added, with bitter irony, ‘ and I need scarcely assure you that my domestics are not in the habit of intruding into that part of the house.” Thus speaking, the marquis unlocked the door leading into the suite of private apartments, and Daniel Coffin, taking up one of the wax lights, proceeded into the adjacent room. Lord Leveson closed the door upon him, and as he did so a sudden expression of malignant triumph appeared upon the nobleman’s features, as he muttered between his false teeth, “Nothing could be better. It aids the execution of the resolve which I have adopted.” He then quitted the Crimson Drawing-room and hastened to send the nurse up to his niece. Having done this, he sped to his own bedchamber, and taking from a cupboard a case of pistols, ascertained that they were loaded. As he put in fresh priming, he said to himself, ‘‘ All this must have an end. It is impossible to tolerate the persecutions of that monster comiclboooks.c@ im