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.

———— ' ——_ ' a - a ia | J2 away from the dangerous vicinity of the horses’ hoofs; and arapid glance by the aid of the pure | moonlight enabled him to perceive that the man _was not killed, and was indeed already regaining 'his senses. Mr. Harley then assisted the lady’s- _maid, who was half dead with terror, to descend from her critical position on the box ;—and, having thus ensured her safety, he opened the door of the barouche to afford egress to the two ladies. All this had been the work of less than half a minute ; but scarcely had Mr. Harley obtained a glimpse of the countenance of the lady who was farthest from the side of the vehicle where he stood, when he uttered an ejaculation of amazement, and, darting away behind the barouche, disappeared in a few moments. The ladies themselves were too much terrified to notice his features when he had approached the doortoopenit; and now, hastily percipitating them- selves from the interior, they were received in the arms of Octavia and Pauline. For the sisters, perceiving the sudden flight of Mr. Harley, sprang forward to succour those whom he had thus un- accountably abandoned. One of the ladies was apparently about eighteen or nineteen; the other was upwards of ten years older ;—and it was the former whose countenance had produced so strange an effect upon Mr. Harley. The sisters instantaneously conducted these two ladies into their parlour; and the younger one, sinking upon a chair, moaned and writhed as if in great pain. The elder lady appeared to be seized with a sudden consternation at beholding these symptoms on the part of her companion: but almost immediately recovering her presence of mind, she turned towards the sisters, exclaiming in a tone of hurried though fervent appeal, “ For the love of God, young ladies, assist my suffering friend to a bed-room—she is about to become a mother!” This intelligence, startling though it were, was sufficient to excite all the generous sympathies that dwelt in the bosoms of the sisters: and they has- tened to comply with the urgent request, while the elder lady rushed back into the road to give certain instructions to the postilions and the servants. By this time the valet had recovered his senses ' and was slowly approaching the house, leaning on ee re ee the arm of the lady’s-maid, who, as we have already intimated, was more frightened than hurt. The elder lady’s orders were rapidly and imperi- ously given. “ Matilda,” she said, addressing herself to the female, “ hasten to rejoin your mistress, who is seriously indisposed :” and as she uttered these words, she darted upon the abigail a glance of deep meaning, which the clear moonlight prevented from being either lost upon her or misunderstood. Matilda accordingly hurried into the house. “Pembroke,” said the lady, now speaking with equal rapidity to the valet, “you must get those postilions away and all traces of the accident re- moved as speedily as possible. Reward the men liberally—and see that the occurrence is kept as quiet as it may be. Having done this, you must take a lodging for yourself in the neighbourhood; and let me know your address—by (letter, mind— in the course of to-morrow, so that I may be enabled to convey farther instructions to you. You —_—_— — ———_ ____ ——__ ~_ THE MYSTERIES. can direct tome in the name of—let me see ?— oh! Mrs. Smith; anda glance will inform you pre- sently the number of this house and the name ot the Place or Terrace, or Row, where it is situated.” The valet received these instructions with a low bow; and the lady whom we shall now denominate Mrs. Smith—that being the nomenclature which had | first suggested itself to her mind—hurried back into the villa. Ascending to the bed-room whither her younger companion had been borne, she exclaimed, upon entering the chamber, “ How does my dear Mrs. Mordaunt feel now ?” These words were uttered with a rapid and ex- pressive glance at the lady’s-maid, as much as to convey an intimation of the name by which the in- valid was to pass; and the sisters were too much be- wildered by this new adventure that had occurred, to notice anything extraordinary in the way in which the question was put. The invalid herself—whom we must call Mrs. Mor- daunt—was in the incipient agonies of a premature childbirth, and too wretched in mind as well as too much anguished in body to notice anything that was passing around her. Mrs. Smith now implored Octavia to procure the immediate attendance of a medical man; and the young lady, throwing on her bonnet and shawl, hastened to comply with the re- quest. Pauline quitted the chamber at the same time, and repaired to the parlour, where she awaited the return of her sister, who shortly re-appeared, fol- lowed by a surgeon from the neighbourhood. The medical gent!eman thus summoned, was about forty years of age, and tolerably handsome. His features were large and regular; but his countenance could not altogether be styled pleasing, inasmuch as there was a sinister expression in the eyes which, though scarcely definite enough to strike a superficial observer, would not have escaped any one of keener perception. It happened that he had only just re- turned home from the house of a patient when Miss Clarendon called; and he was accordingly dressed in his usual manner, which was with considerable neat- ness and precision, when he accompanied her to the villa. questions through motives of curiosity: so long as he was well paid, he saw things only with a professional eye ;—but he was avaricious, selfish, and of a money- making disposition. He was married to a lady who shared | in his miserly propensities; and as they had no children and his practice was extensive, they had contrived to amass a handsome independence. Mr. Thurston—for this was the name of the medical gentleman-—was introduced into the bed- chamber where his services were required; and Oc- tavia, having seen him as far as the door of that room, returned to her sister in the parlour. “This is a night of adventures, Pauline,” she ob- served, as she seated herself near the cheerful fire and warmed her hands which were chilled with the nip- ping frost. “But the present incident is more extraordinary and also more unpleasant, than the former,” returned the younger Miss Clarendon. “ By the bye, did you notice how abruptly Mr. Harley took his depar- ture ?”’ “T consider his behaviour to be most rude—most ungentlemanlike,” said Octavia, with a strong em- phasis on the epithets. “ After the hospitality we afforded him — and under such equivocal cir- He wasa person of few wards, and neverasked | | | | ElNOOlKS COMA a COU