The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 29: what you’re looking at

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i? the chamber of death; and at the same time she gazed upon him with a half-frightened, half-re- proachful look, on account of that malignant ex- pression which had swept over his features. But Ralph, taking little heed of the old woman, advanced to the window; and raising the blind he looked out. The travelling-carriage was how- ever drawn so close up to the entrance that he could rot from that point obtain a view of those who alighted: so he turned away again, and once more approaching the bed, waited till Lady Saxondale should make her appearance: for he naturally conjectured that she would at once re- pair to the chamber of death. Nor was he mistaken. In a few minutes the door opened slowly, and her ladyship eutered. She had thrown off her bonnet and shawl, and appeared in a simple morning wrapper, in which she had travelled: for she also had left London that morning in the utmost haste, the instant she read in the Lincolnshire paper, which had happened to reach her, the announcement re- specting her husband’s danger. And now Lady Saxondale and Ralph met face to face. ‘That same expression of malignity which a few minutes before had appeared upon his features, rose up again: but instead of cow- ering or quailing beneath it, the dark eyes of Lady Saxondale flashed upon him a look of mingled defiance and coutempt. The next moment she was upon her knees by the side of the couch of death ; and her head was bowed down upon the cold hand of her departed husband. In this po- sition she remained for several minutes; and a solemn silence prevailed in the room—a silence which not even Ralph dared interrupt. It was not any violent paroxysm of grief in which the lady testified her sorrow for her loss: her’s was a mind that retained its woe inwardly. But that she did feel—and deeply feel—the death of the old man who had been so kind, and gvod, and affectionate towards her, there can beno doubt. Besides, when she slowly rose again from her kneeling posture, there were tears upon the cold marble hand of the leceased—tears which she had shed silently ! She stood forseveralminutes more gazing down upon the lifeless features of the old lord; and her own countenance was fixedaud rigid, but with that deep and even awful calm which indicated that there was a powerful agitation of feelings within. ‘hen she stooped down and imprinted a kiss upon the forehead of the dead; and as she slowly turned away, her looks once more encountered those of Ralph, whose presence for the last few minutes she seemed altogether to have forgotten. ‘‘ Madam,” he said, in a low deep voice, “it must be upwards of five years since last we met. Little then did plain Miss Clifton imagine that | when next we met, she would be Lady Saxon- dale: although it was probable enough that I should be what I now am—Lord Saxondale !” “No, sir,” she answered, with grave solemnity : “you are still plain Mr, Ralph Farefield.” “Tlow, madam ?” he cried, with mingled me- nace and alarm, “ Because, sir,” she responded, “I have reco- vered my child; and the infant Lord Saxondale is at the present moment beneath this roof ;—then, sith so peculiar a look that it struck dismay to | THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. He immediately followed her,—horrible tee ings raging in his soul. His thoughts hadin » moment been plunged into a frenzied whirl: thera seemed to be madness in his brain. Had he been deceived by Chiffin? or was Lady Saxond le de- ceiving him? Had not the child been made away with? or if it had, was her ladyship trying to palm off a supposititious one upon the world as her own? But he would soon know! Ah, perhaps she did not think that he was aware of that mark upon the shoulder, the presence of which could alone prove the identity, and the absence of which would at once stamp the fraud! He overtook her as she was proceeding to the nearest drawing-room. “ Your ladyship says that the child is found ?” he muttered between his set teeth: and though he endeavoured to master his emotions and ap- pear collected and cool, yet he could not. “T said so—and it is the truth,” replied Lady Saxondale, calmly and gravely, as she had pre- viously addressed him in the death-chamber. “We shall see!” hesaid: and the words came hissing from his lips asif from those of a serpent; for his feelings were terrible—all the more terri- ble because so concentrated and it was impossi ble to allow them free vent. “Sir, do you dare doubt me?” demanded Lady Saxondale, stopping abruptly short and turning upon him the full power of her looks. He staggered back for a moment; for it struck him that there was something so confident and so full of assurance on her part that it was impossi- ble she could be practising a deception; and his countenance became ghastly, while a sickening sense of utter desolation and wretchedness seized upon his soul. Lady Saxondale’s eyes lingered upon him but fora moment: and then she pursued her way towards the drawing-room. Again mas- tering his emotions, and clutching at the hope that her’s was the attempt of a desperate woman to carry a tremendous deceit with a high hand, he followed her into the apartment. And there, sure enough, was a child in the arms of Mabel; and worthy Mr. Clifton was bendiug down and saying all kinds of affectionate and tender things to it, just as if the little inno- cent were perfectly capable of comprehending these ebullitions of heartfelt feeling on the part of its grandfather. The surgeon was standing by, contemplating the scene with ineffable satis- faction. Lady Saxondale advanced and took the child in her arms,—pressing it to her bosom in a manner that was as much as to imply no earthly power should now snatch it from her. It was only witha superhuman effort that Ralph could still master the feelings which were constituting a perfect hell within his breast ; but it was still with a lingering ghastliness on the countenance and with pale quiv ering lips that he approached the group. “'This, then,” he said, “is my little cousin, the lost child?” “God in his mercy be thanked for the dear | babe’s restoration !” exclaimed the Rev. Mr. Clif- ton in a fervid tone. “ Poor little innocent! He is somewhat thinner and paler than when last I saw him; but I should have known him, for all that, amongst a thousand~aye, and a thousand | miles off | Ratph’s heart, she turned round aud slowly quitted the ronw, I retttitinittien gilitiiingemaiti¢ipnny: dni a a ae too!” added the worthy gentleman. ‘There are the same pretty eyes; and the very 0 ee oe + ee — ee 0 oc ge +> — -c0 e+ eee 4 CORNIELOO<S (E(0)