The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 343: what you’re looking at

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828 Harold Staunton made no retort; but took his departure from Evergreen Villa—crestfullen, dis- eomfited, baffled in every way CHAPTER LXVIIL THE PHYSICIAN AND HIS NIGHT'S ADVENTURES. Ir was the same night as that on which the in- cidents of the two preceding chapters occurred, and between eleven and twelve o’clock, that Dr. Ferney was engaged i in his dissecting-room. Several apart- ments in the eminent physician’ s mansion,—which was situated in Conduit Street, Hanover Square,— have been minutely described in an earlier chapter : but the one to which we are now introducing the reader, was not noticed upon that occasion. It had a grim and ghastly appearance, as all dissecting- rooms have; and the atmosphere was damp, raw, and sickly, like that of death. All the paraphernalia necessary for anatomical purposes, met the eye;— and the floor, though carefully scoured after each dissection, retained upon its deal boards the inefface- able marks of the fluids which flow from a corpse. For some years past Dr. Ferney had scldom prosecuted this branch of his studies—unless indeed under some peculiar circumstances he obtained pos- session of a “subject.” Such was the case on the occasion when we now penetrate into the dissecting- room; and there, by the light of a powerful gas- lamp suspended over the table in the centre, shall we find the medical man engaged in the dissection of a corpse. It was the body of an clderly female, and was but little decomposed. Nevertheless, there was a certain discolouration of the skin, which the phy- sician had not failed to observe the moment the corpse was drawn forth from the sack by the body- snatchers who had brought it to the house half-an- hour previously. That “certain suspicicns had en- tered Dr. Ferney’s mind, was evident enough from the peculiar gravity which sat upon his pale pensive countenance: but with the imperturbability cha- racteristic of his profession generally, and of him- self in particular, he pursued his work steadily and apart from all excitement. For about an hour did he continue to use the scalpel,—laying open the throat which he carefully examined, and subjected to several tests—likewise the stomach, which he treated in a similar manner. At length he put aside his instruments—washed his hands in a bason that stood ready for the purpose—and ali the while seemed to be reflecting profoundly what course he pught to pursue under circumstances of an em- barrassing and perplexing nature. When he had performed his ablutions, he looked at his watch and found it was near one o’clock in the morning. For a moment he hesitated whether to retire to his chamber and postpone till day-time the purpose which he had in view: but he felt that he should not be able to sleep until he had got it off his mind ;—and issuing forth from the dissecting- room, he locked the door, putting the key in his pocket. He thence proceeded to his laboratory, where he unlocked a drawer, and taking out a phial with a sealed cork, assured himself that this seal had not been broken. Returning the phial to the eo eee ee ee asa et ee MYSTERIES OF THE ; and paper. SOURT. drawer, Dr. Ferney now “‘ourimadd cid welorb; bat tools fist dewey Gy, -Feeses Suge elena aaa the stairs ; and taking a latch-key with him, quitted the house. Proceeding to the nearest cab-stand, he entered one of the vehicles, and ordered the driver to take him to John Street, Clerkenwell. On arriving in the vicinage of Cow Cross, Dr. Ferney alighted from the cab—desired the driver to wait for him—and entering a narrow dark alley, speedily reached that same knacker’s yard which Lady Bess had visited when seeking an interview with old Bub Shakerly. This was likewise the in- dividual whom the doctor came to visit. The old man was in bed; and not a glimmering of a light shone forth fan any window of the wretched htt house which he inhabited close by the gate of his yard. However, Dr. 7 was resolved not to be disappointed ; and he accordingly knocked at the door until a window was opened—a head, with a night-cap on, was thrust out—and Bob Shakerly’s voice demanded who was there? “It is I, Dr. Ferney. I wish to speak to you most particularly.” ‘Coming, sir—coming in a few minutes,” at once responded ‘the old man; and drawing in his head, he closed the window, whence, almost immediately afterwards a light glimmered forth. In a minute or two steps were heard descending the stairs within. The door was opened—and Bob Shakerly appeared, his scraggy form enveloped in an old dressing-gown, and his dirty cotton nightcap upon his head. “Walk in, sir. Sorry to keep you waiting. Nothink wrong, I hope? The traps hav’n’t got scent of the job?’—and he surveyed the doctor with some degree of anxiety. “ No—nothing of that kind,’ answered Ferney, as he entered the house. “That’s all right, then,” said Shakerly, much relieved. ‘ Walk into this room, sir: it’s not over tidy—for as I’m a bachelor, I’ve got nobody to make things neat and comfortable.” “No apology is necessary,” answered the doctor, as he entered a little apartment where eve rything was dirty to a degree, although it was by no means poor in furniture. *‘Sit down, sir—pray sit down :’”—and Shakerly placed upon the table the candle which he had held in his hand. ‘“ Now, sir, what is it?” “T wish to ask you a few questions,” said the doctor. ‘ Were you present with your men when that corpse was exhumed?” “To be sure I was. It’s very little—as you knows, doctor—that I does in that way now: but when any of my chaps tells me of a chance, why, I don’t choose to let it slip through my fingers.” “Well, well,” interrupted the physician : “we will not waste words. Did you notice whose name was upon the coflin-lid?”’ “T always does,” replied Shakerly; “and what’s more, I makes a memorandum of it when I tomes home, just for the fun of the thing—to see how many stiff ’uns I have had up in my time.” “What is the name of this woman you have brought me to-night ?” demanded Ferney. “ Tiere it be, sir,” answered Shakerly, taking out an old well- thumbed dog’s-eared book from the table- drawer, and turning over some of the pages. a There, sir—you can copy it,—and there’s pen, ink, But is there swmmut wrong ?” EY a EORNICLOO (C <S) (€)