The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 191: what you’re looking at

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

ALFRED — 165 “ Well, I should think so, truly,” observed Rigden. “It would be a palpable folly indeed. But if I gave your lord- ship offence by hinting at the suspicions which had been 3 gathering in my mind, I humbly beseech your lordship’s pardon.” “Oh! itis stihndd, Rigden, it is granted,” cried the earl, now recovering his equanimity. ‘ You will let your clerk become the bearer of.this letter, then? ” he observed, so soon as he had folded, sealed, and addressed the missive. The attorney responded in the affirmative, and Lord Montgomery took his departure. “There is something strange, something unaccountable, about my noble client,’ muttered Mr. Rigden to himself; ‘‘and despite of his indignant denial — despite also of the letter which he has written —I still believe my suspicions to be well grounded. He has always been very intimate with his cousin Fernanda, — too intimate I have sometimes thought. But be all that as it may, I care not. His lordship is one of the best of my clients, and that is the principal point I have to regard.” With this comfortable conclusion, Mr. Rigden rang the bell. The head clerk was summoned into his presence and ordered to make immediate preparations for a journey into the mid- land counties. The attorney gave him the requisite instruc- - tions, letters, and money, and the official departed in a post-chaise for Warwickshire. Throughout the remainder of the day did Mr. Rigden continue to pore over the documents lying upon his desk; and, as the business was now becoming urgent, he stayed at the office long after five o’clock. The head clerk, as we have just described, was absent, and all the others, save Alfred, left the place at the usual hour. The youth however re- mained to shut up the office. It was nearly nine o’clock when Mr. Rigden took his de- parture, thoroughly fagged with his fatiguing day’s work. No sooner was his back turned, when Alfred rubbed his hands gleefully and appeared scarcely able to restrain his joy within moderate bounds. But having given vent to his exultation, he sat down again and waited a full half-hour ere he took any step in the execution of the project which he had in hand. Then, feeling assured Mr. Rigden was gone for good, and that COU (c OO) S. (EO)