The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 266: what you’re looking at

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

236 THE COURT OF LONDON. had made a suicide! But I did not state in that letter where I was residing; you can full well divine, Mr. Meagles, that I dared not incur the risk of becoming the object of his base persecution any more. My letter, then, as a matter of course remained unanswered, and I continued in ignorance of the effect which it had produced, or rather, whether it produced any at all. But every now and then I have sent to Jermyn Street to inquire whether any tidings had been received con- cerning you, and at the same time I have not forgotten to send to the lodging-house in Westminster, in the hope of. hearing intelligence with regard to that poor family. But to all the inquiries which I thus caused to be instituted, a negative was invariably returned. It must now be upwards of a fortnight since I last sent to Jermyn Street, and I should have despatched a domestic thither to-morrow or next day, had I not 80 wet and so happily encountered you this morning.” ‘* And it is within the last fortnight that I have returned to London, Miss Foster,”’ said Meagles. ‘“ My landlady in- formed me that numerous inquiries had been made concern- ing me while I was absent; but she did not tell me that any servant of Lady Bellenden’s had called.” ‘‘ Because I had charged my messengers, on every occasion, to deliver into your hands a note which I had written to you, and which was not to be left unless you were there in person to receive it. Ah! Mr. Meagles,” exclaimed the young lady, ‘you can well understand how cautious I am compelled to be in order to avoid every chance or risk of being discovered by my royal persecutor. I had heard, through Richard, that your lodgings had been searched and your papers taken away, and I feared that if a note were left there for you, containing my address, it might perchance fall into the hands of persons devoted to the interests of the prince.” ‘‘ And you acted prudently, Miss Foster,’ said Meagles. “Ah! I have indeed been treated with foul ingratitude by that prince, and with a diabolical tyranny by the govern- ment; but in monarchical countries, all princes are tyrants and all governments tyrannical. Condemned without trial, sentenced to deportation upon a fictitious charge, and hurried down to Woolwich immediately after our judgment was pronounced by a secret conclave of government hirelings and tools, Melmoth and myself were ordered to be placed on Gomichdoo S (E(0) m