The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 337: what you’re looking at

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

EARL OF MONTGOMERY’S VISITORS 307 himself, he hurried down-stairs to the parlour where Chap- man was waiting for him. “ What tidings, my good friend?” demanded the earl, as he closed the doors of the apartment behind him. ‘¢ Something which your lordship ought to know,” returned the old man, who had a forbidding countenance and a sinister expression of the eyes. ‘Good or bad? Speak!” ejaculated Eugene, impatiently. ““ Good, I should say,” was the rejoinder. “Then we may now converse at our ease, Chapman,” said the earl, flinging himself upon a sofa with the air of a man who has just had a considerable weight taken off his mind. ‘I felt assured that it must have been business of no ordinary importance that could have brought you up to London and made you come to me thus early in the morning; and I was fearful that something might have transpired relative to the vault — ”’ ‘“There’s nothing to apprehend on that score,” inter- rupted Chapman. ‘ Nobody in Bellenden village has learned as yet, or ever will learn, that your lordship had most particu- lar and private reasons for ordering your agents to employ me to open the Bellenden vault when they went down to the village three months ago. Of course Northwitch the sexton was very savage at the preference; but he could make nothing more of it than a mere preference.” ‘Good. And now about your visit to London? ”’ said the earl, inquiringly. “Your lordship told me I was always to let you know anything that transpired,’”’ observed Chapman; “ and therefore I thought I would lose no time in coming up. I left Bellenden the evening before last, took a chaise-cart over to Birmingham, and then got a place outside the heavy stage which landed me in London an hour ago — ” *“* After two nights on the road, eh? ” remarked the earl. ‘“ Well, and you hurried away to me at once the moment you dismounted at the coach-office? ”’ ‘¢ Just so, my lord,”’ was the reply. “* And the object of your visit? ””? exclaimed the earl, in- terrogatively. ** Lady Bellenden has been down at the village, my lord —’ ** Ah! But for what purpose? ” “ ‘To examine the vaults and the registers — ”’ COMMUC boo eS (EO)