The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 34: what you’re looking at

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

CHAPTER II THE POND AccorpDING to the plan which he had in view, the Duke of Marchmont observed on the Monday evening what particular dress Lavinia wore, and he was inwardly delighted by the recollection that there was a duplicate thereof in the posses- sion of Lettice at the farmhouse. At about nine o’clock on this evening of which we are now writing, he rose from his chair in the drawing-room, where he was seated with the duchess and the Honourable Wilson Stanhope, and com- plaining of a dreadful headache, said he should take a ramble through the grounds with the hope of dispelling it. But on issuing forth from the mansion, he made the best of his way to the farmhouse, gave Lettice the requisite infor- mation with regard to the particular dress she was to put on, and then began to retrace his steps homeward. The evening was very different from that of the Saturday when Lettice took her first trip on her nefarious mission to Oaklands. It was indeed just such an evening as that on which Christian had accompanied the duke, to carry the box to the farmhouse. It was dark and windy, and March- mont drew his cloak more closely around him as he had to breast that gusty wind on his way back to the mansion. On nearing the pond, the surface of which gave forth a feeble shimmering light, he quickened his pace, but all in a moment he stopped short, and staggered as if about to fall, on beholding a dark form standing on the very spot where he had seen his murdered uncle’s corpse on that memorable morning when the foul deed was first discovered by Purvis and Leachley. Yes, unmistakably that form was there, be- yond all possibility of doubt it stood upon that spot, motion- less as if it were a statue. The Duke of Marchmont stopped 18 COMMICLOOOKS COM