The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 257: what you’re looking at

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

LLL ~ THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. farther concerning the eccentric lady’s history, as every instant that was lost in the gratification of mere curiosity could only tend to diminish the eventual chances of success. “ But tell me ig “One word!” she interrupted, with a sort of petulant impatience that appeared to be charac- teristic of her: “we must at all events know how to address each other during the short time we remain together. What is your name?” * Jocelyn Loftus,” was the answer. “And mine is Laura Linden,” she immediately rejoined, in a tone so full of ingenuousness and un- affectea simplicity that our young hero was angry with himself for having in any way suspected her even fora moment. “ Perhaps you have heard of me before ?” * No—never,” answered Jocelyn. “ But permit me to observe that since your enemies appear to be sq very rancorous, and for such unworthy or rather scandalous causes, it will become my duty to propose to you, on our escape hence, such escort and protection as I may be enabled to afford.” “ Which I shall accept cheerfully and thanixfully back to England,” replied Laura. “ And now let us apply ourselves earnestly and vigorously to work,” “But have you already any settled plan which you are pursuing, Miss Linden?” inquired Loftus. “T have ascertained the whole geography of the immense range of buildings which constitute the Prefecture,” replied the lady. “The old char- woman, yielding to heavy bribes and to the still more munificent promises which I made her, has been won over to my interests. It was she who supplied me with such implements as I required: and she also described to me the situation of every part of the entire structure. There is not a room, nor a corridor, nor a courtyard, the topography of which remains unknown to me. This knowledge made me aware that if I succeeded in escaping from the windows of my own room, I should have to descend into a courtyard where detection and arrest would be inevitable. I therefore resolved— on learning that my neighbour (I mean yourself) was an Englishman—to penetrate into this room and achieve my flight by means of one of those casements. There is no sentinel in the court below: I know all its outlets—and with a coura- geous spirit to succour us, we may be free long ere the first ray of dawn shall glimmer in the eastern horizon.” “T presume,” said Loftus, glancing upon the various articles laid upon the table, “that we are to file away the bars of the window—descend by the silken ladder into the courtyard—and make use of those skeleton-keys for any door that may bar our progress ?” “Such is the course which I propose,” answered Laura, * But this bottle of yellow fluid?” said Jocelyn, inquiringly. “Tt is nitric acid to moisten the iron bars, and render the filing of them more easy, But quick! quick!” she again cried with petulant impatience: * let us to work !” “ It is now half-an-hour past midnight,” observed Loftus, consulting his watch: “ let us see if we have sufficient time before us to execute all that is to be done.” Thus speaking, he gently and noiselessly opened ee 243 one of the casements: and holding a candle close to the bars, he examined them attentively. ‘Yes, Miss Linden,” he observed, “I will under- take to remove a couple of those bars in two hours— an hour for each. Then judging from your ideas of the topography of the place, shall we have sufficient time to accomplish all that may afterwards remain to be done ere daylight ?” “ Yes—undoubtedly,” answered Laura, with all the nervous trepidation of a captive impatient to be free. But scarcely was this rapid colloquy interchanged, when a gruff voice, coming from the courtyard below, exclaimed in French, “ Shut that window up there, and put out the lights directly!”’—and at the same time the rattling of a bunch of keys was heard. “Good heavens !” murmured the lady, clasping her hands as if indespair: “it is the watchman going his rounds, who has thus observed us!” ‘“ And now,” said Loftus, m a tone of bitter dis- appointment, “we must look upon all our hopes as annihilated!” “ Not so—not so,” ejaculated Laura, as ifsuddenly inspired with new courage: “ but we must assuredly abandon our project for this night—and in the morning I will ascertain from the old charwoman the precise hours at which that watchman goes his rounds. We can then conduct our operations ac- cordingly to-morrow night.” “Beit so,’ said Loftus, well pleased to observe that Miss Linden, who evidently knew far more concerning the arrangements of the Prefecture than he did, was not disposed to resign herself to despair. “ Now then, Number 15 there! are you going to put out those lights?” exclaimed the gruff voice of the watchman from the courtyard below: and again did he clank his keys, as if backing his words by the sounds of the emblems of authority. “My good friend,” said Jocelyn, approaching the casement, which still remained open, “this is the first time that ever I have been ordered to extin- guish my candles 2 “But if you have been allowed to keep them burning, it was only through an indulgence, and not as a right,” interrupted the watchman, doggedly. ‘Ts it because you observed the window open, that you now seek to curtail that indulgence?” asked Loftus, in as mild and as conciliatory a tone as he could possibly adopt. Well, I must say that it does look rather suspi- cious,” returned the watchman, curtly: ‘‘and there- fore, if you want to avoid being reported to the Prefect in the morning, you will at once do as | bid you, by shutting that window and putting out those lights.” ‘“‘ For heaven’s sake, keep not the man in parley, Mr. Loftus!” murmured Miss Linden, from the corner of the room into which she had shrunk: “he will suspect something—and all our hopes will be ruined !” : ** Good night, my friend,” said Loftus, speaking from the casement to the watchman below. “ Your wishes shall immediately be complied with :’—and having closed the window, he blew out the candles. The room was now suddenly plunged into total darkness: and the reader will not require to be in- formed that Jocelyn was placed in a very singular and awkward predicament. There he was, alone—in COMICLHoOoks (CO)