The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 280: what you’re looking at

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

”* 266 THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. tries in as many different styles of writing as it is possible to conceive, the Prefect paused at a par- ticular page—ran his finger down a certain column, —stopped at aspccial entry—and said, “ Behold, Miss Stanley, the record of the arrest |” Louisa threw her shuddering looks upon the ominous page, and hastily scanned the particular lines which were pointed out to her. Those lines comprised an entry which if translated into English, would read as follows :—* An Englishman ; aged about three-and-twenty; arrested for having his passport made out in the false name of Jocelyn Loftus ¢ his real name is known to the Prefect, but tor special reasons igs not mentiuned here. See, however, Preféect’s Private Minute Book, Folio 2011, second column, 15th line from the top.” “JT wish to see no more,” murmured the unhappy Louisa, in a dying tone. “ I have already scen too much.” “And yet, young lady,” said the Marquis,—* for your own complete satisfaction you will cousent to behold the crowning proof of your false lover's wickedness and depravity —tbhat crowning proof which I have brought you hither at this late hour to witness! By your Excellency’s permission,” continued the Marquis, turning towards the Pre- fect, “we will now repair “T understand,” interrupted the Prefect. “Come with me.” Thus speaking, he led the way. from the little cabinet, the door of which he carefully locked be- hind him: then, passing out of the ante-room, he took a lamp in his hand and conducted the Mar- quis and Louisa up a staircase, at the summit of which there was a massive door. Having noise- lessly and cautiously opened this door by means of a key which he had with him, he led the way down a long gloomy, passage containing. a row of doors, at the last but one of which he stopped short. “ Now follow me with the utmost caution and on tiptoe,” he said, speaking in a low whisper to the Marquis and Louisa: then, having opened the door. with au evident desire to avoid the chance of even a hinge creaking, he deposited the lamp in a niche in the passage, and stole into the chamber. Louisa Stanley now hung back, and staggered against the wall, as if a faintness was coming over her: for shocked, afilicted, and also indignant as she was at the thought of ber lover’s prcfligacy and perfidy, her pure soul nevertheless revolted from theidea of becoming a witness of any proof of his guilt. ‘Go on, young lady—go on,’ whispered the Marquis of Leveson, in a hurried tone: “ you must see out this matter to the end, and sustain your courage until the very last !” Startled into a feverish excitement rather than inspired with any real feeling of curiosity, Louisa Stanley passed into the chamber,—whither how- ever the Marquis did not follow her. But he re- mained upon the threshold, as if contented to hear he report which might presently be made to him, instead of witnessing with his own eyes the scene itself. Noiselessly and rapidly did Louisa glide into that chamber: but scarcely had she advanced half a dozen paces, wheu through the gloom which pre- vailed she beheld a light shining dimly in as it were from the depths of some recess. At this moment the Prefect took her by the hand, and — hurried her forward in the direction where that light seemed to be burning. A few paces more— and Louisa now saw that this light was really in an adjacent chamber, whence it emanated through an aperture in the partition-wall, Close up to this opening did the Prefect hurry the affrighted maiden—for affrighted she really Was at an appearance of so sinister a nature, inas- much as it really seemed at the moment as if through the vista of gloom her eyes were resting ‘Upon a light coming from a vaulted sepulchre. But at the same instant that this thought traversed her imagiuation, a well-known voice struck upon /her ear,—aye, stcuck upou her brain—vibrating down every chord that ied even unto her heart’s core: and this voice said in a tone of impassioned remonstrance, “Oh! ycu will drive me mad—you wil drive me mad!” A shriek rose to the very margin of Louisa’s lips—even as a fountain, when disturbed at its depths, bubbles up to the very brim, But the sound was instantaneously stified and subdued before it burst forth: for an overwhelming sense of utter misery fell crushingly upon the maiden like an awful consternation, as she heard the melodious tones of a female voice replying with the fervour of passion, “O Jocelyn, dear Jocelyan—thou knowest that I love thee !” Louisa heard no more. The consternation which stifled her scream, struck another blow and de- prived her of consciousness—so that she reeled half round, and. fejl heavily upon the floor. “Good heavens!” exclaimed Jocelyn from #he inner apartment; “what sound was that ?’’—and seizing the light from the table, he sprang towards the aperture. Tbhrusting the lamp to the entire length of his arm through the openiug, its rays fell full upon the countenance of the damsel whom the Prefect was now hurriedly raising from the floor. But, oh! what words can depict the hurricane of amazement ‘and the tornado of agonizing thoughts and wilder- ing ideas which swept all in a moment, like a flight of: barbed arrows, through Jocelyn’s brain, when the glare of that lamp fell upon the pale, inani- mate, but ever lovely countenance of his own Louisa? A cry of rage—a yell of madness burst furiously from him: but, quick as thouglit, the Prefect bore the senseless maiden from the room, the door of which was immediately closed. In the frenzied excitement to which he was now a prey, Jocelyn dropped the lamp from his hand; and it was instantaneously extinguished as it fell upon the floor of the adjacent chamber, into which he had thrust it through the aperiure. “ Heavens! what is the matter?” exclaimed Julia Owen, startled and affrighted by the sud- denness of the scene which thus terminated allina moment in utter darkness. “Ohl wretch—profliyate—demoness that thou art!’ cried Jocelyn, in a voice indicative of a rending anguish: “thou hast ruined me in the eyes of my beloved |” And as the last word thrilled from his lips with all the wildness of delirium, he fell heavily upon the floor. * Jocelyn, Jocelyn—speak to me—speak to me !” shrieked Julia Owen, a mortal terror now seizing upon her—for this scene was dreadful in the depth 7 oe ee eee GoM (C VOOKS (@)