The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 333: what you’re looking at

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THE MYSTERIES OF THE -COURT. able crimes, sooner than do nothing: and for the same reason do I seek the excitement of al! possible profligacies, By these means do I expel thought, and thus manage to maintain a calm and even happy exterior.” _ © But wherefore, I again ask,” said the Baronet, “should you not abandon this course of life if you wish? Wherefore return to those horrible com- panions 2” “ Because I am so utterly and completely in their power,’ answered the young woman, “ Wherever I might hide myself, they would seek me out :—aye, even did I fly to the ends of the earth, they would pursue me—they would discover my retreat—they would murder me! When once a person gets deep in with such companionship, it is impossible to ex- tricate one-self. No—-it cannot be done. You see how completely I am in the power of those wretches, by coming here for these hundred guineas to pro- pitiate them,” “ Ah! and this reminds me to inquire,” said the Baronet, “how you saved yourself from their fury, and what colouring you gave to the adventure.” « That man who enticed you back to the hut, was none other than the Public Executioner,” replied Nell Gibson. “ There—start not—speak not—what matters it now who he was? [ tell you all this, of course being well aware that you will take no advan- tage of it. mistress: and the lad is his apprentice. Sully Mel- moth—that is the woman’s name—has long had a spite against me, because she fancies I have been over intimate with her flash man. But no—not for the world! Base and profligate as [ kuow [ am, there is a lower depth even than the lowest to which I have sunk: and that is the arms of the public haugman. But to return to last night’s affair. ‘The Hangman and the apprentice prevented the infuriate woman from doing me a mischief: and while the Hangmanhimself burst open the door and rushed after you and the young girl, his mistress and the Jad kept guard upon me. Presently the Hangman came back, after a fruitless search: and almost at the same time the other men returned from an equally unavailing hunt after you. They were all savage enough; and I thought that everything was over with me. Sol prepared for the worst. The Hangman told the o:her men how you had sought refuge at the public-house in the bye lane—how you had innocently let-slip ihe admission that you owed your life to me—and how he had enticed you back to the lint to be disposed of as the whole gang should think fit, The man that I am now living Wite-he who brought you downthe writing paper and who is called the Buttoner—then declared that from the first mo- ment he suspected I had given you such information, aud this suspicion on his part had been confirmed by the circumstance that [ had accidentally iet out to. that stout man whose name is Bencull, thas you were a Baronet, this circumstance proving that L knew you before. All these statements and remarks were madein my presence; aud fero- cious looks glared upon me from every eye, I saw that nothing but the sudden exertion of all my presence of mind conld save me; and I accor- dingly exclaimed, “ Weill I confess that all you have said.is true; but the man. wiose life I have this | night saved, was my first love—indeed the only man I ever sincerely and truly did love. I knew it was vain and useless to beg his life at your hands ; and’ sweet young gal,” demanded Bencull. The woman who came with him is his | —s 319 - ee therefore I gave him the whispered information which led him to flee. You may kill me if you like ; but I would do so over again this moment, in spite of all consequences. That is however no reason why I should betray you in other things ; and you know right well that I would not.’—Tuey were all much struck by these remarks, but more so by the bold- ness of my manuer. I thereupon proceeded to assure them that you would not take any proceed- ings against them, for fear of comprom’sing me. As a proof thereof, I offered to come to your house to-day and obtain from you these hundred guineas for them. These assurances satisfied the whole party, the Hangman’s tnistress alone excepted, Three of the men have now accompanied me as far as you" door, and are waiting at this moment inthe street. Yousee, therefore,’ added Neil Gib- son, with that calmness which was her outward ela- racteristic, “how true I spoke when I declared that it was impossible to escape from the tram- mels of crime and the meshes of such eumpanion- ship.” Thus ended the colloquy betweea this young woman and her seducer. She received the hun- dred guineas for which she had called: but again did she emphatically decline any boon or g-fs for herself. Tne Baronet accompanied her as far as the front door of his house; and standing upon the threshoid for a few minutes to look after her, he observed by the light of the lamps that she joined three men at the coruer of tie street. “ Women are strange creatures!” thought the Baronet to himself, as he retraced his way to his own cheerful fireside, CHAPTER LXXXIV. MORE PLOTTING AND COUNTER PLOTTING, THE three men whom Nell Gibson thus joined, were the Buttoner, Benecull, and the Hangman: and passing rapidly away from the fashionable Street where Sir Douglas Huntingdon lived, they plunged into a low district in the close vicinity. For be it observed that in London the back win- dows of the palaces of the rich often look upon the noisome dens where the poor—their victims —<dwell. Entering a vile public house, or boozing ken, the three men and Nell Gibson proceeded to the taproom: and as there was no one else there at the time, they were enabled to converse at their ease. ‘Now, Nell,” said the Buttoner, as soon as an order had been given for some liquor © what news? I suppose you succeeded with ,vur pal, the Ba- ronet.’ “Here is the money,” she observed, quietly producing gold and Bank-notes for a hundred guineas. * And you couldn’t get no more out of him?” ohserved Bencull, savagely. ee ee a eee — — 2 ee ew ee oe oe “Not a farthing,” answered Nell Gibson. “I had a great dea! of difficulty in getting this.” “Then he was deuced ungrateful,” said the | Hangman, “after all you did for him last night.” “ Yes—very,’ replied the young woman. “And didn’t you dearn nothiak about that (COLA A Boi S AS ee KCI OM OKO). SEO)