The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 389: what you’re looking at

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

i eee se ee ee — a already stated, he saw that he had been outwitted: but how, he could not altogether conjecture. That Gertrude had purloined the documents from his own apartment, he failed not to guess: but the great mystery to him was how his own wife Editha had been his partner of the couch in the boudoir instead of Gertrude. He had assuredly locked the young abigail in that boudoir; and it was her voice which he had subsequently recognised beyond all possibility of doubt, when he returned to that room later in the night. But while re- volving all these things in his mind, he recol- lected that on seeking the couch in the boudoir, when fancying he was about to be clasped in the arms of Gertrude, he had locked the door: and he likewise recollected that in the morning the door was unlecked, when Gertrude entered to ask if her mistress had rung. The door, therefore, had been unlocked by somebody: and if so, the presence of Editha in the couch with him might be easily accounted for by supposing that while he slept Gertrude had risen and changed places with the Countess. ‘Then, if this were the case, and if this supposition were the correct one, had the beautiful Gertrude been for any time his companion in that bed? At first he was inclined to believe so: but then he reflected that from the very instant he entered that couch and was clasped in the arms of the female occupying it, this female observed a profound silence—nor could he by coaxing or entreaty succeed in eliciting from her a single word. This circumstance proved, then, that it must have been Editha who was occupying that couch when he entered the room,—Editha who received him in her arms,—Editha whom he had so fondly and passionately embraced, while all the time fancying that he was enjoying the transports of love in the arms of Gertrude! It was there- fore quite clear, from this chain of reasoning, that Editha must have been in the room with Gertrude when he went thither in the dark, and that while Editha prepared to receive him in her arms, Ger- trude’s voice deluded him into the belief that it was she herself who was the sole occupant of that couch which he sought. Having come to these conclusions, the Earl of Curzon felt less satisfied and more piqued than ever. Not only had he been outwitted by his wife in every way; but he was also duped by her abi- gail, That he was so duped, Editha well knew: and thus the two together—mistress and maid— had not only utterly baffled all hiz endeavours to establish the proofs of the former’s infidelity, but were enabled to have a good laugh together at his expense. Nothing, in fact, could be more ridicu- lous than the position which he felt he occupied in the eyes not only of Editha, but also of Gertrude: and he was determined to be revenged on them both. Of course, as the master of the house, he could at once have discharged the young lady’s- maid: but as there was no ostensible cause to al- loge for taking such a decisive proceeding upon himself, it would appear most arbitrary and un- just—besides its being a most unusual thing for the husband to interfere with the wife’s special dependants. Moreover, the mere discharge of Gertrude would in itself be an act for which she would care so little, as to be totally incommensurate with the amount of revenge he sought, She had humbled his pride—she had aided her mistress to i a ee THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. t 375 | bafile and outwit him: and though not naturally | of a cowardly character or unmanly disposition, | the Earl resolved upon some signal and cruel | revenge. The reader will perhaps wonder why he did not call upon Lady Lechmere to see what he could discover relative to his wife’s proceedings. But he was too much a man of the world not to know full well that to whatsoever extent Lady Lechmere | connived at or assisted Editha’s intrigues, she would be prepared to defend and protect them by giving an indignant denial to any accusation on the subject. Besides which, the Earl had no idea of proclaiming to the world the ignominious fact that he knew himself to be a cuckold, but could not prove it, and was therefore compelled to en- dure his wife’s infidelities. There was however one person whom he resolved to see: and this was Emmerson. But not for a moment did it strike the Earl that the bill-broker had become his wife’s paramour. Whether they were even acquainted or not, he did not exactly know: but that Emmerson had privately sent her back the bills which she had forged in favour of Colonel Malpas, was evident enough. How had this occurrence been brought about?—was Em- merson aware of Editha’s guilt?—and if so, to what extent? ‘These were the particulars which the Earl of Curzon was desirous to ascertain: and therefore, after a hurried breakfast, did he mount his horse, and attended by his groom, repair to the money-making regions of the City. Mr. Emmerson was seated alone in his private office in Nicholas Lane, pondering somewhat gloomily on the occurrences of the preceding night, and wondering what on earth had been the issue of the adventure. From Editha’s lips he had hurriedly heard how her husband had returned and had found the packet of forged bills in her desk—and in a few hastily-exchanged sentences they had agreed upon the outline of some tale, to be told by himself, should the Earl call on him to demand any explanation of the circumstance of his name being on the back of those forged bills. But whether this story, so hurriedly and imper- fectly concocted, would serve any purpose at all, even if the Earl should call on him,—or whether the discoveries made by his lordship were of too serious and comprehensive a nature to be ex- plained away by sophistry or accounted for by artifice, — these were the uncertainties between which Mr. Emmerson was painfully hovering at the moment when the oflice-boy entered to an- nounce the Earl of Curzon! Emmerson could not help trembling from head to foot through fear of detection, exposure, and chastisement. But not suffering his emotions to be perceived, he bade the boy at once introduce his lordship. ‘Then, as the Earl made his appear- ance extending his hand with a sort of affable condescension and aristocratic patronage towards him, he felt persuaded that whatever might have been the issue of the previous night’s adventure, he himself remained unsuspected. “ Pray sit down, my lord,” said Emmerson, bust- ling about to hand the nobleman a chair. ‘ Will your lordship take a glass of wine anda biscuit? It is just twelve o’clock—and though perhaps not lunch-time in the fashionable regions whence your lordship has just come——” a - a ee ee GHOOKShEO Conn