The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 86: what you’re looking at

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

se SS eee aie 72 QVHE MYSTERIES OF THE CGouRT. which seemed intended to confine the voice of anguish to within those four walls: and she re- flected that even if she should fail in attaining her aim, the circumstances of her captivity could not be rendered worse. Atall events she was resolved to make the attempt and abide the issue, whatever it should be: and her mind being thus made up, she found herself animated with a degree of courage and hope that enabled her to commence her task with an energy exceeding her expec- tations. We have already observed that the supper-tray was left in the chamber: and to this circumstance was Louisa indebted for the means of carrying out her design. Taking up the knife, she proceeded to cut away the baize from the wall; and, as she had already suspected, she found a thick inner coating of compressed woollen wadding. The task was comparatively an easy One: and in half-an- hour she had cut away and torn down the baize and the lining from the whole of the lower part of one side of the room. ‘The chamber was strewn with the fragments—a cloud of dust filled the place —and Louisa paused to drink a large draught of water to cool her parched throat. Having rested for a few minutes, the persevering girl returned to her task, and began the work of demolition on that side of the room against which the head of the couch stood. Butshe had not long toiled in this quarter, when she perceived a door set in the wall, and hitherto covered over with ‘the green baize. <A brighter gleam of hope than that which had just inspired her, now shot athwart her brain: and seizing the lamp, she examined the door with mingled eagerness and suspense. It was fastened: but the lock was on the side which she was thus contemplating ;—and although the key was not there, she still saw a possibility of opening the door by unscrewing the lock itself. This she succeeded in accomplishing by means of the knife—though not without bruising and cut- ting her delicate fingers. Scarcely had she removed the last screw of the Jock, when the sound of a church-clock striking the hour, reached her ears. She paused and lis- tened. Counting the strokes, she ascertained that it was midnight: and then she suddenly recollected that the tones of the bell, which from the first had scemed familiar to her, were those of Canterbury Cathedral! She was therefore a captive in the immediate vicinage of this sacred edifice: and this discovery confirmed her suspicion that she was in the house of the Reverend Bernard Audley! But the sound of that bell had also ratified another idea which she had formed—namely, that by the removal of the lining of the walls, no obstruction would exist to the ingress or egress of such sounds as are loud enough to penetrate ordinary barriers of brick and mortar, But Louisa did not waste in mere reflection that time every moment of which was so valuable for positive action. She had removed the loecks—she could open the door. It yielded to her hand; and, taking the light with her, she hastened to ascer- tain whither this channel of communication led. Proceeding cautiously, but with a suspense so painful that the beatings of her heart were clearly audible, she passed from the dismantled chamber of her captivity into a large place totally unfur- een ee, ee eee (oes = ee eee ae = to ee ee ee ee ee ee nished and resembling a loft. Then she recollected that the floor on which these apartments were situated must be at the top of the house, inasmuch as there was a sky-light on the ceiling of the room into which the barred casement of the green-baize chamber looked. Traversing the loft with noiseléss step, she reached a rude staircase, which she descended: and at the bottom she found herself on a small landing where there were three doors. She now took off her shoes in order that she might continue her way even more stealthily than at first: and as the stairs which she next descended were car- petted, her tread was light and aerial as that of a spirit. All was still throughout the house: had a pin dropped, she would have heard it. In a few mo- ments she reached another landing, where there were also three doors: but they were closed—and not a sound, not a voice, came from within either of the rooms to which these doors belonged. On this landing there was a window—and’ Louisa paused for a moment to look out. Holding the lamp within the shade off the wall, and lifting the blind, she gazed forth. The night was beautiful and star-lit—and in front of the casement a huge black mass of building stretched right and left. Louisa instantaneously recognised the cathedral: —and all doubt, even if any had remained in her mind, now vanished as to the fact that she was in the large and gloomy dwelling of the Reverend Bernard Audley. Slowly replacing the blind, the maiden continued her way down the last flight of Stairs: but scarcely had she come within sight of the hall at the bot- tom, when she was struck with mingled terror and despair on observing a light streaming from a room the door of which stood partially open. A sense of utter annihilation of all hope seized upon her with a force that was almost overwhelming: but repressing the ejaculation that rose to her lips and gathering all the elements of her scattered courage, she resolved to continue her way. Her step was noiseless as she descended the few remaining stairs leading down into the hall. Thence there was a stair-case to the kitchen: but if the servants had not yet retired to rest, Louisa could scarcely hope for safe egress in that diree- tion. Besides, she was not sure that there was any means of issue from those lower regions at all. What was she to do? The front door of the house was before her—at a distance of only a few yards: but in order to reach it she must pass by the room- door that stood open and whence the light issued. Delay, however, was dangerous: hesitation could not do otherwise than increase the perils which environed her! She accordingly resolved to try the venture by the front door. Placing the lamp upon the stairs, and still carrying her shoes in her hand, she ad- vanced with the lightness of a sylph. Her step was noiseless upon the cold marble—her dress rustled not. She passed the door that stood open, and flung. a rapid and frightened glance into the room. The Canon of Canterbury Cathedral was seated at a table, on which were wine decanters, glasses, and dishes of fruit. He was reading— and his face was flushed with drinking. All this Louisa saw at a glanee: and, unobserved by the Reverend Bernard Audley, she passed on ~ TEOMMIME LOMO) _—— se ee ae eee _— SS Sc <S5GO