The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 174: what you’re looking at

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

168 THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. is natural enough in its sounds. Never give way to superstitious thoughts.” A silence again ensued: but as they approached the spot where Christian knew the pond was situated, he could not prevent a certain gloomy sensation from creeping over him. It was not that he was naturally superstitious: very far from it ;—but he had been told by Purvis that the country-people of those parts reported strange sights to have been seen and strange noises to have been heard in the neighbourhood of that pond, and that they did not choose to pass it after dusk. But even setting aside these circumstances, Christian knew that a horrible murder had been perpetrated on the brink of that pond; and the consciousness thereof was not calculated to en- gender very agreeable associations. And now too, he could not help thinking that it was indelicate to a degree, and indicative of a hardened mind on the part of the Duke of Marchmont, to be thread- ing this very road and passing by that very spot, when evidently engaged in taking some step in the carrying out of a foully designed treachery. While thus engaged in thought, Christian be- came aware, by a particular turning of the road, that they were now in the close vicinage of the pond ; and it was not without a shudder that in a few moments he caught sight of the water which was dimly glimmering in the obscurity of the night. But he said nothing. He felt that if the Duke were thus hardened enough to pass the spot when intent on deeds of evil, he himself would not be indelicate enough to make the slightest allusion to a tragedy which ought to be so memorable in the Marchmont family. He perceived however that the Duke quickened his pace as he passed by the pond—so that Christian had some little diffi- culty in keeping up with him, the box on his shoulder forming a resistance to the gushing wind which blew right against it. Marchmont however soon slackened his pace again; and at a distance of about a hundred yards beyond the scene of the murder, he struck into a bye lane,—Christian fol- lowing him. A short distance down this lane there appeared a tolerably-sized farm-house, with a little garden in front. The Duke opened the gate and passed on to the entrance, with Christian close behind. The obscurity was not too great to pre- vent our hero from perceiving that the place had a sombre and desolate look. There was the farm- yard—but quiet as the grave: and yet the gate had swung back with a din which would have aroused thé cackling of geese and ducks, or the barking of a dog, if any were there. The Duke Knocked at the door: it was pre- sently opened by an old woman with tottering gait, and whose head shook as if she had the palsy. She carried a light in her hand: and evidently recognising the Duke in a moment, said something which Christian did not catch. His Grace an- swered her quickly—as if by the very rapidity as well as brevity of his utterance enjoining her to silence; and then he bade Christian deposit the box in the passage. This the youth did; and the Duke at once hurried him away from the place. They now retraced their steps down the lane into the road,—our hero wondering the while for what earthly reason the box could have been taken to that lonely destination. they were approaching the pond: but when just within sight of it, an ejaculation burst from our young hero’s lips; and under the influence of the sudden feeling which thus smote him, he caught the Duke forcibly by the arm. * Look, look, my lord!” he said: “ that shape!” And sure enough a dark shape was moving in the vicinage of the pond. It was no delusion—it was palpable—a human form seen through the obscurity, darker than the darkness! “Ah!” and the Duke stopped shoré. The next moment the shape thus seen, moved away from the pond round the bend of the road, and was absorbed in the obscurity of the night. “It is nothing,” said the Duke: but Christian thought that his Grace spoke in a tone which was more or less troubled. “It is some wayfarer. Let us see.” His Grace proceeded onward at a rapid rate,— Christian keeping up with him. Had the travel- ler—if it were one—been going at anything like a moderate rate, he must have been overtaken: but no one was to be seen. “IT dare sdy he has cut across the fields,” said the Duke of Marchmont, after a while relaxing his pace again: then as if stricken by a sudden thought, he demanded of Christian, “ Why were “you frightened P what made you clutch me as if in such terror ?” “T beg your Grace’s pardon,” said our young hero: “I know it was a great liberty on my part > “No, no—I did not allude to it in that light,” said Marchmont: “you of course could not help it—you were smitten with alarm—and that is the truth of it—eh ?” “T confess that it was so, my lord,” rejoined Christian. ‘The fact is, I walked this way in the morning; and Mr. Purvis, who was with me, pointed out the spot i “Ah! and I dare say,” exclaimed the Duke, “he told you the old gossips’ tales about the place. Deeply as I revere the memory of my deceased uncle, yet Iam not given, Christian, to superstitious terrors. It is weak and unmanly to yield to them. I counselled you against such influences as we were coming along the road ere now: remember my advice for the future.” A silence ensued; and in a short time the grounds of the mansion were reached. “JT need not say, my young friend,” observed the Duke, in a low tone, “ that our midnight expe- dition is to be kept entirely secret. Of course you understand this much. You see that I trust you; and you must in every sense render yourself worthy of my confidence. Ah! by the bye, when I think of it— the maid who does out your room may notice the absence of the box. Should she allude to it in your presence, you can easily devise some excuse— that you sent it back to London by the coach—or off somewhere by the carrier, for some purpose or another anything, in short, that comes into your head. It will be a little falsehood that is venial enough, and will all the more effectually assist the carrying out of my freakish project.” At this moment the door of the secret staircase was reached: the Duke opened it by means of the key which he had about him; and wishing Chris- The Duke said | tian *‘ good night,” he retired to his own apart- nothing ; and they walked on together. Again | ment, while our hero sought his chamber to ponder ‘ay DLO A encase i - ——- -—— wes ----oOo CORNICLOOOKS (C(O)