The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 180: what you’re looking at

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

ET TT, A i Ti tages ~<a 174 the thought struck her that his Grace was now visiting her for a particular purpose, which she would have resented in no measured terms: but this idea was immediately dissipated when a glance showed her how troubled appeared his countenance. Indeed, Marchmont had studiously put on an excited and agitated look ; while perhaps a certain sense of the deep villany in which he was engaged, rendered his features pale, and gave an air of reality to the troubled leok which he thus assumed. Placing his finger upon his lip to enjoin silence, he beckoned the maid to follow him. This she unhesitatingly did: for she saw—or at least fancied she saw—that there was something wrong, and she had no fear of any improper treatment on the Duke’s part,—in the first place, because he seemed to meditate nothing of the sort; and in the second place, because she had the fullest confidence in her own power to repulse and resent it, if he did. He had come without a light: she was at first about to follow with her own: but he made a sign for her to leave it; and she accompanied him down the staircase. There was a sitting-room on the same floor as the principal bed-chambers of the establishment ; and into this Marchmont led Amy. “ Young woman,” he said, rendering his voice hoarse and thick, and speaking too in a low tone, as if he were indeed profoundly agitated,— I do not for a minute imagine—I cannot suppose, in- deed, that you are an accomplice 4 “In what, my lord?” asked Amy, somewhat indignantly. “I am an accomplice in nothing wrong.” you will pity me, when you learn the frightful truth!” * What is it, my lord ?” she demanded. “Your mistress, Amy,’ rejoined Marechmont, now forcing himself to speak in accents of deep concentrated bitterness,—“ your mistress is un- faithful to me!” “No, my lord,” replied Amy, firmly and in- dignantly. “Ah! I do not blame you for thus thinking so well of her Grace. Good heavens! that such profligacy should be concealed by so much ap- parent meekness! Alas, it is too true, Amy—or else my eyes must have strangely deceived me! But tell me,—for I notice not ‘such things gene- rally—what kind of a dress was it that your mistress had on this evening? Was it such-a- one ??—and the Duke gave some explanations. “Yes, my lord: that was certainly the dress,” responded Amy Sutton. sible ' “T tell you it is but too true!” ejaculated the Duke, in a tone of passionate vehemence. “I was proceeding to my own chamber—the taper acci- dently went out—at that moment I heard light footsteps proceeding with unmistakable stealthi- ness along the passage. A suspicion that there was something wrong induced me to hide in a doorway and watch——” * And then, my lord ?” said Amy Sutton. “And then I beheld your mistress proceed along that corridor; and she entered good heayens! that I should have harboured such a * But it is impos- eT EE LEAL VE PETIOLES LIFE SNL MLR ET 2 I “Be not offended!” was Marchmont’s hasty response. “You will make allowances for me— me THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. villain she entered, I tell you, the miscreant Stanhope’s chamber !” Naturally cold and unexcitable though Amy Sutton was, she could not help being startled by this intelligence; and when she gazed into the Duke’s countenance—on which the starlight beamed through the window—she thought she read in his looks, which seemed wild and haggard, the fullest confirmation of the tale. Nevertheless, she said after a few minutes’ silence, “It must be a mistake, my lord. Some other female * * But the dress, Amy ?—how could I possibly be mistaken? The hght pouring in through the casement at the end of the corridor, showed me the dress. It is true that your mistress seemed to have a veil upon her head Does she possess a black veil ?” “Yes, my lord—several,” responded Amy. “Well then, she had a veil upon her head,” continued the Duke, still speaking as if -he were immensely troubled. ‘ Alas, there cannot be a doubt of if! And now I recollect a thousand little things which have hitherto appeared trivial— a thousand little circumstances which only now assume an air of importance! Vainly have I invited Stanhope to ride out with me—to go hunting or shooting. No!—he has always had his excuses—he preferred remaining in the drawing: room Oh, I shall go mad!” The Duke paced to and fro in the apartment, with an agitation so well feigned, that Amy Sutton, shrewd though she were, could not for an instant suppose it to be a mere detestable hypocrisy. She however lost none of her habitual coolness; and stepping up to the Duke, who accordingly stopped short in his apparently agitated walk, she said, “ Nothing is more easy, my lord, than to clear ap this matter at once.’ “To be sure!” he ejaculated, as if suddenly re- called to a sense of what he ought to do; “and that was my motive in fetching you from your room! Go, Amy. to her Grace’s apartment. If you should happen to find her there and God send that you may !—you can easily invent some excuse for the intrusion:’—but Marchmont per- fectly well knew that Amy Sutton was not a pers son to undertake any such mission; or else he would have been careful to go upon some cubes tack. “No my lord,” she at once said in a frm and peremptory manner, “I will not run the risk of being blamed for an impertinent intrusion. It is for your lordship to go to your wife’s apart- ment,” “No, no, Amy,” he said, with the air of one who was distracted; “I am not sufficiently the master of my own actions! But we will watch Yes! that will be the better plan. We will watch in the passage—we will see who it is that issues forth from Stanhope’s chamber! I may have wrongly described the dress: but you will be enabled to tell me. Besides, as I have made you my confidante in this most deplorable as well as most delicate business, you must remain with me to keep such watch.” “T will, my lord,” answered the young woman : “for I cannot help thinking there must be some terrible mistake. But supposing it should be as your Grace fears,—you will pardon me for advising that you take no precipitate ster.” Re rr, ee ee pCO MMNGHOOKSICOM