The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 209: what you’re looking at

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

~_——————_- ————- — - — — e — __- a - . —— a pr ee Se sss ie THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. 203 “At the railway station,” answered Lettice. | Tt was my purpose to ask you to recommend me to a suitable hotel: but since you have been kind enouch to insist that I shall take up my temporary | THE STRONG BOOM. abode beneath your roof, I will go and order my effects to be brought mther.” | Iv was now close upon ten o’elock; and the old * T cannot think of allowing you to go out again | miser proceeded to the strong room,—which, as the at this late hour,” said Mr. Pollard. “The very {reader will recollect, also served him as a bed- first thing in the morning I will procure some one | chamber. He had to part on the following day to fetch your boxes from the terminus. If you| with the sum of three thousand pounds; aud are not cold in this room without a fire, we will sit | though it was not his own money, yet there was and elt a little longer ; and there will be no harm | something gratifying in the possession of it. He in my looking at these papers at once: it will save loved to feast his eyes on masses of shining gold— some trouble for the morrow—and then there will | that gold which was the idol of his egotistie wor- be nothing for you to do but sign the releases and ship! On the very day that Mrs. Rayner af- receive your money.” tained her majority, he had drawn the sum of Thus speaking, the old man proceeded to open | three thousand pounds from his banker, and had the packet ; and putting on his spectacles, he com- | deposited it in his iron safe. A large portion was menced the examimation of the documents,—musing in the yellow specie: the remainder in bank-notés, audibly as he proceeded. | The old man now sat down at the table to count “ The certificate of your birth—aye, to be sure! | over those notes and that gold from which he was I remember it well. The certificate of your mar- | to parton the morrow. He experienced a feeling riage—and also this French paper containing the very closely bordering upon affliction at the pro- proof of your poor husband’s death. I am glad | spect of having to separate himself from so large a you brought it, as it is to a certain extent neces-| sum: but yet not for a moment did he entertain sary. Ah! these, I see, are several letters of mine | the thought of self-appropriating it—nor did he to you, merely on business-matters. And here is regret having honourably performed the duties of your French passport: hair, brown—eyes, blue—/ guardianship im respect -to that money and its stature, tall—the least thing stout—and so on. | rightful owner, whom he now supposed to be be- Very good! We will now put up these papers neath his roof. But he sat down to count it, not again; and you can keep them. If I have looked | merely to convince himself, for the tenth time over them, it was as a mere matter of form—and since he had it in his possession, that it was cor- nothing else.” rect—but likewise to have the gratification of fin. “ Of course, my dear sir,” answered Lettice, in- | gering and contemplating it for the last time but finitely relieved when this new ordeal was over, | one. We say but one, because the old man natu- “you are bound to conduct the affair in a business- rally expected that on the morrow he would have like way. And now, with your permission; I will | to count the money agaim when handing it over to retire to rest: for I feel much fatigued.” | its claimant—and then indeed for the last time! ’ Mr. Pollard rang the bell; and the summons| Meanwhile Mrs. Webber had ascended to her was immediately answered by Mrs. Webber, who | own chamber, making her footsteps sound with had not long re-entered the house after her meet- | unusual heaviness upon the stairs, and slamming ing with Barney the Burker. She was totally | the door of the room with a certain degree of vio- unaware that any one had been admitted during | lence—and all for the purpose of making the sup- her temporary absence; and she was therefore posed Mrs. Rayner hear that she had thus sought smitten with astonishment on finding her master | her own apartment. There the treacherous house- seated with a lady. As a matter of course she at keeper sat down for about a quarter of an hour,— once concluded that this must be Mrs. Rayner; Yetaming in her hand an old-fashioned silver and quickly recovering her self-possession, she , watch which she possessed, and keeping her eyes assumed an air of placid benignity, as if pleased | fixed upon the dial. If we were to follow the train that the long-expected one should have come at | of her musings we should find that she was exceed- last. | ingly well acquainted with the habits of her mas- “This is~Mrs. Rayner,” said the old miser to | ter, although she had been so short a time in his his housekeeper; “and thus by her presence are | service: but then she had entered this service fur all apprehensions for her safety set at rest. Have | a special object, and she had failed not to watch all the goodness to conduct Mrs. Rayner to the | his proceedings and acquire as deep an insight as chamber prepared for her reception. Good night, | possible into his habits and customs. Louisa.” “ He will sit down in his room for a good half- “Good night, my dear sir,” answered Lettice: | hour,” she said to herself, “ to look over his books, and she then followed Mrs. Webber from the | enter the transactions of the day, and sum up his room. | ~ | profits before he barricades himself im for the night. A few minutes afterwards the housekeeper | At a quarter past ten precisely I am to give ad- returned to the parlour, to make the usual imquiry | mission to Barney and Bill Scott: there will then as to whether her master needed anything more | be a good quarter of an hour to do the work.- Yes ere she retired for the night; and the response |—and it shall be done foo, no matter this Mrs. being in the negative, she withdrew. | Rayner’s presence —it shall be done at any 6 at soul risk !” | While thus musing, Mrs. Webber continued to - — regard the minute-hand of her watch; and just as it marked twelve minutes past ten, she took off her “ shoes, opened the door very gently, and nofiselessiy CHAPTER XXXIX. | (C@) GOMIGIOOKS