The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 211: what you’re looking at

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THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. ane ee eee eee _ 205 had troubled Lettice: her guilty conscience in- stantaneously suggested a cause of apprehension. Perhaps this old housekeeper had been for years in Mr. Pollard’s service—perhaps she had known the veritable Louisa—and perhaps she was now stricken with astonishment on beholding in the supposed Mrs. Rayner a person so different from what she had expected to see, and from what\the little Louisa was likely to have grown up into? Such were the reflections which swept all in a moment through Lettice Rodney’s mind; and a cold terror thrilled through her form. She had nevertheless a sufficiency of self-possession still remaining to avoid the betrayal of what she felt ; and she followed Mrs. Webber to the bed-room prepared for her reception. Mrs. Webber was considerably disconcerted by the arrival of the supposed Mrs. Rayner, and was apprehensive lest the murderous plot could not now be carried out. A portion of what she felt was reflected in her looks; and. Lettice, being herself keenly and. poignantly on the watch, saw that there was something strange and peculiar in the way that the housekeeper surveyed her. Still interpreting matters according to her own alarms, her former Suspicion seemed to be strengthened: namely, that Mrs. Webber had a misgiving in respect to her identity with Mrs. Rayner. She longed to lead the old woman into conversation, to ascertain if her fears were really well founded: but the words she would have spoken appeared to stick in her throat, and she could not give utterance to a single syllable. “Ts there anything you require, ma'am?” asked Mrs. Webber, with a certain constraint, in consequence of what was passing in her own mind. “Nothing,” replied Lettice, her tongue now un- loosening ; and then she muttered a faint “ Gooa night,” which Mrs. Webber did not catch, and therefore did not respond to—but quitted the room with the impression that the lady was a proud, haughty, and reserved being who did not choose to enter into any discourse with her. That constraint with which the housekeeper had spoken, and which, as the reader has seen, in reality arose from the state of her own guilty feelings,— was, under a similar influence, interpreted by Let- tice into a studied coolness on the old woman’s part; so that when Mrs. Webber had retired, Let- tice flung herself upon a chair in an awful dismay, murmuring, “I am suspected—I shall be dis- covered—this woman is evidently more than half convinced that I am an impostress! At all events she will give some hint to her master to put him upon his guard: he will question me more closely than he otherwise would have done—he will pur- posely speak to me of things concerning which I cannot possibly give an answer I shall be detected—exposed—sent to prison—tried—trans- ported—or perhaps hanged!’—for*the young woman knew not very well which offences were capital or which were not; and her own terrors naturally made her see everything in the worst light. _ She wrung her hands in despair: she bitterly repented of the course into which temptation had led her; and -whereas until the last few minutes she had conceived her position to be entirely safe, she now felt astounded at what she looked upon as her egregious folly in having embarked in such an agg epee gee Soe sets wep onerapenoreearten_cpeeesrgenenneneneenenes enterprise. She would have given worlds, had she possessed them, to be safe out of the house: a mortal terror was upon her: at one moment she shivered with a cold sensation—the next instant she felt as if her veins were on fire. But still recurred the question—what was she to do? To carry on the imposture now, appeared hopelessness itself—utter madness. While she sat in theso painful meditations, she heard Mrs. Webber come stamping up the stairs, and then loudly closing the door of her room. The reader knows very well for what purpose this noise was made: but the conscience-troubled Lettice interpreted it through the medium of her own fears. | “The woman has been down,” she said to her- self, with anguish at the heart, “to tell her master that he is deceived; and she cannot conceal her own rage at the idea that there is an impostress in the house. Hence this stamping of the feet— hence this slamming of her door! Oh, what will become of me?” Again the miserable Lettice wrung her hands despairingly,—when all in a moment the thought struck her that she might escape out of the house. Yes—if this were practicable, she would accomplish it! But what if the street-door were locked and the key taken out? Ah! then doubtless there would be some means of issue from the back part of the premises—or by the parlour-window anything, so long as she could escape! And now, how thankful she was that her effects had been left at the railway-terminus: for perhaps there might be a very late train by which she could get off—or at all events there was sure to be a very early one in the morning—and she might be far away from Liverpool before her flight from the house should be discovered. Having reflected upon all these things, Lettice Rodney determined to make her escape. She had not taken off her bonnet or shawl: she was there- fore in readiness to depart without delay. But she thought to herself that it would be better to wait half-an-hour, and thus afford leisure to the other inmates of the dwelling (for she did not even know how many there might be, nor what number of servants the old miser kept) to sink into repose in their respective chambers. She waited accordingly ; and it was a half-hour of painful suspense for her, because she was not as yet certain that she would after all be enabled to find an issue from the dwell- ing. She did not hear Mrs. Webber descend the stairs; and as the house appeared to continue quiet, she.at length resolved to put her project into execution, Opening the door of her chamber, she stole forth: but on reaching the head of the staircase, she perceived a light glimmering below; and hastily retreating, closed the door again, more loudly than was consistent with caution. It was this sound which had reached Mrs. Webber’s ears, and made her ejaculate “ Hush!” just at the very instant that Barney the Burker was about to drive his dagger deep down between the shoulders of the victim. And it may be added that it was the candle which Mrs. Webber had placed upon the stairs, that had so terrified Lettice Rodney. The murder was accomplished, as we have already described; and scarcely was the blow dealt, when the vile old housekeeper intimated to the two assassins that she had been disturbed by a false alarm, (C(O) nn) (C 6)(0)(0) KS (C(O)