The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 334: what you’re looking at

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' | prove that his principles were upright ;—and we | ( ~ 0328 should get them into a nice train—and I know deuced well it would be worth a couple of thou- sand—perhaps more. Then away to Dover to- morrow—and off to Boulogne! ‘That was the plan: but how the deuce I’m to act now, I can’t for the life of me decide.” “You wust risk it,” answered James. “ Every- thing seems right enough amongst the hotel-people —though by the bye 1 did hear that the landlord is gone up to London: but he can’t very well get back again till to-morrow—and by the time he comes we may be far away.” “ Ah! but there is such a thing as sending down a telegraphic message!” ejaculated Mr. Sycamore, with a sudden consternation upon his features. “By jingo, aye!” cried James, looking equally discomfited. “I never thought of them galvanic wires which talks eighty or a hundred mile at a stretch.” “Well, what is to be done?” asked Sycamore, pacing the room in agitation and bewilderment. “To have to bolt with a beggarly hundred guineas in one’s pocket, would be a wretched affair indeed !” “Why didn’t you follow my advice,’ asked James, sullenly, “and bolt from the hotelin Picca- dilly when you got the five hundred pounds? What the devil was the use of paying all them debts t * You know what my calculations were,’ an- swered Sycamore impatiently. “I thought that we should come down here with such a good name that by this time I might have hooked thousands out of the young fellows at play: and now, just as the opportunity is serving, the storm begins to gather as dark as possible.” “Well, but does young Ashton mean to peach ?” inquired the dapper groom: “that’s the int.” “ No—I don’t think he does: and yet there is something strange and mysterious in his conduct which I cannot altogether understand.” * Never mind the strangeness!” responded the ercom: “you must run the risk. Let the dinner go on—let the young chaps come—do you feather your nest—and we'll make a bolt of it precious early in the morning. You've got loads of jewel- lery and different things that you can carry away easy enough ; and as tor the clothes, they must of course be left behind.” Mr. Sycamore reflected for a few minutes; and then said, “ Well, James, it must be as you have suggested: the dinner shall go on—and we will risk it.” In the meanwhile Christian Ashton, having given his instructions to the bar-maid in respect to his bill, issued from the hotel to ramble about and commune with himself. He bitterly regretted that he had ever entered the employment of such a person as Mr. Sycamore: he blamed himself for want of prudence and caution in having adhered to his engagement after his suspicions were first awakened at the hotel in Piccadilly. But it was unfortunately too late thus to remonstrate with himself; and his repinings were useless. He had made up his mind, as the reader has seen, to discharge his own account at the hotel, and thus 22 must observe that he had an ample supply of ready money, inasmuch as a comparatively small inroad a ee ee - . < me ~~ —* eee ee THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. had been made upon the fifty guineas presented to him by Mr. Redcliffe after the affair at Oaklands several months back. He resolved to remain ab- sent from the hotel until after Mr. Sycamore’s arrest; as he did not wish to be present to have the appearance of triumphing in the downfall of that individual. He roamed beyond the precincts of Ramsgate, out into the country: but so absorbed was he in his reflections, that his walk was prolonged to ever a greater distance than he had first intended. The fields through which he had been proceeding, brought him towards the high road; and he sate upon a stile to rest himself ere he began to retrace his way. About a hundred yards off stood a house of handsome appearance, having a flower-garden enclosed with iron railings in front—and with a kitchen-garden, shrubbery, paddock, and other grounds in the rear. The habitation stood all alone ; and Christian was just wondering to hims self in a sort of abstracted manner who dwelt there, when his ear suddenly caught the sounds of an equipage advancing along the road at arapid rate. It was a travelling carriage with four horses; and as it whirled by the spot where Christian was resting himself, he caught a transient glimpse of two ladies seated inside. One of them appeared to be of exceeding beauty, so far as he could judge by that passing look: but he had no opportunity of particularly noticing the features of the other, Scarcely however had the equipage thus dashed by, when there was a sudden crash —the postilions shouted out—and the horses began to plunge. The hinder axle of the carriage had broken; and the vehicle itself had only been saved from completely upsetting by falling against the high bank which bordered the road on the opposite side to that where Christian was placed. Screams thrilled from within the carriage; and in a moment our young hero was flying towards the spot to render his assistance. The postilions were so busily occupied in restrain- ing their frightened horses, that they could not at once help in extricating the ladies from the inte- rior of the carriage; and therefore Christian’s prompt appearance on the scene of the accident was most opportune. He hastened to open the door which was uppermost; and to his hastily put inquiry, he received the assurance that the two ladies had experienced no more serious incon- venience than the sudden shock and the accom- panying alarm had occasioned. He aided them to descend : his idea of the beauty of one was imme- diately confirmed; and he now perceived that the other was as handsome and as commanding in appearance as the former was more delicately and youthfully charming. But he had not many mo- ments to contemplate the ladies, nor to reiterate the expression of his hope that they had sustained no injury, ere another individual appeared upon the scene. This was an elderly gentleman, who with half-shuffling half-hobbling gait had issued forth from the house which Christian was a few minutes back so much admiring. He was one of the oddest looking beings that our hero had ever beheld; with the single exception perhaps of the unfortunate Earl of Lascelles. He was en- veloped in a flowered silk dressing-gown of the gayest pattern: acap of the same material cons trasted strangely with his gray hair and his coarse, Go OOK