The Mysteries of London; or, Lights and Shadows of London Life — page 100: what you’re looking at

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

me — 94 mending you a8 a courier to a family. A nice pick- ing you got out of them, I'll swear.” “Yes, I recollect how you stared, as well you might, when you saw me at Strasburg in high feather, and learned that I was the courier to Lord Walsing- ham.” “A nobleman whom you left, I believe, under rather peculiar circumstances?" added Borelli, slily. “His lordship certainly missed a few valuables which he had entrusted to my safe keeping,” said the Italian jocosely in reply; “and we had some, words about it, but I shall square my account with him yet. He gaye me a blow that will have to be repaid with interest. However, my connection with his lordship happened to just give me the very clue I wanted.” “How! was it then throngh his means that you caught a glimpse of the girl again? Let me hear that story, for it will be new to me.” “You must know, then,” pursued the Italian, “ that this young nobleman, the Lord Walsingham, in whose suite I had the impudence and good luck to get, was passionately fond of music and dancing, and the first place he ever visited in the towns we came to was always the opera. Whilst at Milan, a new dancer inade her appearance, and, as usual, off his lordship goes to see her. As I had the office of purchasing the tickets, of course I took care to get one for myself at the same time,” “To be sure,” assented Borelli; “ if the English will have foreign servants about them, let them pay for it.” “The place was crowded,” resumed the other, “ but I managed to push my way down to the front of the orchestra, when judge my surprise as I discovered that the new star of the ballet which that evening burst forth was none other than the very girl I had stolen away from Naples.” “ That is, you fancied that she was?” “It was not fancy, but a firm conviction of her being the same, that led me to consider her so,” answered the narrator. “A few nights afterwards, Lord Walsingham, who began, I suppose, to be struck by her beauty, went again, and the second time, as I fixed my eyes intently on the features of the girl, I became more than ever certain that I could recognise them, and, as I then thought, that the recognition was mutual. To make short my story, his lordship took it into his head to follow her wherever she went, and as,in every theatre he visited, I always con- trived to fix myself as near the stage as possible, I had repeated opportunities of proving the truth of what I suspected.” “ And that was at the time we also met again and renewed our old acquaintanceship.” “Precisely so. I began to make inquiries—found thet Madame Romani was the person who had brought her out, and who, as report went, had even been at the expense of educating her for that profession. I pushed my investigations further, and, by feigning an attachment to her waiting-woman, I learned that this girl had been an orphan—that she had been under the care of this Madame Romani from an early age— that her real name was unknown—and, in short, gathered all the particulars that I wanted from that source, and which corroborated the belief I first enter- tained.” “ Well, what happened then?” “The chain of incidents made me now consider whether the discovery I had made could be turned to any advantage, and I soon calculated the way in which I should gain the greatest profit. I dropped —— ~ THE MYSTERIES _OF * LONDON, Fo a ee my ny character of courier, for reasons that you know, and came to England, having heard that London was to be the place for the next appearance of my old companion.” ; “ Where, in the meantime, Antonio Berelli, another of your old companions, had established himself as a Savoyard’s padrone, and become proprietor of a first- rate lodging-house,” interrupted the Piedmontese, with a glance of satisfaction at himself, ands Tenowel application to the beverage of hischoice, = **] know you would never give up a said the Italian, significantly ; “and if one line of knayery didn’t answer, you did right to turn rogue im another; but I have not yet come to the end of my story.” “ You are sure, then, that she isthe same?” Let this convince you: on the first night of her appearance here I clapped on my best suit, and posted off to the stalls of the opera, knowing that I should’ manage to clear my expenses by a little of my ad dexterity in diving into the pockets e about me. I saw her looking more beantifal, and. dancin with as much grace as ever, and wanting first of all to try whether she would be weak . to give a hope of working on her mind riedly pencilled a short note to mary hn ty Sy to meet one who had to gratify an ardent revenge, she must place a certain token in her h = © & This note I succeeded in throwing into her carriage unobserved.” “Why not have gammoned her that a wanted money, or that you were a swell that sort of leve for her?” stk “ Because, had 1 done so I should have failed. to accomplish what I wished, I wanted to make my reason for seeing her as little suspected as possible, and to do this I knew I must have recourse to s of that romance and mystery that would imagination at work. Well, it had the desired « Last night I saw the signal I had proposed, I an appointment to meet her in a certain spot t evening; and as now you know all that has place up to this moment, I wish to learn if yon ints keeping to the old promise you made me, and giving the assistance to my project that I want?” ek teil i RE “ Just so; and with the plausible story I told you, and that 1 had invented for the purpose, who would. believe otherwise ?” “ But [ must first know,” said Borelli, “ more of the scheme you have got in that busy head of yours, before I consent to be your witnessin this affair, have offered me fairly, I admit,—but what, in the name of all the saints, do you intend doing with the — girl after you have claimed her as your child?” * Then, if I must satisfy your infernal inguisitive- ness, let this make your mind easy,” answered | companion, “I risked enough to get hold of. when a child; for the pretty-looking face she had, an which I made the key to unlock the purse- the benevolent, was a safe capital to trade upon, Well, this very face I intend to make my banker for the future, and, in fact, make it yield me, from time time, just as much money as I may choose to : Do you understand me now?” on “Humph!” rejoined the other, “I thi ge to get, got some idea of your plav. By estab supposed claim you have upon her, you th either by threats or persuasion, a regular Bathe e . prevent your being troublesome—eh ?” GOMiichdoo <S com