The Mysteries of London; or, Lights and Shadows of London Life — page 83: what you’re looking at

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

LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF LONDON LIFR. _ “And she deserved them all, sir,” added the man who seemed to be delighted at the opportunity of finding some one to whom he could utter his com- | mendations; “but it is not those who deserve happi- ness in this life, sir, that are always destined to enjoy were held out to her to enter upon a second marriage, which at last she yielded to; for, poor lady, I dare say she found it was lonely living in that cottage by herself, and she must have wanted some one fo be another father to her children. Well, sir, she did marry a second time, and though her husband was a , Stylish sort of a person, who was just one of most likely to run away with a woman’s aflec- at first sight, it was not long before his real made known. The officers of justice after him, and he was discovered to be a man 1@ had not long before forged extensively, by means of some false cheques, on one of the Liverpool banks,” “ And what became of him? Was he apprehended on this charge?” asked the other, negligently, but still attentively listening to his communicative com- ify a: “No, sir,” was the reply, delivered in a firm voice, for the old man felt as warmly indignant ashe spoke; “he escaped; though, for the cruel deception he had practised on that lovely woman, he deserved the severest punishment the law could inflict upon him; but let us hope that his own conscience smote him, and that he lived long enough to find that his self- reproach was his most bitter accuser.” “ And to whom was he indebted for the means of escape ?” “ To his wife, sir; that worthy woman, whose gentle heart was nearly bursting with all the agonised grief of shame and sorrow when the communication was first made to her. But she was about again to become a mother, and the father of that child was he who had brought this cloud of guilt upon her peaceful dwell- i 2 we And was it known that this Mordaunt owed his life and liberty to the woman whom he had so basely wronged?” cried the stranger. “Ha! you must have known him then, sir, for I have no recollection of having mentioned his name before,” rejoined the old man, pausing in his narrative, and looking up with astonishment. « Yes, that is, I—” stammered the other; “ I learned his name from—from yourself; you told me he was so called when you first began relating this little his- tory, which, by the way, interests me exceedingly.” “Ah! 1 had forgotten, then,” said Johnson, “but my memory is not over good at times. Well, sir, you were asking me if it was known that he was aided in his escape by his wife. It was, for whilst appearing to be terrified into a confession of the truth by the threats of the officers, she sent them off in another direction, and Mordaunt fled to America. But the vengeance of Heaven pursued him even when he might have thought himself safe from the power of man. We heard afterwards that the ship in which he embarked had foundered whilst at sea, and that every soul on board had perished.” The here uttered a profound sigh, and in t alow voice, tremulous with emotion, he begged his informant to proceed. **It was then, sir,’ resumed the old man, who regarded the agitation of his hearer as resulting from the sympathy he felt for the heroine of his narrative, oo oe 77 known to you. The tribulation she had undergone was increased by a severe illness, which soon after seized upon her; and Mrs. Thornton, who had, it is said, furnished this Mordaunt with a large sum of money to aid his flight, found poverty was threatening its approach as her resources were becoming gradaally less. Inthe midst of her trouble Mr. Jarvis put in his demand for some arrears of rent, and though the poor woman would have paid him to the uttermost farthing, had time been allowed her to recover her loss, the agent was inexorable on the point, and ona day when the poorest creature should have been free from such a calamity, he levied a distress which swept off the whole possessions that she had.” “The villain!” muttered the stranger, with a fierce compression of his lips, and then he added aloud, “ but you speak as if some further sufferings had to be then endured by this unfortunate woman?” “T well may, sir,” responded Johnson, with much feeling apparent in his words; “for on that day Mrs. Thornton died, having given premature birth to a child whose father’s name was too deeply stained by crime to be even borne by the mother.” “Great Heaven, is it possible?” ejaculated the visitor, whose blanched cheek and quivering features were concealed by the growing darkness that now made their figures scarcely perceptible to each ether. “But surely those to whom she had rendered assist- ance did not refuse to grant it in return?” “She sought it not, Sir John, else would every hand in the village have been gladly stretched forth to save her; but feelings of delicacy and pride pre- vented her from making known her situation until it was too late to come to her help or rescue, Her two other children were at school at Chester; and thus, without one of her relatives or family being near her to receive her dying wishes, the poor lady breathed her last.” There was a pause, as if by mutual consent, when the venerable gate-keeper reached this point of his narration. The stranger, who had listened through- out with the most profound attention, turned to relieve the fulness of his emotion by again scanning from the window the outlines of the landscape that was now seen clothed ina dim filmy haze, The dew was lying heavily on the grass, the farms and outbuildings of the little hamlet were thrown into broad massive shadow, the windings of the brook were only perceptible by a thin line of white light, the lights were twinkling in the latticed casements of the distant cottages, and the evening star, gleaming with its pure and placid radi- ance, shone like a bright beacon in the sky, as if to guide heavenward the drooping hopes of earth. Brt there was one lustrous point amid the gloom to which the eyes of the stranger were involuntarily directed. It was the lamp that scattered its streaming rays from the little parlour of “The Rosary.” Suddenly, turning towards the old servitor, he ex- claimed, as abruptly as though the purpose of his visit had only then forced itself upon his recollection, “I will sce Mr. Jarvis; conduct me to the room he occupies.” “ Ay, to be sure I will,” answered the lodge-keeper, changing his manner to the obsequious demeanour that he had first exhibited; “you will find him, sir, in the best apartment we have in the house; it is only used on these occasions, for Mr. Jarvis prefers sleeping here to stopping at the inn, and we endeavour to make him as comfortable as we can. This way, sir, if you “ it was then that misfortunes fell successively upon | please ;” and pausing at the threshold to ignite a lamp the poor lady whose melancholy story I have made | that he had brought with him, Johnson led the visitor ——— ew OO OO A i ae a COMMCMOOOK