The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 340: what you’re looking at

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

EARL OF MONTGOMERY’S VISITORS — 309 been opened. Well, I promised to obey your lordship’s instructions, and sure enough I did find that the stone had been lifted very lately. But I took care to hold my peace, and not even your lordship’s agents suspected the fact. As a matter of course I can very well guess that your lordship, or at all events some persons employed by your lordship, had visited the vault with the utmost secrecy a few days before it was opened and examined in the official manner when my services were required; but whatever reasons your lordship may have had, or what you may have wanted to do in the vault, is no business of mine, especially as your lord- ship paid me liberally to hold my tongue; and therefore not a living soul, in Bellenden or out of Bellenden, is a whit the wiser for anything I may know.”’ While the stone-mason was thus indulging in the garrulity which was characteristic of his old age, and which was also inspired by a feeling of pride at being in any way enlisted in the confidence of the Earl of Montgomery, no matter how slightly and partially, while he was thus chattering, we say, the nobleman remained plunged in profound meditation; for the visit of Lady Bellenden to the village which bore her name, and the evident attempt of Mrs. Margaret to tamper with old Chapman, were calculated to trouble and perplex him. “You say that the marchioness proceeded to the vaults? ”’ he at length observed in an interrogative manner when the stone-mason had ceased speaking. ‘She went there with Parson Roberts and Northwitch, my lord,’’ replied Chapman; “ but I don’t know what took place, beyond the fact that the corpse of the late marquis, her ladyship’s husband, was seen half-hanging out of its cofin— Ah! I noticed it when I opened the vault for your lordship’s agents three months ago,’’ observed Chapman, interrupting himself in the course of his explanations; “‘ but I didn’t know at the time that it was the late marquis -— ”’ “Nor did I suspect that such was the case,’ thought Montgomery within himself, ‘on that memorable night when the coffin exploded with a din that terrified the two men— SBut proceed with your narrative, Chapman,’’ suddenly exclaimed Eugene aloud, thus cutting short the current of his own retrospective musings. ‘‘ You were telling me that when the marchioness, accompanied by Mr. Roberts, COnnICloOoKS (C(O)