 Section 36 of Mysteries of London, Volume 4. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Mysteries of London, Volume 4 by George W. M. Reynolds. Conclusion of the History of the Dressmaker, A Love Story. Two days after Lady Caroline Journeyham's letter had been sent, the Marquis of Wilmington arrived in London, and hastening to Hanover Square, he obtained an immediate interview with his sister. Pale, trembling and unable to endure his glance, she awaited in torturing suspense the first words that should issue from his lips, and never was relieved from agonizing feelings, more welcome or more complete than when the Marquis, taking his sister's hand, said in a gentle, though mournful voice, I'm not come to reproach you, much less to add to your afflictions by the heartless cruelty and absurd in-utility of an exposure. No, I give you all my sympathy, and I thank you most sincerely for having confessed everything that you might restore your friend to my favor. Lady Caroline threw herself into her brother's arms and wept upon his breast, but when the emotions attendant upon this meeting had somewhat subsided, the Marquis said, heaven be thanked that Julia is innocent. Deeply, deeply as I deplore the sad circumstances involved in your revelation, Caroline, yet it is a relief to know that she, that poor, suffering, wrongly suspected girl, is worthy of all my love. And if I before loved her, if I before esteemed and admired her as the pattern of everything great and noble, generous and amiable in woman, oh now what strength have those sentiments acquired? No time must be lost in finding her out, and this moment shall I enter upon the search. The Marquis then took a hasty leave of his sister and in the first instance repaired to Mr. Richardson to consult him upon the subject. Without in any way compromising his sister, the Marquis related enough to let the worthy lawyer know that Julia had been unjustly suspected, that her innocence was completely established, and that he now longed to find out her retreat, with the view to make her the fullest possible reparation. Mr. Richardson then stated that three days previously a porter had called on him bringing the key of the house at Camden Town with an intimation that Miss Murray surrendered up the tenement to its proprietor with all the furniture it contained, in fact in the same condition as when the property was made over to her. A tear stole into the eye of the Marquis as he received this proof of Julia's strict integrity, and Mr. Richardson advised that an advertisement drawn up in a manner calculated to strike Miss Murray's comprehension, but ambiguous to the public generally should be kept standing in the Times and other widely circulated newspapers until her retreat should have been discovered. The Marquis approved of this plan and leaving his solicitor to execute it, he departed from the office to pursue his search elsewhere. He now proceeded to Camden Town and having the key with him entered the house, but delicacy forbade him to penetrate into any other rooms save the parlors. And there he found not a letter nor a scrap of paper that might afford any clue to the place whether Julia had retired. His heart was heavy, his grief was profound and frequent sighs rent his manly breast as he repaired to the cottage where the child, his sister's child, dwelt under the care of Mrs. Porter. His strange manner on his previous visit did not obtain for him a very welcome reception at the hands of that female, but when she found that he spoke kindly and inquired anxiously concerning the infant, her reserve began to dissipate and she at last thought him a very agreeable gentleman. The child was brought to him and he kissed it affectionately, an illusion which Mrs. Porter happened to make to Miss Murray enable the Marquis to turn the conversation upon that loved being who seemed lost to him. And now he heard the warmest and sincerest praises uttered in regard to her, but not a syllable affording a trace of her present abode. In fact it was very evident that Mrs. Porter was as ignorant as himself in that respect and still was it with a heavy heart that the nobleman turned away to prosecute his search elsewhere. He had learnt from his sister that Julia, her little brother and the old housekeeper had taken their departure together in a hackney coach and he concluded that the vehicle was hired from some stand in the neighborhood. Behold then this rich and well-born peer visiting all the stations of cabs and coaches in the vicinity and pursuing his inquiries amongst the class of men whom his liberality alone succeeded in divesting of their habitual insolence. But still all his endeavors to solve the painful mystery were fruitless and after a weary day's researches he returned home exhausted in physical energy and worn down by mental depression to his magnificent house in Belgrave Square. His reliance was now in the advertisements which were to be inserted in the newspapers but even this hope was almost stifled within him by the reminiscence that Julia seldom read the public journals. Day after day passed weeks glided by these had swollen into months in the lapse of time and winter returned but still no trace of Julia. In the interval matters of importance had occurred in respect to Lady Caroline journeying him. The child had died in a fit of convulsions to which it was subject and in spite of the tender care of Mrs. Porter and the attentions of the medical man the remains of the infant were interred in the churchyard of old St. Pancras and the porters who were well rewarded for their kindness to the child from the moment of its birth until that of its death still remain in ignorance of the real name and the rank of its mother. Not many weeks after the removal from this earthly sphere of the evidence of Lady Caroline's frailty Lord Hartley returned home from abroad and his first act on arriving in London was to hasten to Hanover Square. His heart had remained constant to Lady Caroline and he now boldly claimed her hand of the Martianess who received him most graciously there being in the dowager's eyes a vast deal of difference between the noble and wealthy Baron Hartley of Hartley and the poor Lieutenant Quentin of his majesty's ship to Tremendous. The morning posed accordingly announced the approaching marriage in high life and the ceremony took place in November 1835 precisely one year after the date of the commencement of our tale. Thus Lady Caroline journey him became Lady Hartley. She was united to the object of her affection but her happiness was not complete. Every day, every hour did she think of poor Julia Murray and her husband to whom she had confided everything shared in her deep anxiety to obtain a clue to that excellent young woman. The Marquis of Wilmington had put into execution every means which human ingenuity could devise to procure that clue but all to no effect and he now gave himself up to despair. His health began to fail him and his appearance speedily grew much altered. Vanely did his sister endeavour to console him. He also required solace and almost in respect to the same cause for if the one mourned the loss of an intended bride the other deplored that of a dear friend. I said that the incident of my tale had brought me down to the month of November 1835 and it now becomes necessary to make some mention of Julia Murray. It was a night of pouring rain and gushing wind on that when she first encountered the Marquis of Wilmington and the unhappy young woman was seated in a miserable garret in some street near Covent Garden Market. The cheerless chamber was almost completely denuded of furniture and the little that was in it belonged not to her, not a spark of fire appeared in the heart. The cupboard door was opened but no food was seen on the shelves and the candle that shed a fitful light around the bare damp walls was every moment in danger of being extinguished by the cold draft from the ill-closed window. Leaning her head upon her hand and her elbow on the table Julia sat gazing down on the upturned countenance of her brother who occupied a stool at her feet. Pale and wan were their faces gone was the bloom of health cheeks of the once happy, beautyous boy gone too was the delicate tinge of carnation that had been want to enhance the loveliness of his sister. Misery was in that garret, misery for two, misery for that almost heartbroken young woman and that affectionate, grateful boy. The want of needlework and illness had plunged Julia into the direst poverty. She could have borne it all had she been by herself borne it almost without repining but when she looked on the pale face of her little brother saw that he was famishing for want and knew also that he endeavored to conceal his hunger from her for fear of increasing her grief. Oh it was this, it was this that crushed and overwhelmed her. She glanced around there was not an article of clothing that could be now speared to pledge, save her scanty shawl and then how could she go abroad to ask for needlework without it. Heaven's twelve hours had the boy already fasted twenty-four hours had elapsed since Julia had tasted a morsel of food for she had almost forced the last crust into his mouth and now how many hours more must elapsed there a chance might present itself to afford them a meal and if no work could be obtained what were they to do what indeed. In the midst of all these bitter harrowing reflections of thought or rather a reminiscence flashed to Julia's mind but it was only to plunge her more deeply into the abyss of woe and not to solace her just one year had elapsed and she had first met the Marquess of Wilmington just one year day for day and through how many vicissitudes had she and her darling brother passed in that period of unknown prosperity and happiness that also experienced the bitterest misery and yet they had not deserved the vengeance of heaven but then those whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth still pure and guileless still innocent and artless Julia Murray's principles had remained unshaken by the rude contest which he had been compelled to endure with the world's ills and her brother was still the same affectionate good endearing boy as when I first introduced you to him oh it was cruel it was cruel that they should suffer thus those poor orphans never injured a living soul who clung to each other so tenderly and in night and morning put up their prayers to the Almighty that he would be pleased to change their wretched wretched lot but alas those supplications so sincere so earnest so respectful and adoring towards the majesty of heaven remained apparently unheard and on the particular night to which allusion has been made do we find that sister and brother on the verge of perishing through sheer destitution Harry said to you after a long pause are you not very hungry not very dear sister he returned while tears started into his eyes oh my darling boy you are starving she cried frantically as she strained him to her breast then growing more composed she said but this must not be here Harry take this shawl over to that shop which you see opposite give it to anyone whom you may see behind the counter and you will receive some money and a small card in exchange then go to the bakers and buy a loaf and return as quickly as you can the boy hesitated and at length said but Julia dear what will you do without your shawl you cannot go out and you cannot starve she returned hastily as she almost thrust him but not harshly out of the room then when the door closed behind him she receded herself and burst into an agony of tears it was the first time she had ever sent Harry to the pawnbroker the first time she'd ever allowed him to go out into the streets alone after dusk and this was not all that pained her oh she was oppressed with the most direful apprehensions for now she was indeed a prisoner in that retro garret she could not go out to seek for work and work would not be brought to her and again and again and again for the thousandth time that day did she ask herself what was to be done and what was to become of them while she was wrapped up in these harrowing reflections she heard certain well-known two well-known steps ascending the stairs and now she felt that even the crushing amount of misery which already weighed upon her was not complete the door was thrown open and a stout elderly red-faced woman who had evidently been drinking walked unceremoniously into the chamber now miss she cried almost ferociously are you going to pay me the three weeks rent that's due if not be so kind as to tramp and make room for them as we'll pay because I have a respectable married couple which is ready to take to place this very night if you will wait a few minutes answer Julia in a faint tone I will pay you as much as I can come that won't do for me vociferated the woman I see your brother go out with your shawl and I know what's what but if you're obliged to spout your things to pay a trifle this week how will you be able to pay any at all next Saturday much less cash up altogether heavens have patience my dear madam and I will endeavor to pay you all as soon as possible said the poor young woman reduced to despair patience indeed repeated the landlady contemptuously and who will have patience with me there is the taxes we'll call on Monday morning and the water rate has been put off till he's tired of coming near the place so I can't and won't wait no longer for such a beggar as you at this goading insolence Julia's grief redoubled oh crying won't pay no bills ejaculated the inhuman landlady and now I think on it I'll just look at the bed close and see that you haven't pond none of the blankets I would sooner starve I and see my brother perish through want also and commit such an act cried Julia starting to her feet while her indignation actually tended to mitigate the acuteness of her grief well I suppose you're honest said the woman somewhat ashamed of herself but I must have my money tonight all the same if not you and your brother had better turn out at once I repeat that it is impossible for me to pay you all I owe this evening exclaimed poor Julia now condescending to the adoption of a tone of appeal and I implore you not to drive me and that dear boy homeless into the streets a pretty gal like you need never want money said the woman fixing a meaning look upon the unhappy dressmaker and if you would only take my advice be gone by Julia in a voice so penetrating that it seemed to thrill through the brain of the vile wretch who was about to develop the most infamous resources to the view of that pure minded girl be gone indeed repeated the woman recovering her insolence that's a pretty thing to say to me that you owe money to however once more I tell you that I will be paid tonight or else when my husband comes home from the public house of your bundle thus speaking the wretch bounced out of the room leaving the door wide open behind her Julia rung her hands in despair and again she asked herself those unanswerable questions what would become of them and what was to be done at this moment when her brain appeared to reel and reason was rocking on its throne the sounds of hasty steps ascending the stairs met her ear and she heard Harry's voice exclaim up higher still to the very top and up those hasty footsteps came to the heavens were fresh miseries in store for her but scarcely had this thought traversed poor Julia's imagination when someone darted into the room and as she was sinking on the floor through terror, want and exhaustion she was received in the arms of the Marquess of Wilmington Julia, dearest Julia, he cried in an impassioned tone as he strained the insensible form of his beloved one to his breast and that voice sounding on her ear as if heard in the midst of a dream recalled her to herself and opening her eyes slowly she encountered the tender looks that were bent upon her is it possible, she exclaimed tearing herself from the nobleman's embrace your lordship here yes, here to implore your pardon for the past to declare to you how profound is the regret and how bitter the remorse I have experienced for the unfeeling haste with which I judged you on the bearer's suspicion and to offer you my hand, Julia, added the Marquess if you will now condescend to accept it but I need not pause to describe in detail the discourse which now ensued suffices to say that the nobleman gave the fullest explanation of all that had occurred since he had last seen Julia the sister I confess to her frailty and thus cleared up the suspicion which had so unfortunately fallen upon Julia how the child had died how Lady Caroline had married Lord Hartley and her every possible search had been made for so many long, weary months after Miss Murray it must be added that the Marquess in his almost ceaseless wanderings about the metropolis in the prosecution of that search happened on this memorable evening to pass through the very neighborhood where Julia resided and as Harry emerged from the pawnbroker's shop the light flashed full upon the little fellow's countenance which in spite of its altered appearance was immediately recognized by the Marquess but little more remains to be told a messenger was instantly dispatched to Hartley House with a note from Lord Wilmington and in less than an hour his sister Caroline, accompanied by her faithful maid who at charge of a box full of clothes arrived in her carriage at the door of the house where Julia occupied the miserable garret affecting indeed was the meeting between the two friends and while the Marquess took Harry away with him to the nearest ready-made clothes shop to equip the boy from head to foot in new apparel Lady Hartley hastily made such a change in Julia's appearance by means of the contents of the box before alluded to that when his lordship returned he was charmed to see that low pale she was still eminently beautiful in the meantime the rumor had spread throughout the house how a great nobleman and a great lady had come to take the poor dressmaker away in their carriage and now the vile woman who only an hour before had menaced Julia with the ejectment who had insulted her by offering to search the few miserable things in the room to see if any had been made away with and who had hinted at an infamous proposal from which the young creature of soul recoiled in horror and loathing that same detestable wretch was now most deciduous in offering the use of her parlor and rending herself so officially busy that Lady Hartley was forced to order her in a peremptory manner to retire in fine all necessary preparations being made so that Julia and her brother might appear in a becoming way at the splendid mansion with it they were now about to repair the happy party entered the carriage which drove straight to Hartley House where Caroline's husband received Julia and Harry in the kindest possible manner thus was the aspect of affairs signally changed and from the cold, cheerless garret where at want stared them in the face where the sister and brother suddenly wafted into the very bosom of luxury comfort and happiness virtue met with this reward after the many trials to which it had been subjected and the numerous temptations it had triumphantly passed through Mr. Richardson the lawyer was overjoyed when the mark was called upon him next morning and related all that had happened and the instant his lordship had taken his departure the worthy solicitor hastened to Hanover Square resolved it possible to accomplish a certain project which he had in view presenting himself to the dowager Martianess who had argued with her upon the in-utility and injustice the folly and the cruelty of her opposition to an alliance which so nearly regarded her son's happiness and he dilated so warmly upon the good qualities of Julia Murray that her ladyship who had at first heard him with impatience began to listen attentively in a word Mr. Richardson succeeded in persuading the Martianess to have the credit of attempting to an union which she had not the power to prevent and the policy of this step at last triumphed over her other repugnances she accordingly rang the bell ordered the carriage and proceeded with the lawyer to Hartley House where her presence augmented the happiness already experienced beneath that roof thus nothing was now wanting to complete the felicity of all those in whom I hope you are interested and it was astonishing how speedily the bloom came back to the countenance of Julia and the ruddy hues of health to the cheeks of little Harry six weeks after the discovery of the orphans in their wretched garret Julia became the Martianess of Wilmington happy, happy was that bridal and beautiful was the blushing bride so beautiful that a stranger would not have suspected the privations and miseries which she had undergone and as if heaven in its justice were determined to afford a signal proof so it can chase and it can also reward as fully from the day that this union took place Julia and her brother have not known a care possessing the power to do good the Martianess of Wilmington has been enabled to soothe many and afflicted heart and her experience of the past has taught her that the severest misery is that which pines unseen and hides itself in garrets not that which obtudes itself in the shape of mendacity upon the public eye her secret charities are therefore boundless and the elevation of such a woman to rank and the possession of immense wealth has proved beneficial to thousands I must not forget to observe that the housekeeper who had accompanied her on her departure from Canberra in town and who had subsequently returned home at Julia's request to her friends once more became an attendant in the household of the mistress whom she loved and everyone who had in any way shown kindness to my heroine when she was but the humble dressmaker was sought out and liberally rewarded by her whose heart had undergone no change although she had become the Martianess of Wilmington End of Section 36 Section 37 of Mysteries of London, Volume 4 This is a LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Brian Geenan Mysteries of London, Volume 4 by George W. M. Reynolds Dover It must not be supposed that this long tale was related without an interval of rest When it broke off at the end of the 142nd chapter the travellers were just on the point of entering Rochester where they launched and after this brief halt they pursued their journey Charles resuming the thread of his narrative to which Perdita listened with deep interest The young woman experienced an ineffable pleasure in drinking in with her ears the rich tones of her lover's voice and the pathetic nature of his story increased the tenderness which she felt for him She who had defied the influence of the blind deity was wounded by his shaft and the more she saw of Charles Hatfield the less selfish became her passion the more sincere her attachment Mrs. Fitzharding read with a keen eye all that was passing in her daughter's mind and there were moments when she could scarcely restrain her rage at the idea that Perdita had succeeded so skillfully in throwing her into the background but the old woman resolved to abide her time in the hope that circumstances might yet enable her to resume her sway and compel the enamored couple to bend to the dictates of her will The journey was pursued in safety and in freedom from any unpleasant interruption until the post-chase entered the town of Dover Then the travelers were to pass the night and thence they were to embark on the ensuing morning for Calais They took up their quarters at an hotel where an excellent dinner was provided and in the evening Charles Hatfield and Perdita rambled together upon the beach Mrs. Fitzharding remaining at the inn on the plea of fatigue but in reality because her daughter made her a private sign to intimate that her company was not needed It was the summer evening of surpassing loveliness The sea was calm and tranquil in its mighty bed agitated only at its margin when wavelets so small that they might almost be denominated ripples murmured on the beach and the western horizon was gorgeous with purple and orange and gold the swathing robes of the setting sun There were many ladies and gentlemen walking on the marine parade and enjoying the freshness of the air after the oppressive heat of the sultry day Amongst the loungers several officers belonging to the garrison were conspicuous by their scarlet coats and giddy, silly young ladies of 16 or 17 felt themselves supremely happy that they could only secure the attentions of these military bow Here and there were long seats painted green and occupied by ladies, their male companions standing and lounging attitudes and the conversation that occupied these groups was for the most part of a frivolous nature for people at watering places only seek to kill time and not to use it for intellectual purposes On one of the benches just alluded to she placed a middle-aged mama with her three marriageable daughters who were pretty, chatty, agreeable girls according to the general meaning of the epithets At all events, whenever Mrs. Mattson appeared on the parade with the three Mrs. Mattson the officers were sure to steal away from other groups or parties in order to join the newcomers to the immense gratification of the objects of this preference and to the huge mortification of the Joneses, the Smiths the Jenkinses, the Greens and the Browns We knew what Lady Nox's last evening, Captain Finnegan inquired the eldest Miss Mattson of a gallant officer of some four, five and twenty who was lounging near her No, not I, Faith, was the reply given in a drawing-tone as if the gallant officer aforesaid were a martyr to that dreadful malady-termed ennui Lady Nox's parties are such slow affairs I have quite abjured them The guides, he added, suddenly recollecting that this was an excellent opportunity to throw in a compliment I knew you weren't to be there Oh, dear, no, exclaimed Miss Julia Mattson, the second of the marriageable sisters One does meet such strange people at her ladyships that we really could not think of accepting the invitation Well, but you must recollect, my dear, observed Mrs. Mattson in a tone which seemed to be of mild reproof That poor dear Lady Nox is only the widow of a brewer who was mayor of deal or sandwich, I forget which and was knighted by William IV for taking up some address to his majesty That's all, said Miss Anna Maria Mattson, the third sister and therefore I am sure no one need be surprised that Lady Nox is glad to fill her rooms with any body she can get Well, I was there last night, observed another young officer a lieutenant in the same regiment with Captain Finneken and who formed one of the group at present occupying our attention and I must say that the supper was excellent Oh, but Mr. Pink exclaimed the eldest Miss Mattson reproachfully It is so very easy to give a good supper, but not so easy to make the evening agreeable Granted, rejoined the lieutenant and I must candidly admit that no parties are so agreeable as those at your house Flatterer cried Miss Mattson with a sweet smile I suppose the Browns were at her ladyships last night Oh, certainly, you meet them everywhere And, Faith, Miss Amelia Brown is a deuce-pleasant girl, deuce-pleasant, observed Captain Finneken Well, I really never could see anything particular in her, said the eldest Miss Mattson Besides, you know what her grandfather is, she added, sinking her voice to a confidential tone and hastily glancing around to assure herself that the object of her remark was not nigh enough to overhear her Upon my honor, I never heard, responded Captain Finneken They do say, but mind I will not assert it on my own authority, continued Miss Mattson At the same time, I believe it is pretty well ascertained Oh, certainly, beyond all doubt, exclaimed Miss Julia, tossing her head contemptuously I never heard it contradicted, added Miss Anna Maria What do they say the grandfather is, demanded Captain Finneken Again, did Miss Mattson look anxiously around Then, lowering her voice to a whisper, and assuming as mysterious an air as possible, she said A hatter Oh, you naughty gossiping girls, cried Mrs. Mattson, shaking her head with an affected deprecation of her daughter's scandal-loving propensities But in reality enjoying the tittle-tattle Well, ma, said Miss Julia, I'm sure there's no harm in telling the truth I thought that everyone knew what Miss Brown's grandfather was, just the same as it's no secret about the Greens being related to a soap-boiler Hush, my dear, exclaimed Mrs. Mattson, putting her finger to her lip We really must not pull people to pieces in this way At the same time I candidly confessed that it is annoying to find so many low persons at the very watering place which we chose for the summer I don't wish to be severe upon anybody, but if Mr. Thompson, who is known to be a retired draper, will allow people to address their letters to him as Thomas Thompson Esquire, he must expect to be talked about And then those Miss Thompson's who give themselves such heirs, cried the eldest Miss Mattson, with an indignant gesture I'm sure they made quite frights of themselves last Sunday at church, added Miss Julia, with their dresses after the latest Parisian fashion Besides, pink bonnets don't at all become their dark complexions, observed Miss Anna Maria Ladies must have very good complexions indeed for pink bonnets to suit them, drawled forth Captain Finnegan, smiling languidly at the same time For the three Mrs. Mattson all wore bonnets of a rosy at hue, a fact which they appear to have entirely forgotten, while speaking of the Mrs. Thompson At this moment, Lieutenant Pink uttered an ejaculation of surprise, and the rest of the group, turning their eyes in the same direction in which his were bent, beheld a very handsome young gentleman to whose arm hung a young lady of marvelous beauty They are strangers here, observed Miss Mattson the elder Newcomers, continued Miss Julia But nothing very particular, I daresay, added Miss Anna Maria And having thus expressed themselves, the three sisters turned towards the officers, but they were much peaked and annoyed to find that those two gallant gentlemen were still surveying the attractive couple with the deepest interest That face is familiar to me, Pink, cried Captain Finnegan And to me also, but where I have seen it before, I cannot recollect, observed the Lieutenant Upon my soul she is a magnificent woman A splendid creature ejaculated the Captain, forgetting his habitual drawl for a moment Faith, I remember, and yet no, it is impossible Yes, it is impossible, it cannot be, cried Mr. Pink, as if divining and echoing the other's thoughts But I am sure I have seen her before And will you believe me, Finnegan, when I assure you that, at the first glance, I thought He gad, it is her profile, her figure, cried the Captain, pursuing the train of his own thoughts, as his eyes followed the young couple who were passing leisurely along at a little distance, and quite unconscious of the interest that one of them at least was creating Well, it strikes me that it is the same, observed the Lieutenant, his amazement every moment becoming greater, and his uncertainty less Who do you take her to be, commanded Finnegan, turning abruptly towards his brother officer? Perdita responded the Lieutenant without hesitation And yet, in England, so changed too in circumstances, and in company with that gentile young fellow All those things occurred to me likewise, interrupted Mr. Pink Let us convince ourselves, cried the Captain, and the military gentleman, with a somewhat abrupt and unceremonious bow to the Madsen family, walked away together arm in arm Well, I never exclaimed the eldest Miss Madsen, now tossing her head more indignantly than on any previous occasion, yet looking wistfully after the two really handsome and elegant, though conceded in cox comical young officers, whose fine figures were rapidly receding along the parade I could not have supposed that Captain Finnegan would have been guilty of such rudeness, said Miss Julia Oh, as for the Captain, I was prepared for anything with him, observed Miss Anna Maria, but it's Mr. Pink that I am astonished at I am sure the Captain is the best behaved of the two, exclaimed Julia That shows your ignorance, Miss, said Anna Maria, tartly I know what's gentile as well as you, I should hope, retorted Julia Don't be cross, my love, said Anna Maria, affecting a soothing tone And don't you pretend to know better than one two years older than yourself, cried Julia As for you, she continued, addressing herself to her eldest sister I was quite surprised to hear how you went on about the Browns and the Thompson's How foolish we should all look if it were found out that Uncle Ben was a pawnbroker in Lambeth Marsh Hush, girls hush, drat your tongues, how they are going, interrupted Mrs. Madsen in a hoarse and hasty whisper I am sure, ma, Julia talked as much about the Browns and the Thompson's as I did, said the eldest daughter And now she's trying to quarrel with me about it But here come the Thompson's, she added abruptly, as her eyes wandered along the parade Mrs. Madsen and the three young ladies all smoothed their countenances in a moment And nothing could be more amiable, affable, or charming than the manner in which they rose simultaneously to greet the Mrs. Thompson Two tall, handsome, well-dressed, and really most genteel girls let their father have been what he might Oh, my dear Miss Thompson, cried the eldest Miss Madsen I am so delighted to see you, how well you are looking to be sure We were talking about you only a few minutes ago to Captain Finnegan and Mr. Pink, said Julia You were admiring those deers of bonnets that you wore last Sunday at church I'm glad you liked them, responded the elder Miss Thompson But how happened it that you were not at Lady Nox's last night? Well, we don't mind telling you, dear, said Miss Madsen the elder The truth is that we were not invited, and I suppose it must have been an oversight of her ladyship Her ladyship was quite surprised that you were not present, returned Miss Thompson You assured me that a card had been duly forwarded to you Oh, how provoking, cried all three Mrs. Madsen at the same moment, and as it were in the same breath The invitation must have miscarried somehow or another We would not have been absent for the world if we had received the card But, my dear Miss Thompson, continued the eldest Miss Madsen As you and your dear sister are so intimate with Lady Nox, perhaps you would just hint that the invitation did miscarry Oh, certainly, replied the good-natured young lady thus appealed to But we must say goodbye now, for we promised Papa not to stay out late, and it is already near eight o'clock How is that dear good soul, Mr. Thompson, asked Mrs. Madsen I was speaking of him to Captain Finneken and Mr. Pink just now, and saying what great respect we all entertained for him Thank you, my dear madam, Papa is quite well, returned Miss Thompson But we must really say goodbye, for we expect the Greens to drop into supper presently Delightful girls, the Miss Greens, exclaimed Mrs. Madsen, and very well connected, I have heard Oh, certainly, their uncle is a member of Parliament, responded Miss Thompson But goodbye Goodbye, repeated her sister, and away they went Happy, joyous, kind-hearted, and good girls, who would not have suffered their tongues to utter a word of scandal Thus proving a striking contrast with the Madsen family What a vulgar buoyancy of spirits the eldest Miss Thompson always has, exclaimed the senior of the three sisters after a pause I really can scarcely seem commonly polite to her And the youngest is just like her in that respect, observed Julia They are the rudest and worst-behaved girls in Dover, except the Miss Greens, added Mrs. Madsen Well, said Anna Maria, since I have heard that the Greens are related to a member of Parliament, I don't fancy them to be so vulgar as I used to do Oh, what a thing it would be to get acquainted with a member, and have him at our parties next winter Wouldn't the Snipsons be in a way? And the Stileses, added Julia Yes, and the Tuplies, who are so proud of their Irish member, exclaimed the eldest Miss Madsen Oh, ma, let us make up to the Greens and get as friendly with them as possible, so that we may be on visiting terms with them when we go back to London And then we shall be introduced to their uncle, the member By all means, said Mrs. Madsen, charmed with the suggestion I will persuade your papa to allow us to give a party next week, on purpose for the Greens In the meantime, Captain Finnegan and Mr. Pink had proceeded somewhat rapidly along the Marine Parade Until they had reached the extremity, when they turned, and walked more slowly, so as to meet Charles Hetfield and Perdita Tomorrow, at this time, said the infatuated young man, as the siren leaned confidingly upon his arm We shall be far on our road to Paris, and within three days from this moment, my beloved one, you will be mine Oh, I believe firmly that we were intended for each other, and therefore happiness awaits us To be with you, Charles, is happiness indeed, returned Perdita, with that melting softness of tone which gave her words so exquisite a charm And made every chord in her lover's heart thrill with rapture Then, casting upon him a sweet glance which drank in his own, she said I'm rejoiced that we have taken this decided step, for in London I was so fearful that your relatives might adopt means to separate you from me No, that could not be, dearest Perdita, he observed, for I am of an age at which no parental despotism could be legally enforced And I have acquainted you with everything that has already passed between my father and myself Were I a weak-minded boy, I should perhaps have yielded to his threats or to my mother's entreaties But I have chosen to act for myself and on my own responsibility, and I do not repent the decision And never, never shall you repent, my beloved Charles, murmured Perdita, with no effectation of feeling, but under the influence of that passionate tenderness which she in reality experienced towards the young man And oh, how delightful is it to be your companion in such a delicious evening walk as this, by the scarcely rippling sea, and at the hour when the sun is sinking to its ocean bed Yes, and while with you, my Perdita, responded Charles, I seem to feel as if we two were alone together, soul-witnesses of the scene I observe not the other loungers, I see only my Perdita, hear only her voice At this moment his fair companion, to whom he was addressing those words of heartfelt tenderness, appeared to start violently For his arm to which she clung was suddenly jerked by her hand with some degree of force Charles instinctively raised his head, which had been bent partially towards her ear And glancing straight before him, he beheld two officers staring most rudely, as he thought, at his well-beloved and beauteous Perdita What means this insolence, he exclaimed, in a tone of irritation Let us turn back, Charles, dearest Charles, murmured Perdita, in a faint and tremulous tone, and she wheeled him round, as it were, with extraordinary alacrity A loud burst of laughter on the part of the officers met their ears And Charles, uttering an ejaculation of rage, was about to relinquish his fair companion's arm and rush back to demand an explanation, when Perdita said In the name of heaven, molest them not, I implore you And she hurried him away My God, Perdita, he said, when they were at some distance from the spot where the officers had stopped short to gaze upon Perdita And where their complete recognition of her had betrayed them into an act of rudeness which they almost immediately afterwards regretted For they felt that they had no right to insult the young woman by laughing at her altered circumstances My God, Perdita, said Charles, laboring under a painful state of excitement What means this conduct of those unmanorly fellows? And wherefore will you not permit me to chastise them? Would you expose me to the ridicule of all the persons assembled on the parade? demanded Perdita, who had now recovered her presence of mind At least sufficiently to feel the necessity of immediately allying her lover's excitement But those officers insulted you Insulted you grossly, Perdita, cried Charles, who did not, however, entertain the remotest suspicion prejudicial to the young woman But merely fell deeply indignant at an insolence which he could not understand, and which was so completely unprovoked They insulted us They insulted you as well as myself, Charles, answered Perdita hastily It was because you were bending as it were over me while you spoke, because your head was approached so close to my ear And because I was listening with such unconcealed delight to your tender words They saw that we were lovers, that we felt as if we were alone even amidst the crowd of loungers Yes, it must have been, as you say, cried Charles, receiving Perdita's ingenious explanation as natural and conclusive And now absolutely wondering at his own stupidity in not penetrating the matter before You may conceive, resumed the artful girl, how ashamed and bewildered I suddenly felt when, on raising my eyes, I saw the two officers standing still only a dozen yards in advance And gazing upon us in the rudest possible manner I instantly understood the truth Women, dear Charles, are sometimes more sharp-sighted than your sex It flashed to my mind that our manner had betrayed that we were lovers, and hence my emotions And can you wonder, my beloved Charles, if I hurried you away from a scene where you incurred the chance of becoming involved in a quarrel with those fire-eaters In good truth my Perdita said Hatfield, now smiling They seemed to me, if I might judge by the short glimpse I had of them, to be rather fitted for the drawing-room than to smell gunpowder Oh, that may be, exclaimed the young woman, her voice still continuing tremulous, and her manner imploring Nevertheless, I would not for the world that you should fall into danger Consider, Charles, how dreadful would be my feelings, were I to know that you were about to fight a duel Oh, my blood runs cold in my veins when I think of it But were you to fall in such hostile meeting? Ah, my God, what would become of your unhappy wretched Perdita? Dearest, sweetest girl, cried the enraptured young man, how blessed am I in the possession of such a love as thine And he gazed tenderly upon her as he spoke, pressing her arm at the same time with his own For now her countenance was flushed with the emotions that agitated in her bosom And, as the rays of the setting sun played upon her face, she seemed lovely beyond all possibility of description They returned to the hotel, and, having partaken of supper, sought their respective chambers at a somewhat early hour For Mrs. Fitzharding and Perdita complained of fatigue, and Charles knew that the ensuing days travelling would prove even more wearisome still The reader has seen how artfully the young woman contrived to find an explanation for the untoward and menacing event which had occurred upon the marine parade The real truth was that, while Charles was pouring words of tenderness and love into the ears of Perdita, she suddenly raised her eyes And was horror-struck at beholding the countenances—two well-known countenances—of Captain Finnegan and Lieutenant Pink For their regiment had been stationed at Sydney, and those two officers had enjoyed the favours of the beautiful, enveloptuous Perdita She saw that she was recognised, and for a moment the chances were equal whether she should sink beneath the blow as if struck by a thunderbolt Or whether she should recover her presence of mind The latter alternative favoured her on this occasion, and her sophistry, her demonstrations of tenderness, and the horror which she expressed at the idea of a duel Succeeded in completely pacifying her lover End of Section 37 Recording by Brian Keenan Section 38 of Mysteries of London, Volume 4 This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Brian Keenan Mysteries of London, Volume 4 by George W. M. Reynolds A mysterious occurrence. The journey continued Our travellers rose early in the morning, for the French mail steamer, Les Couriers, was to start for Calais at nine o'clock Breakfast over, Charles Hatfield and Perdita walked down to the pier at twenty minutes to nine Mrs. Fitz Harding, who was determined to make herself as busy and also as necessary as possible, remaining behind to see that the baggage was safely consigned to the porter in readiness to convey it The weather was delightful, and the fresh sea breeze with its saline flavor seemed to waft invigorating influences upon its wing Charles and his beloved were in high spirits, although Perdita threw ever in a non-anxious glance around to assure herself that the dreaded officers who had caused her so much alarm on the preceding evening were not near to renew that terror Everything was satisfactory in this respect, and never had the heart of the young woman been more elate than when she stepped upon the deck of the gallant steamer, which was already puffing off its fleecy vapor with a snorting noise, as if it were a steed impatient of delay Seating themselves upon a bench, Charles and Perdita were soon absorbed in a conversation of a tender nature, and, forgetful of everything saved the topic of their discourse, they noticed not the lapse of time until they happened to perceive the captain standing on one of the paddle boxes, and heard the orders which he gave to the busy French sailors These symptoms of immediate departure instantaneously aroused the attention of Charles and Perdita to the fact that Mrs. Fitzharding had not joined them Where is my mother demanded the latter, embracing with a rapid glance the entire range of the deck, and unable to discover the object of her search amongst the passengers scattered about the vessel Wait here one moment, dearest, and I will see, said Charles, and he hastened forward, thinking that perhaps the funnel might conceal the old woman from their view But she was not to be found, although a glance at the piles of baggage in the immediate vicinity of the chimney showed him his companion's boxes, together with a portmanteau of necessaries which he had purchased for himself on the preceding evening Yes, there was the baggage, but where was Mrs. Fitzharding? What could have become of her? Perhaps she had descended to the cabin This idea seemed probable, and Charles was about to hurry back to the bench where he had left Perdita when she joined him, saying, I have been into the cabin, and my mother is not there Before Charles had time to make any reply, a porter in his white frock approached him, and, touching his hat, said, Please sir, are these your things? Pointing to the boxes Yes, answered Hatfield, but where is the lady who was giving you instructions about them when we left the hotel? Please sir, she came after me as far as the beginning of the pier, returned the porter, and there, as I happened to look round, I saw her speaking to two men I went on, looked round again, and could see nothing more of her This is most extraordinary, exclaimed Hatfield I could not comprehend it, observed Perdita Then, suddenly struck by the idea that Charles might propose to land and search after the old woman, she added hastily But we need not alarm ourselves. If anything has happened to detain my mother a short time, she will doubtless follow us by the next boat At this moment, the huge paddle wheels began to turn Charles hastily tossed the porter half a crown, and the man leapt on the pier in company with several others of his own calling While the steamer moved away with stately steadiness of pace Perdita and Charles Hatfield paced the deck, arm in arm, and conversing on the unaccountable disappearance of Mrs. Fitzhearting The latter could conjecture no possible key to the mystery, nor did Perdita offer any suggestive clue Although she thought it probable that her mother, having lost her despotic authority, had withdrawn, in a moment of ill temper From the company of those whom she could not hope to reduce to the condition of slaves But the young woman said to herself, she will soon repent of her folly and rejoin us While to Charles she expressed an uneasiness and an apprehension lest any accident should have befallen her mother Anne sped the steamer. The harbor is cleared And now she enters upon the expanse of green water, over which she walks like a thing of life The huge paddles raising as well, which, covered in foam, marks the pathway of the gallant vessel On, on she went, and now the white cliffs of Albion diminish and grow dim in the distance While, still far ahead, the coast of France, like a long brown streak in the horizon, appears in view And oh, may that green sea never waft a hostile navy from one shore to the other May the peace which now subsists between the two greatest nations in the universe remain undisturbed Let France and England continue rivals, not in the art of war, but in the means of developing every element of civilization and progress Such a striving, such a race between the two, will be glorious indeed, and the whole world will experience the benefit Shame, then, to those alarmists who are now endeavoring to spread terror and dismay throughout the British islands By their calculations of the facility with which the French may invade us, and by their predictions of the consequences of such an invasion Well, where are we that were France to entertain the project? Its realization would be easy For with our navy dispersed over the world, our coast defenses so few and far between, in our totally insufficient army We have no means of resisting an invading force of eighty or a hundred thousand men so admirably disciplined as the soldiers of France But neither Louis Philippe nor his government entertains the remotest idea of disturbing the peace of the world And it is madness, it is wickedness on the part of the public journals and of pamphleteers to write for the very purpose of creating an impression that an invasion by the French is imminent A terrible panic has been raised throughout the length and breadth of the land, and with sorrow do we record the fact that the Duke of Wellington has placed himself at the head of the alarmists To consummate the folly, all that is now required is what? To give Prince Albert the command of the army Or rather, oh Englishman, does not the apprehension of danger from an invasion by a foreign power lay bare in all its nakedness the monstrous folly The astounding absurdity of suddenly elevating that young and inexperienced man to the rank of a field-martial A field-martial who has never smelt powder saved in the heartless, inhuman cruelty of a battu of game, and who has never in his life seen a shot fired in anger England does not require such a drawing-room field-martial. She wants a captain general who, if need be, can compete with such a man as Bougote But where will royal folly stop? And when will any statesman have the courage to resist the childish caprices of the Queen? In the same newspapers which are constantly telling us that the French meditate an invasion, that if the curious ears enter London on the east, the best thing the horse-guards can do will be to march out on the west That the conquerors will be sure to levy contributions upon us, demand the settlement of old scores, strip us of our colonies, and humiliate us in every way In the very same journals which tell us all this, we read that the Queen is anxious for Prince Albert to become commander-in-chief, the Duke of Wellington retiring to make room for him Merciful heavens, is such a monstrous absurdity to be consummated? Is that grey-headed veteran who won the field of Waterloo to be superseded by a mere boy? Much as we have disliked the Duke of Wellington as a politician, yet we have felt proud of him as our national hero And no words can convey an idea of the disgust with which we perused the paragraph, intimating that this mighty warrior was to be put upon the shelf To make way for a prince who knows no more of military matters than he does of the hieroglyphics on the Pyramids of Egypt If the Duke be desirous of withdrawing into private life, let him be succeeded by some great captain who knows what hard blows in the field are Let his place be supplied by one of his own companions and arms Have we, none of the heroes of the peninsular battles, still alive? Have we known names rendered glorious by victories achieved on the banks of the Sutledge? It would be an insult the most glaring, the most flagrant to all the illustrious chieftains alluded to, were a young man who never saw an angry shot fired to be placed in authority over their heads Already have the great warriors of England been sufficiently humiliated by the elevation of that young man to the rank of Field Marshal But really if the English court be allowed to play at soldiers in this disgraceful manner, it is no wonder that such men as the Duke of Wellington should look with apprehension at the consequences of a French invasion Prince Albert may be very resolute and very determined in worrying a poor otter with his dogs, or he may be desperately brave in firing volleys of small shot upon harmless birds But as for his capacity or his courage to lead an army, the idea is ridiculous The English people have not gone stark, staring mad, even if some few of their rulers have And most sincerely do we hope that, if the attempt to raise Prince Albert to the post of Commander-in-Chief be persisted in, the country will oppose it by all moral and legal means By memorial, petition, and remonstrance, by public meetings at the omnipotent voice of the public press And fine by a universal agitation such as that which knocked down the corn laws For the consummation of so astounding and absurdity will prove the ruin of the British army Surely it is not in civilized England, and in the middle of the 19th century, that royalty is to play its fantastic tricks and use all our grandest institutions as playthings If so, we shall have the Prince of Wales created on Admiral very shortly And Dr. Howley may resign the Archbishopric of Canterbury to little Prince Ernest Alfred And why not? Such appointments would be quite as rational as that of Prince Albert to the post of Commander-in-Chief Let not our readers suppose that we seek to bring princes into ridicule They have the right to be princes if the people are foolish enough to let them But when they make themselves ridiculous by grasping at offices for which they are totally unfitted, it is time for us to speak out We are inspired by no awe and entertain no solemn terror in dealing with royalty For, after all, royal persons are only human creatures as well as we And they seldom possess the good feelings and sterling qualities which are to be found in honest, hardworking, enlightened mechanics After a most agreeable voyage of two hours and a half, the French steam packet entered Calais Harbour Charles and Perdita proceeded to Desson's Hotel And there they determined to wait at least a few hours until the arrival of an English steamer which was to leave Dover about a couple of hours later than Le Corrier During this interval Charles bethought himself that, should Mrs. Fitzharding not join them in the course of the day, Perdita and himself would be compelled to continue their journey to Paris And, with a due sense of delicacy towards her who was to become his wife, he saw the impropriety of their travelling alone together He accordingly intimated to Perdita the necessity of procuring for her a lady's maid without delay And though she would have much preferred that herself and lover should be the sole occupants of the interior of the post-chase She nevertheless comprehended that the expression of such a wish on her part would give him but a poor idea of her modesty She therefore assented to his proposal with apparent cheerfulness and thanked him for his kind consideration By the agency of Madame Desson, the landlady of the hotel, a French lady's maid who understood English was speedily obtained and engaged And Perdita was now by no means displeased to find herself elevated to the position of a woman of some consequence She, who but a short time before had entered London in a butcher's cart and clad in the meanest apparel Was now provided with a special attendant and could choose dresses of the latest fashion and the costliest material The lady's maid was a pretty young woman of about three and twenty, with fine hair and eyes, good teeth, and a beautiful figure And her attire was of the most tasteful, though a quiet and unassuming description Her manners were very agreeable and would be termed ladylike in this country But beneath a modest and innocent-looking exterior, she concealed a disposition for intrigue and no small amount of subtlety At the same time, Rosalie, for that was her name, would not for the world seek to lead a virtuous mistress astray And to such virtuous mistress she would doubtless prove an excellent, faithful, and trustworthy servant But should she have to deal with a mistress given to gallantry, then Rosalie would cheerfully exercise all her arts of duplicity All her little cunning machinations, and all her aptitude for the management of an intrigue, and would take delight in enabling her lady to deceive a husband or a lover Such was the young person who now became Perdita's attendant But it must be observed that the character of Rosalie, as far as it was known to the landlady of the hotel, was unimpeachable That is to say, she bore the reputation of honesty, cleanliness, a perfect knowledge of her duties And fine all those qualifications which are sought and required in an upper servant of her description Having waited until the arrival of the English packet, and finding that Mrs. Fitzharding did not make her appearance Charles, to whom her absence was unaccountable and bewildering to a degree, ordered the post-chase to be got ready And, while this was being done, he proceeded with Perdita to the British consuls to obtain passports Finally, at about five o'clock in the afternoon, our travellers took their departure from Dessin's hotel in a chasen fore Rosalie occupying a seat inside, for the sake of appearances Oh, had Charles had field known that the young woman, his intended bride, for whose reputation he manifested so much delicate care Had he known that she was so thoroughly polluted in body and mind Could he have heard the history which the two officers at Dover might have told of her, had they chosen He would have been shocked and horrified He would have spurned her from him And all his ardent enthusiastic love, amounting to an adoration and a worship, would have changed into feelings of abhorrence, loathing, and hate But he believed her to be pure and virtuous, possessing some strange wayward and eccentric notions it is true And yet endowed with a spirit so plastic and ductile as to yield willingly to good counsel and to be ready to sacrifice any peculiarity of opinion to the man whom she loved It is likewise true that he remembered how she had permitted him, in moments of impassioned tenderness, to toy with her, to press her glowing bosom To glue his lips to hers as if she herself would on those occasions accord even more But he likewise recollected how invariably she started from his arms, withdrew herself from his embrace And manifested a suddenly resuscitated presence of mind when he had grown too bold and, maddened with desire, had sought the last favor which a woman in amorous dalliance can bestow He therefore reasoned that, although her naturally warm temperament had led her to bestow upon him such unequivocal proofs of her love Yet that a virgin pride and a maiden's prudence had enabled her in every instance to triumph over temptation And this belief enhanced his profound admiration of her character But from the moment that Charles had first beheld Perdita his brain had been in an incessant state of excitement An intoxication, an elysian delirium which made Perdita an angel of beauty and almost of excellence in his eyes And those fervent caresses which he had been permitted to bestow upon her And those slight foretastes of the most voluptuous enjoyments which he had been allowed to snatch Had only tended to sustain that excitement Increased the dreamy delights of that intoxication and enhanced the bliss of that continuous delirium Then, in addition to the fascinating influence of the siren In addition to the enthralling witchery which her charms, her arts, her conversation, and the silver sounds of her dulcet voice exercised over him Were his ambitious hopes, his soaring aspirations All these circumstances had combined to unsettle, if not altogether change, in an incredibly short space A disposition naturally good, a mind naturally energetic and powerful And then those unhappy scenes with his father, when neither fully understood the meaning and drift of the other's observations Had aided to produce an excitement which was thus hurrying the young man along apparently to his utter ruin Unless indeed some good angel should yet intervene ere it be too late But we must not anticipate On the contrary, let us return from this partial though not unnecessary digression to the thread of our narrative So that we may all the sooner be enabled to bring our readers back to that metropolis That mighty London of which we have still so many mysteries to unfold The travellers pursue their journey all night, Charles being anxious to reach the French capital with the least possible delay And Perdita seconding him fully in the wish Let us therefore succinctly state that in the morning they breakfasted at Amiens In the afternoon they dined at Beauvais And at ten o'clock in the evening they entered this splendid city of Paris Did our limits and the nature of the tale permit us, we would here gladly pause for a few minutes to describe that peerless capital which we know and love so well But this may not be And we therefore hasten to state that Charles and Perdita, attended by Rosalie, proceeded to a respectable family hotel Where they hired a handsome suite of apartments And now for an important event in this section of our narrative An event which nevertheless may be related in a few words For at eleven o'clock on the morning following their arrival in Paris Charles Hadfield, claiming to be Viscount Marston And Perdita Fitz-Harding were united in the bonds of matrimony At the British Ambassador's Chapel in the Rue Saint-Donor And by the Chaplain to the Embassy End of Section 38 Recording by Brian Keenan Mysteries of London, Volume 4 by George W. M. Reynolds Two unpleasant lodgers In the meantime certain little incidents had occurred in London Which we must faithfully chronicle before we proceed with the adventures of the newly married couple Adventures which could Charles have possibly foreseen But we were for a moment oblivious of the scenes that require our attention in London And which took place while Charles Hadfield and Perdita were as yet on their way to Paris Charter House Square, situate between Aldersgate Street and St. John Street Smithfield has a mournful gloomy and somber appearance Which even the green foliage in the circular enclosure cannot materially relieve The houses are, for the most part, of antiquated structure and dingy hue The windows and front doors are small and passed by them when you will You never behold a human countenance at any one of the casements The curtains and the blinds and in the wintertime glimpses of the fires burning in the parlours These are, to a certain extent, symptoms that the houses are tenanted But no farther signs of the fact can be discovered Often, and often as we have passed through that square, we never beheld a soul coming out of Nor going into any one of the gloomy abodes We've observed a baker's boy and a butcher's ditto hurrying rapidly round But never could satisfy ourselves that either of them had any particular business there For they did not knock at a single door And on one, and only one occasion, when we met a two-penny postman in the square He seemed to be as much astonished at finding himself in that quarter as we were to encounter him there As for the beetle, his occupation seems to consist of lounging about Switching a cane, strolling into the fox and anchor public house And chatting for half an hour at a time with the very sober-looking porter of the charter house There is a something really solemn and awful in the silence of that square Not a silence and a repose which seemed to afford relief to the mind and rest to the ear After escaping from the tremendous din of the crowded streets But a silence that strikes like a chill to the heart When surrises this sensation, is it because, while traversing the square We are reminded that in the vast coistral building to the north are pent-up 80 old men The poor brothers of the charter house, 80 denizens of a protestant monastery In the very heart of civilized London, 80 worn-out and decrepit persons Who drag out the wretched remnant of their lives beneath the iron sway Of a crushing ecclesiastical discipline Does the silence of the square borrow its solemnity from that far more awful silence Which reigns within the charter house itself A silence so awe-inspiring, so dead, so tomb-like That even in the noon of a hot summer day the visitors shutters with a cold feeling creeping over him As he crosses the coistral enclosure The reader will probably remember that when Mr. Bubbleton Stiles had propounded his grand railway scheme To Captain O. Blenderbus and Mr. Frank Curtis He gave each of those gentlemen a ten-pound note Desiring them to take respectable lodgings and refer if necessary to him We know not precisely how it happened that the gallant office and his friend Should have selected charter house square as the place most likely to suit them With regard to apartments, but they assuredly did repair And in that gloomy quarter did they hire three rooms, namely a parlor on the first floor And two bed chambers on the second The landlady of the house was a widow and having some small pittance In the shape of regular income eeked out by letting a portion of her abode She was an elderly woman, tall, starch and prim and very particular In obtaining good references or at least what she considered to be good ones Respecting any applicants for her apartments And therefore previously to admitting Captain O. Blenderbus and Mr. Frank Curtis Into her house she had sought all possible information concerning them at the hands of Mr. Stiles His account was satisfactory and the two gentlemen were there upon duly installed In their lodgings at Mrs. Rudd's charter house square The first two or three days passed comfortably enough because the Captain and Frank Having ready money in their pockets took their dinner and supper I and their grog too had some convenient tavern Troubling Mrs. Rudd only in reference to their breakfast Which she cheerfully prepared for them because she thereby obtained Whole and sole control over their groceries She was a very pious woman and attended a Methodist chapel regularly every Sunday The being as she often expressed herself alone with her She thought there was no harm in using her lodger's tea, sugar and butter for her own repass Heaven was very good to her, she would often tell her neighbors And enabled her to make the most of her little means She might have added end of her lodgers also The Captain and Frank however soon began to find that their evening entertainments at the tavern Were very expensive and as they could not again draw upon Mr. Stiles for some time All his resources being required for the promotion of the railway They resolved to economize the best method of carrying this object into effect Was to take their dinner supper and poutine at home And Mrs. Rudd on being sounded in respect to the plan willingly assented For the excellent woman felt assured that her lodgers would not miss a slice or two Off a cold joint any more than they noticed the marvelous disappearance of their groceries So the Captain and his friend became more domestic And as Frank did not get particularly drunk on the first evening Mrs. Rudd had no complaints to make But at last she began to suspect that she had some ground for doubting the steadiness of her lodgers It was on a Sunday evening and the worthy woman had just returned from chapel Where she had heard a most refreshing and savory discourse by the Reverend Mr. Flummery Went on crossing the threshold of the house door And whilst they were ruminating on the truly Christian manner In which the eloquent minister had promised hell frames to all heathens She was suddenly startled by hearing a terrific noise proceeding from upstairs She paused and listened Yes, the sound did emanate from above And most strange sounds they were too deeply disgusted Nay profoundly shocked at this desecration of the Sabbath Mrs. Rudd crept upstairs And the nearer she drew to the parlor door The more convinced did she become that Captain O. Blunderbuss And Mr. Curtis were fighting a single combat with the shovel and poker The conflict was, however, only in fun For the clash of the firearms was accompanied by tremendous shouts of laughter And such ejaculations as these Thereby, Jesus, I have ye again, Frank But in thunder keep up your gird, man Now would ye be after a faint be the powers And ye can't touch me at all at all He had harmed me, friend, never mind The damned old poker The old woman is that chapel Mrs. Rudd was astounded, stupefied Was it possible that these were the lodges whom Mr. Stiles A respectable city man had recommended as the very patterns of quietness and steadiness Why if she had let her rooms to two bedlamites, things could not have been worse She was positively afraid to go into remonstrate And having recovered the use of those limbs Which, wonder, had for several minutes paralyzed She hurried downstairs to consider what was best to be done While suppling off her rackety lodges cold joint That same night, Frank Curtis got so gloriously inebriated That he threw up his bedroom window And treated the whole square to a specimen of his vocal power Singing some favorite Bacchanalian song And introducing the most terrific yells by way of variations The captain who had also imbibed a little too much Soon after threw up his window And exerted all the powers of his lungs in chorus with his friend So that the deep solemn and awe-inspiring silence of Charter House Square Was broken in a fashion that seemed to surprise the very echoes themselves Without any figure of speech, it is certain that the inhabitants were surprised For their night, usually passed in such death-like tranquility Was unexpectedly and suddenly made hideous And several nervous old ladies dwelling in the neighborhood Fancy that their frightful yells were warnings of fire And went off into strong hysterics Mainly did Mrs. Rudnott first at the captain's door Then at Frank's, they heard her not, or if they did Took no heed of her remonstances And when the beetle who had been aroused from his bed came And thundered at the front door the two lodgers Simultaneously emptied their water pitches on his head Then satisfied with this exploit They closed their windows and retired to rest When they descended to their parlour to breakfast in the morning Mrs. Rudd acquainted them in atone, eventing the most violent Concentration of rage that she could not possibly think of harboring Captain O. Blunderbuss and Mr. Curtis any longer But to her amazement they both sport that they were perfectly innocent Of the disturbance of the previous night Alleging that they themselves were as much annoyed by the row As the landlady herself Mrs. Rudd could scarcely believe her ears Had she been dreaming? No, the noise had really taken place For her lodgers admitted that they had heard it Though to use a common phrase They swore eyes and limbs that they had not made it However, she gave them a week's morning And then calmly reminded them That a week's rent was already due Whereupon Captain O. Blunderbuss flew into a terrific rage At the idea of the mainness of the woman in spake And of such a trifle Mrs. Rudd was frightened and turned in An appealing manner to Mr. Frank Curtis Who declared point blank that the Captain was cashier And that she must drop on him But finding that the gallant officer Was a cashier without cash Mrs. Rudd was compelled to retire Muddering something about her being a lone widow And intimating a hope that the two weeks' rent Would be paid all in a lump On the following Monday morning The Captain and Mr. Curtis Now completely threw off the mask They no longer affected even to be Study quiet men of regular habits As Mr. Stiles had represented them But they drank protein till all was blue As Frank Curtis said Or in the language of the gallant officer Till they couldn't see a hole through a lather The disturbances they created at night were hideous And poor Mrs. Rudd received from all her neighbors The most positive threats that they would Indite her house as a nuisance At last, in the depth of her despair She had recourse to that excellent man The Reverend Mr. Flummery And the Reverend Mr. Flummery Had a sad tale undertook to go in person And remonstrate with these men of Belial Accordingly, one afternoon Just as the Captain and Frank had finished A couple of bottles of stop-by-way Of giving themselves an appetite for dinner They were somewhat surprised When the parlor drawer was thrown open And then walked a short, poggy red-faced man Dressed in deep black Still, more amazed were they When he announced himself as the Reverend Emmanuel Flummery and stated that He had come to remonstrate with them Towards a lone widow, the Captain Winking at Curtis deserved the minister To be seated and proposed to discuss The business over another bottle of stout His reverence thought there was Something so affable in the offer That it would be churlish to refuse it And he accordingly gave his assent The stout was produced And Mr. Flummery, being thirsty and hot Enjoyed it excessively He then began along the monstrance With the two gentlemen, the gist of which Was that Mrs. Rudd would be very much Ablaged to them if they would pay their rent And remove to other lodgings The Captain and Frank pretended to listen With attention and the Reverend minister Finding them in such attractable humor As he supposed did not choose To mar the harmony of the interview By declining a second bottle of stout Talking had renewed his thirst And moreover, if there were One special beverage which the Reverend Emmanuel Flummery loved More than another, it was going to Sist out. Accordingly, he emptied Over and then continued his remonstrance And his representations, in which However, he was cut short by a sudden Pain in the stomach. Doubtless produced by the effervescent Malt liquor, the Captain was prompt With a remedy, and Mr. Flummery Had swallowed a good drum of whiskey Before an eye could twinkle thrice Thus jeered in finding the two gentlemen Most docile and respectful His reverence consented to partake Of a hot glass of toddy with them Just to convince them that he was To be friendly, and this one glass Led to a second, and then Frank Curtis Cunningly brewed him a third, while The Reverend Minister was expatiating Upon the good qualities of Mrs. Rudd. In fine Mr. Emmanuel Flummery became So much disguised and liquor that When he took his leave, he swore The Captain and Frank Curtis were Two excellent gentlemen, begged them Not to put themselves to any inconvenience In moving, and assured them that he Would make it all right with the landlady. Mrs. Rudd, however, was mildly shocked To be held the conditioning which the Reverend Gentleman presented himself At her own parlor door, and she Could indeed scarcely believe her eyes And went after hiccuping out some Unintelligible words, that self-same Reverend Gentleman, the pastor Of an admiring flock, and whose sermons Were so refreshing and so savoury When he, the individual whom she Had looked upon as the essence of Human perfection, when he, we say, Cast his arms around her neck And administered to her somewhat Wrinkled cheeks of hearty smack. Then, what did she do? Why, she put up with the affront, Doubtless to say the reputation of The minister, and perhaps with the Same charitable desire to avoid the Scandal of an exposure, she permitted Him to repeat his caresses as often As she chose, during the half-hour That he remained in her company. She even made him some tea, which Materially tended to sober him, and When he had at length taken his departure She muttered several times to herself, After all, this saint of a man is Mere flesh and blood like any other. But when Mrs. Rudd's more pleasurable Reflections had ceased for pleasurable They certainly were, both during The Reverend Gentleman's presence, And for a short time after the door Had closed behind him, she remembered That her disagreeable lodges were Still in the house. Now with Standing the remonstrances, which According to his statement to the Witter, the pious minister had most Eloquently addressed to them, and While she was very soon made to understand For the obstreperous behavior of Those dreadful men, to use Mrs. Rudd's own words, recommenced in the Form of the most hearty peals Of laughter, and the clashing of The firearms, and the stamping of feet As if the two gentlemen were mad. They had begun their boots, and Mrs. Rudd to herself, looking up and Despair at the seating as if she Thought the captain, and his friend Must inevitably come through upon Her devoted head, but never mind Blamed aloud as a thought, a very Bright thought, Strucker, I will put up With it for this once, and to Marr, to Marr. Here Mrs. Rudd stopped short for it, she would Not even trust the empty air with The lucid idea which had struck her. We may, however, inform our readers That this said idea was nothing More nor less than to lock out the Two gentlemen when they went for Their usual walk on the Marr. Tranquilized by the excellence of The scheme, Mrs. Rudd refreshed And then spread her huge Bible open On the table before her, not to read It, primarily because it looked pious Like, as she thought, if any of her Neighbors should happen to drop in, for Mrs. Rudd delighted in that reputation For sanctity, which she enjoyed amongst Her acquaintances in general, and The frequenters of the Reverend Gentleman's Chapel in particular. Let us now return to Mr. Frank Curtis And Captain O'Blunderbuss, who, as The landlady rightly concluded, were Enjoying themselves in their own Fashion upstairs. Having partaken Of a cold joint and the slip-shot Girl of the house having provided Them with a jug of hot water, the Two gentlemen commenced the evening's Orgy. The whiskey punch, which They brewed, was of that kind, which Is libelously alleged to be Peculiarly affected by ladies, namely Hot, strong, and plenty of it. And under its influence, they Seen manifested their wanted exuberance Of spirits. First Captain O'Blunderbuss would insist upon Having Frank a lesson with the broadsword, The one using the poker and the other The shovel, and every time the gallant Officer thrust his friend in the ribs A hearty shout of laughter burst From their lips, for they considered It prime fun. When they were Tired of this amusement, they resumed Their seats, replenished their glasses, And chatted on diverse matters, Interesting to themselves. Presently Frank started up and leaped over a chair In order to show his agility, although He had grown somewhat stout of late And acquitted himself in a clumsy manner The Captain volunteered to teach him how To do it. But the gallant officer Only tumbled over the chair, causing A tremendous spit in his trousers An accident at which they nevertheless Both laughed more heartily than ever. B. Jayses, cried the Captain, And that's the only pair of unmentionable That I possess. But never mind I'll be after telling the gal To take him round to the tails The first thing in the morning, and so I'll take my breakfast in bed. Frank Can be sent home again. Let's See, we've got to meet Stiles tomorrow At three in the afternoon, say curse, and by Jove, we must make him come down with the dust. Be the powers, and you're right, my friend. Exclaim the Captain at eighteen pints That's left in my pocket at this prize And spike him. And nothing at all In mind interrupted Frank, both his Hands diving at the same time, down Into the depths of the empty convenience As alluded to. Do's take this Rareware fare, it gives some precious So I remember when I was in Paris, two or three And twenty years ago, they were making A new pathway through my friend, the Archbishop Sustained at Fontainebleau And if his grace didn't go and swear At the men all day long, they never Would have got on with it. Be the powers If it's a rifle of swearin' That would make Miss Fleur Stiles Push ahead, said the gallant officer And the boy to have them on with that Same. You see, there's been What they call a tightness in that money Market lately, observed Frank, at least That's what Stiles told me the other day And it's an environmental tightness That's got hold of our money market My friend interrupted the Captain Be jazes, there's the pot theme bottle empty And no ticket to public. You've got Eighteen pints in your pocket, Captain Suggested Curtis, right, me boy? And he rang the bell furiously The slip shot girl answered the summons And was forthwith dispatched for The live wristy at the wine vaults Which the lodgers honored with their custom Now we're all together aground, said Curtis After a pause which had followed The departure of the servant, but we've Everything necessary in the house For tomorrow morning's breakfast except the milk And borrowed my breech as ye Spalping, cried the Captain They must be immediately mentored anyhow Though the tailor won't think Of asking for the money when he brings Them home, said Curtis, then beholding The comical expression of his friend's Which was elongated with sort Misgivings respecting the amount Of confidence the snip might choose to put In his honor, Frank burst out into A tremendous fit of laughter. R-R-R, gonna be jazes, and it's All mighty fine for you, Mr. Curtis To make a damn fool yourself In that fashion exclaimed Captain Oblundibus, becoming as red As a turkey cock, but I can assure Ye that it's no joking math there For me to contemplate the prospect Of line and bare for a week or two Till I get my breeches back again And now if you're not after a hold In your tongue, Frank, I'll tip you a Small wrap on the head with the poker By the holy poker, I will. Don't get into rage, Captain, Said Curtis, putting a bridle upon His mirth and consequence of the Threat just held up, a threat which He knew his amiable friend was Perfectly capable of putting into Force. I will go out the first Thing in the morning and see styles, And I have no doubt he will give Right the time the tailor comes home With the unmentionables, though Siferated the captain, his wrath Reviving, as he saw that his friend Was once more on the point of giving Bent to a hearty concatenation. But here's the gal coming upstairs With the pothly, and so we will after Join ourselves for the prison And think of the tightness of the Money, marquette in the morning. Well, what the deuce has made you So long, demanded Frank Curtis As the slip-shot domestic entered Long, sir, I could the girl, as if In surprise, Laura, sir, I ain't been A minute. Not a minute, cried Frank, Who always bullied servants when They weren't footmen who could knock Him down for his impudence. I'll tell You, you've been more than a quarter Of an hour. Well, sir, and if so be I have, said the girl, suddenly Recollecting something which had Occurred to hinder her on her errand. It was because as I went out of the Street, do a man come up and ask Me if so be as Mr. Smith lived Here? No, says I. He don't. Well, then says the man, Mr. Brown does. No, he don't, though. I says, says I. Nor yet Mr. Jones, nor Mr. Notes, neither. Well, who does live here, then, Says the man, and as I thought It would teach him not to be so Crush as knowing another time, I Out and told him, slap as how two Gentlemen lived here, as was named Blunderbuss, these ways owed Blunderbuss and Curtis. The Devil you did ejaculated the two Lodgers as it were in the same breath And exchanging significant glances Which expressed the same apprehension To be sure I did, sir, responded The girl not perceiving the alarm Which she had created in the minds Of the gentlemen, but rather attributing Their excited ejaculations Through an approval of her conduct For I think to myself, things I Know, my fine fellow, you Will believe that there's no Smiths For Browns here, and you won't be Quite so positive another time. Well, and what did the man say? Demanded Frank Curtis, starting Another uneasy glance at his friend. He only said, oh, and went away, returned The girl, and that's what kept me a little In going. What sort of a looking Fellow was he, asked Curtis? He warned a gentleman, sir, and he Smelt horrible of drink, said the Domestic. But what should you Take him for, demanded Frank impatiently. A thief, sir, was the Ingenuous response. The jays And then it's a sheriff's Ejaculated Captain O'Blunderbuss Starting in his chair, but instantly Stopping short where he completed The sentence he added in a few moments And in a less excited tone, you may Go down stairs, my dear, and if Anyone comes and asks from Mr. Frank Curtis, or Captain O'Blunderbuss, he must deny In his mind, or I'll be after Skinning you alive. Laura Circled the girl and horrified By the dreadful threat she hastened From the room, as if the individual Had uttered the menace were preparing To carry it into execution. For some few minutes after she Had taken her departure, Captain O'Blunderbuss and Mr. Curtis set Eyeing each other in silence, the Same idea evidently occupying both And both fearful to express it as If to give utterance to the thought Were positively to meet the dreaded Misfortune halfway. Well, exclaimed Curtis at length, And what do you think of that? Be jazes, and it's what do you Think of it, cried the Captain. For My part, I think it's Ron Rigg and Kay Say the lawyers who've found Out where we are, I mean to take us On that curse who cognitively Gave them last Christmas for the Discounter's affair. So Mr. Curtis, who having now fully expressed His fears, no longer hesitated to Look particularly blank upon the Matter. Faith in that same My opinion also exclaimed the gallant Officer, then grasping the poker Very tight in his hand he said, Thundering villains of sure Selfers are scraped into this house It's my self that will send Them out again with a flay in their ear So don't make yourself unhappy at all At all, my friend, but let's Drink and bad luck to the base Of the earth. With all my heart, cried Frank Brewing For himself a strong glass of toddy The only thing is, is what? Demanded the Captain, suddenly Desisting from his occupation of mixing A tumbler of grog, for himself Mixing his eyes, sternly upon his friend The breeches was the laconic Cancer. Ah, now, and can't You be easy about those Same immeasnables, cried The gallant Officer. I suspected It was after them he was Harping again and again. It'll Become a sore subject in time, Frank So drink and bad luck To the inexpressibles. And the two gentlemen did drink Until the bottle was empty when They retired to rest. The Captain Beesley informed the servant girl That he should leave his trousers Outside his chamber door, and that She must take the mount of the tailor The very first thing in the morning With instructions for him to mend And return them as speedily as Possible. End of Section 39