He then proceeded to tell me how he had discovered my being there.
After his departure from Lady Gwyn's, he set off for London, to
prosecute his inquiries about my father; and spent some days in this
way, to no purpose. At length he returned to Lady Gwyn's, but was much
shocked at learning from her that I had robbed her, and absconded; and
had afterwards made an assault on her house, at the head of a set of
Irishmen. By the description she gave, he judged that Jerry Sullivan
was one of them; and not finding us at Monkton Castle, whither she
directed him, he posted back to London, in order to make inquiries at
Jerry's house. Jerry, who had just returned, related the whole history
of the castle; adding that I was to call upon him the moment I should
arrive in Town. Stuart, therefore, waited some time; but as I did not
appear, he began to suspect that Betterton had entrapped me; so he
hastened to the coachmaker, and having explained to him that I was no
swindler, and having paid him for the barouche, he told him (as he
learned from Jerry) that Betterton was one of those who had assaulted
the postilion and constables. The coachmaker, therefore, applied at the
police-office; and a party was dispatched to apprehend Betterton.
Stuart accompanied them, and thus gained admission (which he could not
otherwise have done) into the house.
Higginson now told a lamentable tale of the pranks that Betterton had
played on him; and amongst the rest, mentioned, that a servant had
seduced him into the bag, by pretending to be his friend, and to
smuggle him out of the house, in the character of meal.
He could gather, from several things said while the company were
tormenting him, that Grundy had agreed to marry me; and then, for a
stipulated sum, to give Betterton opportunities of prosecuting his
infamous designs. Thus both of them would escape the penalties of the
law.
He likewise informed me, that the female guests were (to use his own
words) ladies whom the male guests loved better than they ought to do;
and he then explained that the several rooms were furnished according
to the fashions of different countries; Grecian, Persian, Chinese,
Italian; and that mine was the Gothic chamber.
By this time, having reached the village, and stopped at an inn, where
we meant to sleep, I desired a room, and bade Stuart a hasty good
night.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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