Thus speaking, the young nobleman bowed and retired; and the moment the door closed behind him, the lawyer’s countenance assumed an expression of such malignant triumph, that it seemed as if he were suddenly animated with the spirit of a fiend.
“Green has got her off by this time—there can be no doubt of that,” he muttered to himself, as he rubbed his mummy-like hands gleefully together. “The woman loves my brother—and she will start away directly. Even her vanity will not induce her to tarry to pack up all her things, unless they are ready to hand; for the love of a woman who is sincere in her passion, rises superior to every other consideration. Oh! I know the human heart well; I know all its intricacies—its ins and its outs—the ravellings and unravellings of its smallest, most delicate fibres! It has been my business to study my fellow-creatures, in order that I might make them my instruments—my tools—my slaves. And I have succeeded!” he continued, with a chuckling laugh, while his brows were elevated with joy. “Otherwise I should not be the rich man that I am now. But if my wealth be already great—it must be greater. I must possess countless treasures—riches beyond computation; and until I have gained them I shall not be satisfied—neither shall I cease from toiling. That young aristocratic fool who was with me ere now—he affected to bully me, did he? I got the better of him. He affected to reason with me: I beat him with pure sophism,—and he has gone away entertaining a better opinion of me than when he first entered my presence. But I must examine these abstracts thoroughly,” he added, still in a muttering tone, as he bent his eyes upon the documents which he had been studying; “I must note every point in these copies of the titles by virtue of which my brother holds his estates—for the management of these estates is already as good as in my own hands: and who knows—who knows how soon they may be mine altogether—yes—lands, messuages, tenements—aye, baronetcy and all?”
And as these last thoughts passed through his brain,—for he had not dared to give audible utterance to them,—there came such a diabolical expression—an expression of dark menace strangely mingled with the confidence of approaching triumph—over his countenance, that had any one been by at the time, the beholder must have dreaded lest that terrible man were about to throw off the mask of humanity and reveal himself in all the horrors of a demoniac nature.
We must however take leave of him for the present, and return to one whose generous and noble character forms such a striking contrast with this bad, designing man.
CHAPTER CLXIX.
A SCENE.
Lord William entered his cab, and drove rapidly away towards Kentish Town.
It was mid-day when he reached the abode of Mrs. Sefton—for his interview with the attorney had been a very long one: but at length his equipage stopped at the gate of a beautiful little villa standing in the midst of a garden well laid out, and having iron railings along the side adjoining the main-road.
Leaping from the vehicle, Lord William opened the gate and hastened up to the front door, which was immediately opened to his summons, by a little page in a plain but neat livery.
To his inquiry whether Mrs. Sefton were at home, an answer in the affirmative was given—the boy however adding that his mistress was engaged at the moment.