Her Royal Lover: A Novel — page 181: what you’re looking at

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

HER ROYAL LOVER, 173 closing and bolting the door, laid the anonymous letter before him. The detective was from thirty to forty years old. He had one of those heads which especially astonish you, by the quite remarkable penetration of the two deep black eyes, which, placed upon you, seemed to desire to scrutinize the most secret recesses of your being. “Dimitri Feodorowitch,” said the ambassador, “I am obliged to depart to-morrow for Caucasus, and I do not wish to go without leaving behind mea reliable person, who will discover from whom this accursed letter has come to me, this morning.” Bolski took possession of the letter. We have said, that it appeared to have no distinctive mark. Mineleko was eagerly following with his eyes the mobile countenance of the detective. After having bent a long time over the note, which he was fixedly regarding, Dimitri Feodorowitch approached the lamp. He studied the paper at first with the naked eye, then, taking from his pocket a magnifying- olass, which he always carried, and placing it over the characters, he recommenced his researches with a great concentration of mind, Then, raising his head: “Your highness may depart in peace,”.said he, “I will discover the author.” “But how to succeed in it? The paper is such as one may purchase anywhere, and the writing is very skillfully disguised !” “T have accomplished more difficult things, your highness, than to arrive at discovering the truth in this case. A letter, although it may be written in the most disguised manner, is one of those clues which never fails to become one of the most trouble- comicbooks:com