The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 233: what you’re looking at

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

CONCLUSION OF THE MYSTERIES 211 learned from Horace that he was a thoroughly unprincipled, bad young man. She wished to have an opportunity of settling all his pretensions at once; and as he was intimate with Lady Wenlock, between whom and Mrs. Arbuthnot a long-standing friendship existed, it was easy to have a hint conveyed through that lady to the colonel that Venetia was to be present at the entertainment given by her at Kew. There did Venetia accordingly meet the colonel, but she certainly was not prepared for the detestable menaces to which the unprincipled scoundrel had recourse; and had it not been for the circumstance of Captain Tash being an ear- witness of all that took place, her reputation might have subsequently suffered by the daring assertion of triumph eventually made by the colonel. Before we continue our explanations relative to the love- campaign of the party of six, we must pause to notice another little incident the date of which properly causes it to require allusion here. We mean the visit which Jocelyn Loftus paid our heroine at No. 13, Stratton Street. Miss Bathurst had given all her servants the requisite instructions what to say In case any one should call and inquire for a Mr. and Mrs. Beckford, or a Miss Clara Stanley. The answer was invariably to be, “ that they were out of town, but were shortly expected home.” This was the response which Jocelyn received when, provided with Louisa’s letter of introduction, he called on the Wednesday in Stratton Street; and returning next day, he was duly introduced into the handsome drawing-room, where he found Clara Stanley. The reader will remember that they were well pleased with each other, for the young lady assumed the most artless, amiable, and unaffected manner, so that she appeared every- thing that Jocelyn could have expected in his beloved. Louisa’s elder sister. On the other hand, the good opinion. she had previously conceived from Louisa’s letters respecting Loftus, and also from the references she had taken concern- ing him, was fully corroborated by his looks, his manner, and his discourse. She had learned from his banker that he was a young man of good family, with an income of six hundred a year, and still greater expectations; therefore she had from the first highly approved of his suit in respect to Louisa. Now, as above stated, a personal acquaintance ratified all the favourable impressions previously made on (C(O) nn) GDOo <Si nin