The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 272: what you’re looking at

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

CHAPTER XXIV LOUISA’S . LOVER SEVERAL days had elapsed since the occurrences took place at Canterbury which have been recorded in previous chapters, and Lady Sackville was still an inmate of the cottage. She had received letters alike from her husband and her half-brother Valentine; she had also received answers to the epistles she had addressed to Miss Bathurst and the prince regent. As least important, we will speak of the latter ones first. Miss Bathurst had written kindly, but still in the strain of a thorough woman of the world. She expressed herself perfectly satisfied with the manner in which Lady Sackville had fulfilled the terms of her agreement in all respects. She admitted that neither she nor Mrs. Fitzherbert had any further request to make at the hands of royalty, and there- fore they required not Lady Sackville’s services any more. Accordingly, so far as Miss Bathurst was concerned per- sonally, she had no objection to offer to Venetia’s retirement from the court circle; but she bade her “‘ dear young friend,” as she called her, reflect maturely ere she voluntarily gave up a position which, once abdicated, could never be regained. Venetia — for Clara Stanley still preserved this Christian name, it being the one which figured in the peerage, and which she therefore could not give up — was in no way moved from her settled purpose by Miss Bathurst’s reasoning, and Louisa, to whom she showed the letter, was overjoyed to find her sister so resolute in the step which was for ever to remove her from the sphere of temptations. The prince regent’s letter was full of mingled entreaties and reproaches. He was, after his own fashion, much attached to Venetia, but his love, if such it may be termed, 250 COMnniclo@©okks (CO)