The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 366: what you’re looking at

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

340 THE COURT OF LONDON endangered by the exposure of my daughter’s shame, and therefore that she herself may be provided for.” “ But how?” cried the prince. ‘I can give her money, but nothing more. I cannot give her a title, and that is what she was looking after. I saw, by everything she said last night, that such was her desire. If she were married, it were different. I could do something for her husband.” ‘“ Ah! if she were married it would indeed be easy —I understand,” exclaimed Mrs. Arbuthnot. ‘ You can confer a title, a baronetcy, we will say, upon her husband, and it will be precisely the same thing, since the lustre of the rank would be reflected upon her. But how can she marry, situ- ated as she is? ”’ “ Hold!” ejaculated the prince, a sudden idea striking him. Then, after a few instants’ deliberation, he said, ‘‘ Mrs. Arbuthnot, if I were to find your daughter a husband who would accept her as she is, knowing that she has been my mistress, knowing also that seven months hence she will become a mother, if I find your daughter such a husband, I ask, will she accept him? ” ‘“‘ Assuredly she will, provided that this husband is at least a baronet, with an income sufficient to maintain my daughter in comfort, if not in splendour. But,’ continued Mrs. Arbuthnot, “‘ he must not be a man of repulsive appear- ance, for I know that Penelope would not sacrifice herself to a person who might be loathsome to her.”’ “On the contrary,’ said the prince, his countenance brightening up somewhat as the project which he now revolved in his mind assumed greater consistency and feasi- bility, “on the contrary, the gentleman of whom I am now thinking is good-looking enough, and there are plenty of young ladies who would be well pleased with his appearance. As for the baronetcy, I promise you he shall have that, and I will likewise guarantee that his income shall not be less than six or seven hundred a year. Indeed, I will find for him some situation, the rangership of a park, the post of an ordnance storekeeper, or perhaps a consulship, — at all events, something both honourable and lucrative.” “T am perfectly contented with the proposed arrange- ment,” said Mrs. Arbuthnot, ‘‘ and on Penelope’s part I unhesitatingly accept it.” | * When will you come with the document in your posses- conniicloooKks (C(O)