The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 376: what you’re looking at

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

CHAPTER XXXV THE BROTHER AND SISTER In a neat little parlour, on the ground floor of a pretty cottage in Islington, Ariadne Varian and her brother Theo- dore were seated. It was in the middle of the day, and the sun was showing off all the gaudy colouring of the flowers in the garden behind the cottage. A Venetian blind, three parts drawn down, mellowed the golden effulgence ere it. penetrated into the parlour, and thus there was a subdued. light within that room. Ariadne, who was seated at work with her needle, was dressed in white, and the virgin drapery set off the sylphid symmetry of her tall slender figure with the most bewitching effect. Her flaxen tresses, so soft and fine, fell in luxuriant profusion upon her beautiful sloping shoulders, and as from time to time she lifted her sweet azure eyes, when addressing her brother, who was sitting in a somewhat mournful mood, the lovely countenance of the young damsel wore an expres- sion of immaculate innocence. Theodore did not speak much. When his sister made a few remarks, evidently with the intention of cheering him, he answered her with all his wonted kindness, but still with a brevity which showed that he was in no humour for conver- sation, or, at all events, that his thoughts were far away from the topic on which she addressed him. At length she said, after a pause which had lasted longer than previous ones, ‘‘ My dear Theodore, you seem far from happy?” “You know, my dearest Ariadne, what it is that troubles me. Deeply as I appreciate the kindness of Sir Douglas Hunt- ingdon, immense as the gratitude is which I feel toward him, yet I cannot help abhorring this dependent position.” 350 EGOMIGEDOO S (C(O) im