The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 89: what you’re looking at

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

CONCLUSION OF HISTORY OF SELLIS 71 dark-complexioned and rather handsome man; Joux was thin and pale-faced, neatly made, and admirably fitted for a valet. Sellis was an excellent man, quiet, but cheerful, by no means forward in his manners, never excited nor yet dispirited, but always preserving an equanimity of temper. He was married and had four children, his family being accommodated with lodgings over the gateway leading from Cleveland Row into the Kitchen Court. He had also his own room in the close vicinage of the duke’s suite of apartments, and, if you can understand me, there was a passage leading from this room to the duke’s bedchamber, and another passage leading into the lodgings over the gate- way. Adjoining the duke’s room was the one occupied by Neale when on duty.” “T understand perfectly,’ observed Mrs. Arbuthnot. ‘‘ Pray proceed.” “It was about seven o’clock in the evening of the 31st of May,” continued Mrs. Bredalbane, “ that Sellis repaired to Neale’s room for the purpose of saying something to him. They were accustomed, with the familiarity usually subsist- ing between dependents in the same household, to enter each other’s rooms at any time without the ceremony of knocking; and therefore on this occasion of which I am speaking, Sellis entered Neale’s apartment without any warning. Butheat once beheld something which made him start backin dismay, and give vent to the exclamation of ‘ Heavens! the Princess Augusta!’ Flying along the passage, back to his own room, Sellis ran against Joux, who happened to be there at the moment and who heard with much astonishment the singular ejaculation which burst from his lips. He was equally sur- prised at Sellis’s hasty and confused manner, and the more so when with’a strange wildness of look he said to him, ‘ You cannot possibly go to Neale’s room, for he is engaged.’ He then took Joux along with him into his lodgings, and kept him in conversation for about an hour. Joux then — retired, naturally wondering at the incident which I have described, but of which Sellis volunteered not the least explanation, nor even alluded to it in the presence of his wife. As one of Sellis’s children was ill and it was arranged that the little invalid should sleep with its mother, Sellis had decided upon passing the night in his own room belonging to the ducal suite of apartments. Accordingly, at ten o’clock (C(O) nn) GDoOo <Si in