The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 252: what you’re looking at

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

SCENES AT MRS. BRACE’S ESTABLISHMENT 217 truly refreshing as on this occasion. It cooled her heated brain, invigorated her entire frame, rendered languid by want of rest, and raised her depressed spirits almost to their usual tone. But if her cheeks still retained somewhat of the pallor that the incident of the past night had left upon them, a cosmetic skilfully applied gave her the complexion of so soft a rose that it was impossible to recognize this triumph of art over nature. It was shortly after six o’clock that Mrs. Brace descended to her own parlour, where the fire was already lighted. But scarcely had she entered that room when the lady’s- maid burst in with terror depicted upon her countenance, and exclaiming, ‘‘ Oh, madam, a robbery has been com- mitted during this night!” Mrs. Brace affected to be sadly alarmed at this announce- ment; and, following the abigail, she hurried to the dining- room, the door of which had been opened by sawing partially around the lock, and then breaking the wood away with a crowbar, none of the burglars’ skeleton keys having previ- ously succeeded in enabling them to effect an entrance. The sideboard had likewise been forced, and all the plate taken out; but, on examining it, not a single article was missing. This circumstance naturally induced the lady’s- maid to observe that the burglars were most probably inter- rupted by some false alarm in the middle of their work, — a belief which the milliner took care to encourage, protesting, however, that it was very strange how so much violence could have been used without in reality disturbing a single soul. From the dining-room Mrs. Brace and Harriet proceeded to the shop, where nothing had been meddled with. This was not, however, astonishing, as the robbers could not be supposed likely to trouble themselves with bonnets, dresses, and lace caps. The front door had been forced in the manner already described; but as nothing appeared to have been stolen in the house, full confirmation was thus given to the abigail’s opinion that the burglars were unexpectedly dis- turbed by some false alarm, which, however, had the effect of inducing them to beat a precipitate retreat. While Mrs. Brace and Harriet were conducting their in- vestigations in the shop, the young ladies made their ap- pearance in twos and threes at a time, and they were much (C(O) AAI Doo (C(O)