The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 122: what you’re looking at

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

100 THE COURT OF LONDON obedient, dutiful, and loving wife, yes, a loving wife, Francis, and loving, too, with an affection which will burn all the more purely and brightly and warmly because it is kindled by a spark caught from the flame that animates your noble heart.” ‘‘ Is this possible, Eleanor, oh, is this possible? ”’ mur- mured the earl, faltering in speech and staggering in limbs beneath the sudden weight of an overwhelming happiness. ‘“‘ Ah! wherefore afford me a glimpse of so joyous a paradise, only to make me recoil the more despairingly into a deeper and blacker abyss of despair? ”’ ‘Oh, he will not believe me, he has lost all confidence in me!’’ exclaimed the countess, joining her hands with an air of poignant wretchedness. ‘ Believe you!’ ejaculated the earl; ‘‘ yes, oh, yes, I will believe you — Only, this sudden happiness is too much —”’ And, pressing his hand to his brow, he staggered forward, reeled half-around, and sank nearly senseless upon a chair. But ere he fell completely on the carpet, he was caught in the arms of his wife; and the unmistakable fervour with which she bestowed upon him the softest and tenderest caresses carried to his soul the ecstatic conviction that his own devoted love had indeed engendered a reciprocal sentiment at last in the bosom of the woman whom he adored. In fact, no words can express the astonishing revolution which a short half-hour had wrought in the feelings of the beauteous countess toward her husband. His noble self- martyrdom for her sake, a self-martyrdom involving all the most delicate emotions and the loftiest sentiments that ever concrete in the heart of man, had inspired her with an admiration of his truly chivalrous character which amounted to a burning enthusiasm. Instead of appearing contemptible any longer in her eyes, he shone with a godlike lustre to her imagination. Instead of seeming an object to be despised and contemned, he had suddenly become invested with every attribute to command respect and ensure an exalted worship. Chastened, purified, and elevated in every sense by the splendid example of a man who could make the largest sacrifices to the love which he cherished, and who would even have sealed his own dire unhappiness and stamped his own indelible dishonour for the purpose of ministering to his wife’s desires, oh, who can wonder if Eleanor, herself so COMIC OOO S (©