The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 345: what you’re looking at

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

THE TWO NOBLEMEN 311 what was to be the issue of my adventure. The intoxicating cup of ineffable bliss was at my lips; and I abandoned myself to the delirious ecstasies of the draught, without pausing to reflect whether poison was mingled with its sweets. At length I said, in a low murmuring whisper, — for there was such a deep and absorbing mystery in this adventure that it almost appeared to me as if loud speaking would break the spell of pleasure and disenchant the glowing vision, ‘ Beautiful unknown,’ I said, ‘ you have taught me the way to paradise; but the means you have adopted to entice me into this path of pleasure have been somewhat of the most extraordinary.’ ‘If then, dear Florimel,’ she replied, ‘you consider that you owe me any obligation for this adventure, the only recompense I demand is that you will seek no explanation from my lips, and that you will yield a ready assent to any little arrangement which I may deem necessary to ensure the continued envelopment of our amour in the deepest, darkest, most impenetrable mystery.’ And then she strained me with renewed fervour to her bosom and lavished upon me the tenderest caresses; and, inebriated by the floods of delight that were thus poured in unto my soul, I vowed, in the most solemn manner, to obey my fair unknown in all things, so long as she suffered me to enjoy the pleasure of her society. Soon afterward the carriage stopped; and the nature of the precautions to which she had alluded now became apparent, for she tied a silk handkerchief over my eyes before even the domestic had time to open the door of the vehicle. We then alighted; and guided by her fair hand, from which my own received a reassuring pressure every moment, I was led hastily for- ward. A gate closed behind us; on we went, and it struck me that we were threading the gravel walk of a garden or similar enclosure. In a couple of minutes we paused; my companion let go my hand for a moment. I heard a key turn in a lock, a door opened, my hand was again taken in the warm grasp that gave me a reassuring pressure, we entered some building, and once more did the lady pause to shut and fasten the door behind us. She then conducted ~ me up a staircase so thickly carpeted that even the clumsiest boots and the heaviest footsteps must have passed noise- lessly over it; and finally I was escorted along a passage into a chamber the atmosphere of which was warm and perfumed.” (C(O) mG 6)(0)()