The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 347: what you’re looking at

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

THE TWO NOBLEMEN 313 dently furnished in a luxurious manner. The table stood between the sofa and the bed; and near the head of the bed there was a large armchair, in which I remember deposit- ing my clothes. But it is useless to enter into these details, inasmuch as the whole adventure defies conjecture, and its mystery will most probably be never unravelled. That some lady of rank experienced a caprice with regard to myself, and adopted those means of gratifying her transitory whim, is tolerably certain; but that I shall ever learn who she is or’discover the house to which I was conducted on that memorable night, I do not imagine for a moment. Her precautions were certainly adopted with admirable effect; and so confident was she in their success, that she did not even seek to bind me by oaths or promises to secrecy in respect to the adventure itself. But the very nature of the precautions which she had taken fully proved how imperious was the necessity for adopting them; and therefore we may safely suppose that it was some lady of no ordinary standing in society, or whose reputation was incalculably dear.”’ , ‘“ And yet others must have been in her secret,” exclaimed Lord Montgomery; ‘“ for the coachman who drove her carriage and the footman in attendance upon it could not have done otherwise than obey special instructions; and, then, there was most likely a lady’s-maid in her confidence also — ”’ ‘“ Those ideas have suggested themselves to me more than once,” interrupted Lord Florimel; ‘“‘ and I confess that I have been lost in amazement and perplexity when I have reflected upon the astounding fact that the unknown lady must have risked exposure at the hands of her servants while adopting such immence precautions to screen her identity from her lover. She could not put confidence in me; but she placed herself at the mercy of her dependents.” ‘“‘ Strange inconsistency! ’’ ejaculated Lord Montgomery. “But do you not remember the livery which her servants wore? Have you never since seen the same carriage? Could you obtain no information at Devonshire House — whose equipage it was? ” “Your questions remind me, my dear Eugene,” said Flori- mel, “ that I have not yet made an end of my narrative. You will remember I informed you that it was about two IS (C(O)