The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 377: what you’re looking at

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

THE MASQUERADE—SCENE FIRST 343 complete disguise; and the boxes were thronged with occu- pants, some in masquerade attire, and others in ball-dresses. The magnificent crystal chandeliers suspended to the ceiling and the candelabra projecting from around the tiers of boxes flooded the vast interior of the building with an also — overpowering lustre, so that everything was penetrated, as it were, with light, and the countless beings gathered there moved about like butterflies and gorgeous insects in the noonday sun. The music was playing, and the body of harmony, with its variations of sweetness and grandeur, pathos and excite- ment, seemed to fill every part of the theatre. The atmos- phere was warm and perfumed, the murmuring of soft voices formed an undercurrent of sound dominated by the superior swell of the superb music, and the eye of the be- holder wandered with ineffable delight over the fairy scene. Lord Montgomery walked slowly around the arena, keeping close to the lowest tier of boxes, in order that he might com- mand a view of all the disguised forms, male or female, that were moving about upon that elastic floor. Then he mingled in the crowd itself, exchanging jests with some and provoking witty repartees from others, but still without attracting the special notice of any particular lady. At length, retiring from the thickest of the crowd and posting himself near the musicians, he began to scrutinize in detail all the female masques who seemed to be invested with any degree of interest. But scarcely had he stationed himself in that spot which appeared so convenient for his survey, when an elegant female, dressed as a flower-girl, passed rapidly by him; and from behind the black satin mask which covered her counte- nance she darted upon him a look that seemed intended to pierce through his disguise, impenetrable though it really were. Montgomery followed her with his eyes as she plunged into the midst of the crowd; and he saw enough of her to excite the liveliest interest in his soul. She was tall in stature, and her exquisitely modelled form appeared to be_ almost visible through the picturesque attire which she wore, so admirably was it fitted to her shape and so well did it develop the fluent and rounded proportions of those very contours which it concealed. The short petticoats dis- (C(O) AG } KS {