The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 390: what you’re looking at

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

CHAPTER XL THE MASQUERADE — SCENE THE THIRD Our readers will remember that, having thrown at Lord Montgomery those angry denunciations of “ traitor’’ and “ perjurer,” the Flower Girl sped hastily away, with the apparent intention of quitting the theatre; while, on the other hand, the Prince of Wales and Germain hurried in pursuit of her amidst the bustling, thronging, laughing, chattering multitude of masques. But again, as on the former occasion, a thought seemed to strike the Flower Girl, causing her first to slacken her pace, then to stop short, and lastly, to turn around and begin to retrace her way slowly toward the spot where she had left Earl Montgomery. It was evident that she was tortured by some cruel uncer- tainty, or that her bosom was wrung by emotions of a very painful nature. Not a syllable did she reply to the various jests, some innocent enough, and others equivocal to a degree, which were addressed to her in her character of a Flower Girl. Negligently upon her beauteous arm hung the basket, and her breast heaved and fell with profound sighs that swelled almost into audible and suffocating sobs. “ T cannot make her out at all,’’ observed the Prince of Wales to Germain. “ She is decidedly as unhappy as she well can be.” “Your Royal Highness may rest assured,” said the valet, “ that jealousy is at the bottom of it all. See, her hands are ungloved. Can we not ascertain whether she be a married woman? ” ‘“ Your eyes are as sharp as mine, Germain,” returned the prince. ‘‘ But I will approach her. Ah! what beautiful 356 COnmmicooolks (C(O)