The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 72: what you’re looking at

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

54 THE COURT OF LONDON your residence, troops of menials shall attend upon you, ministering to your slightest wants, and when you roll through the park in your gorgeous equipage, who of all the beauties gathered there will be more envied, more admired, or more courted than the acknowledged mistress of the heir apparent to the British throne? ”’ The prince had been suffered to proceed uninterruptedly in his speech, because mingled shame and indignation had sealed the young virgin’s lips, — shame at the thought that her character should be so lightly estimated as even to warrant the audacious proposal thus made to her, and indig- nation at the proposal itself. But as the prince continued in the development of his plan, a faintness crept upon the maiden’s heart, and anger gave way to terror as the convic- © tion was borne in unto her mind that the profligate perse- cutor was capable of any atrocity in order to obtain his ends. The colour came and went upon her cheeks a dozen times in a minute as these successive feelings and emotions agitated her bosom; but when his Royal Highness beheld her pale countenance suddenly suffusing with a warm blush, he in his gross nature mistook the cause, and fancied that his pro- posal was received with an augmenting pleasure that had to struggle against her virgin bashfulness. - Great was his surprise, therefore, ineffable was his amaze- ment, when Rose Foster, suddenly inspired with the energy which is often furnished by despair, started from her trem- bling, timid attitude, drew herself up to the full of her graceful height, and extending her right arm toward him, exclaimed, in a tone of command, “ Silence, and pollute the air no longer with those words which are as baleful as a pestilence.” Oh, grand in thy virgin dignity, overpowering in thy maiden modesty wast thou at that moment, thou lovely and pure-minded orphan girl! The royal voluptuary, unable to believe the evidence of his own ears and eyes, was stag- gered by thy words and amazed by thy demeanour. And beautiful, oh, incalculably beautiful was the effect of thy statuesque attitude and the noble expression of thy soft and touching features, at that moment animated with a sense of outrage and insult. Oh, deep, deep is the sympathy that we entertain for thee, thou virtuous and charming girl; and sooner than the hand of the spoiler shall grasp thee COnnicloooks (CO)