The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 97: what you’re looking at

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

THE PROCEEDINGS AT THE HOME OFFICE 75 destination, they should be allowed to write a few lines to inform their relatives or friends ‘ that they had been de- tected in treasonable designs against the sovereign, but that through the leniency of the paternal government they were permitted to repair without delay to North America, on condition that they never again return to their native land.” It would be difficult to describe the feelings of the two prisoners, as they found themselves being whirled rapidly along the road toward Woolwich, with chains upon their hands and a couple of armed peace-officers seated opposite to them in the vehicle. Melmoth thought of his poor wife and children, and the cold shudder of despair passed through his entire frame every time he asked himself what was now to become of them. His wife loved him tenderly, and this sudden and unexpected separation might be the death of her, sickly as she was. At all events, even if she should survive the blow, she was already too weak in health and would become too deeply depressed in spirits to be enabled to toil for the mainte- nance of herself and children. Oh, these reflections were maddening, maddening; and more than once the strong man groaned aloud, during the rapid and brief journey to Woolwich, as the whole current of his blood appeared to rush suddenly to his heart and brain under the influence of those harrowing thoughts. And Meagles, how did he bear his misfortune? Some- what more calmly and philosophically, because he had no wife and children upon whose heads this calamity would rebound. The feelings which animated his breast were, moreover, of a bitter, burning hatred against the treach- erous prince, rather than of a softer nature such as a hus- band and a father would have experienced. Nevertheless, he sighed, profoundly sighed, as he thought of poor Rose Foster; and tears stole down his cheeks as he wondered what now would become of the friendless, persecuted orphan. - ‘Te both Meagles and Melmoth the whole adventure wore at times the aspect of a dream. Its suddenness, the hurry ~ of the incidents through which they had passed, the ex- traordinary change that a few hours had effected in their circumstances, and the tremendous engine of despotism which in ‘“ merry England” had been set in motion to COMmiclsoo