The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 94: what you’re looking at

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

72 THE COURT OF LONDON of remorse. Hell seemed to have opened at the feet of those three beings; demons appeared to hold them in their infernal grasp; and their very souls had become bottomless pits wherein their feelings were stinging them like scorpions. At length Sir Richard Stamford suddenly started from his seat, and, clutching the monarch violently by the arm, he said in a hollow tone, ‘‘ Is all this true? Or is it a hideous dream? ” ‘‘ It is true — it is true,’”’ sobbed the almost heart-broken monarch. ‘‘ You are my son, and yet I dare not embrace you, after the appalling discovery that has just been made.” “No, no, you cannot embrace me — I feel that you can not,” groaned the baronet. ‘“‘ But you will not curse me — ”’ “Holy God! it is for you, Richard, to curse me!” ex- claimed the king, writhing in the anguish of his spirit. “Curse not, neither the one nor the other,” cried the Princess Amelia, recalled to sense and recollection by that awful word which fell like the voice of the dead upon her ears. Then, slowly rising from her seat, and fixing upon her father’s countenance a look so woebegone and so full of horror that it froze all the blood in his veins and made him feel as if some hideous destiny were impelling him on to become the executioner of his own child, she said in a voice that was tremulous but painfully clear, ‘‘ Remember that there is still one sorrow and one infamy greater and more terrible than what we already know, and that is exposure before the world.” ‘“ True,” ejaculated the king. ‘‘ These very walls may have ears.” | : | ‘‘ Silence for a moment,” said the baronet; and, noiselessly opening the door, he looked forth upon the staircase and listened. ‘‘ We are safe thus far, and the dreadful secret is known’ but to us three,”’ he observed, returning into the room and shutting the door. ‘ All is quiet in the house, and besides, the worthy couple to whom it belongs are not eavesdroppers.”’ “The secret, then, remains with ourselves — and with our consciences,” said the Princess Amelia, the accent of despair marking the latter portion of the sentence. “ But what brought you hither, father? And does any one suspect or know that I have been accustomed to visit this house — ”’ ‘Tt was no hint or information of that kind which CONNIE NOOO KS (E(@)