The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 32: what you’re looking at

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

16 THE COURT OF LONDON ascertain whether she expected to meet some particular individual there.”’ The earl was about to order the hackney-coach to drive up to Lady Lechmere’s door, when the thought struck him that the course he was about to adopt could not possibly fail to be seen through by Editha. If she were really guilty, - it would only serve to put her the more completely on her guard; and if she were innocent, he would be rendering himself supremely ridiculous in her eyes. No, he must continue to veil his suspicions, and watch her movements until he should either obtain substantial proof of her infi- delity or else acquire the certainty that his fears were totally unfounded. Having thus resolved, he ordered the hackney- coach to take him back to Grosvenor Street; and alighting at a short distance from his dwelling, he dismissed the vehicle. Consulting his watch by the aid of a door-lamp, he saw that it wanted twenty minutes to eight; and not knowing what to do with himself for the rest of the evening, he resolved to proceed to Lord Leveson’s in Albemarle Street. But a sudden idea struck him. The fact was that his wife’s princi- pal lady’s-maid, Gertrude by name, was a very beautiful young woman, with a voluptuous figure, a wanton counte- nance, fine teeth, and a pair of the most wicked eyes that ever sent forth flashing looks from pupils of the darkest jet. The earl had more than once flung furtive glances of deep meaniug upon the captivating Gertrude; but she inva- riably appeared to take no notice of his amorous oglings. This bashfulness on her part, he felt assured, was only an affectation of strict propriety; and, being a very handsome man, as well as imbued with all the characteristic conceit, arrogance, and vanity of the order to which he belonged, he flattered himself that he had only to become more ex- plicit in his overtures to achieve an easy triumph in that quarter. The opportunity and the humour now alike served admirably; his wife was from home, he was restless and uneasy, he wanted something to amuse and divert his mind, and he resolved to enter upon the conquest of the beautiful Gertrude forthwith. Thus, only a few minutes after watching the movements of his wife, and still smarting with the suspicion of her infidelity, — an infidelity which, if brought home to her, COMMIE OO) (€(0) m