The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 34: what you’re looking at

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

18 - THE COURT OF LONDON But, instead of making any response to this softly insidious language, she endeavoured to outstrip him; then, finding that he persevered in accompanying her, and evidently alarmed or else profoundly indignant at his importunities, she shrank against the wall as if about to faint. “Good heavens, Gertrude!’ exclaimed the nobleman, looking uneasily up and down the street, with the fear that they might be observed and that it would be supposed he was ill-using the female; ‘‘ you cannot mean that you are really angry with me? Give me your hand, take my arm, and we will converse quietly and tranquilly as we walk along.” Thus speaking, he endeavoured to take her hand; but she withdrew it violently, a faint scream bursting from her lips at the same moment. The earl was astounded; he had not anticipated such opposition to his overtures. Suddenly the front door of the house opposite opened, and several gentle- men appeared on the threshold. ‘“ For God’s sake, come away with me, Gertrude! ”’ said the earl, impatiently. But she made a movement as if about to fly toward the gentlemen at the door opposite; and the earl, dreading the scandal of an exposure, beat a rapid retreat toward his own mansion, while the object of his importunity hurried away in the contrary direction. Baffled, enraged, disappointed, and humiliated, the Earl of Curzon reéntered his dwelling; and after drinking a tumbler of claret to cool the throat which was parched with the fever of overwrought excitement, he flung himself upon a sofa and gave way to his unpleasurable reflections. Every- thing seemed to be going wrong with him; all circumstances were combining for his annoyance. His pecuniary affairs were in no agreeable position; he had failed to possess him- self of Venetia, whose charms had well-nigh maddened him; the suspicion which he entertained relative to his wife was still strong enough to goad and torture him cruelly; and now the rebuff he had experienced from Gertrude crowned his humiliation and annoyance. He was just in that humour when a man would give anything to be able to vent his spite upon the head of some victim, either fora real or an imaginary offence. j Suddenly a thought struck him. His wife was from home, and Gertrude was also absent. The former would not, in all COMMICLOOOKS (E(0)