The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 85: what you’re looking at

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

FASHIONABLE DEPRAVITY 69 that seductive manner, her aim and object flashed to the mind of Loftus; and, though his looks betrayed not his sentiments, he inwardly experienced a mingled pain and disgust at this too brazen evidence of a deep depravity. For an instant he was inclined to abandon the self-imposed task of reforming the three sisters as utterly hopeless; but then the feeling of pity for their unhappy destiny returned to his soul, and, likewise remembering his pledge to Mary, he resolved to prosecute an undertaking which was nevertheless accompanied by so many incidents that shocked his upright character and wounded his generous heart. Throwing herself with a voluptuous negligence upon a sofa, she darted a look all vibrating with desire upon Jocelyn Loftus, who, taking a chair near her, paid no attention to the studied but apparently involuntary display of charms and fascinations, the artillery of which was now directed against him. | ‘Miss Owen,’’ he said, in a calm but serious voice, and without looking at her, ‘‘ 1 purposely sought the opportunity of this interview.” ‘“‘ Indeed!’ she murmured, her heart suddenly beating with transport at what she instantaneously took as an avowal, and which seemed at the moment to promise her a far more easy victory than she had expected; and the colour came and went in rapid transitions upon her very beautiful countenance. ‘‘T have behaved with some little duplicity toward you,” continued Loftus, still keeping his eyes averted; ‘‘ but the moment for serious explanation is now come.” ‘“ And why should they be so serious? ”’ asked the young lady, in a low and tremulous tone the tenderness of which at once struck Jocelyn and convinced him that his prefatory remark had been entirely mistaken. For suddenly turning his eyes, in mingled amazement, pity, and pain, upon Agatha, he saw that the kerchief had fallen away from her shoulders, and that she was leaning toward him with all the nude display of her luxuriant charms and with a profound wantonness in her looks. “Miss Owen,” he at once exclaimed, turning aside with an impatience almost amounting to disgust, “ let us under- stand each other. It is purely and simply upon a matter of business that I propose to address you; and the explanations (CONNICLOOO (EO) mM