The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 188: what you’re looking at

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

170 REYNOLDS’ WORKS bear the countess company, Adolphus will roam apart with his cousin Isabella, and I will conceal myself amongst the evergreens, and just listen to what takes place between the young couple. They will of course talk of love, and I shall be enabled to judge to what point matters have reached, — whether there is any chance of Adolphus soon popping the question, or whether he is so timid and bashful that he wants me to give him a helping hand.” The old earl chuckled amazingly at this new scheme; he considered it to be another brilliant stroke of policy on his part, but for a wonder he did not communicate it to Make- peace. He invited Christian to dine at his table that day, and everything progressed as he could wish, for after the dessert, the usual walk in the garden was proposed, though at a somewhat later hour than heretofore. The earl excused himself, as was his wont, and for about half an hour he sat drinking his wine and pondering the various matters he had in hand, not forgetting his literary labours, which were pro- pressing as rapidly as his own fertile imagination and Chris- tian’s fluent penmanship could possibly enable them to do. The half-hour having elapsed, and the dusk coming on, the Earl of Lascelles issued from the mansion, struck into the shadiest avenue, and, proceeding stealthily, came near one of the arbours which were interspersed about the grounds. He thought he heard voices speaking in gentle tones; he stopped and listened, he recognized Isabella’s voice, but could not catch what she was saying. Noiselessly as a serpent gliding amongst the trees and shrubs did the earl steal to the rear of that arbour, and there, inwardly chuckling at his astuteness and his cunning policy, he listened. The voices continued speaking in the same low tone as before, and love was assuredly the topic of their discourse. But grad- ually the suspicion stole into the earl’s mind that it was not precisely the voice of his son Adolphus which he heard in conversation with his beautiful niece. His lordship continued to listen with suspended breath, until he could no longer conceal from himself the suspicion — almost amounting to a conviction — that it was none other than Christian Ashton whom he thus heard in tender discourse with Isabella. The earl was amazed, bewildered, petrified; he felt as if he were in a dream, and none of the fictitious adventures in his own ECORMICLOOOKS EO)