The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 258: what you’re looking at

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

238 REYNOLDS’ WORKS Stanley reached forth his hand, and with every appearance of drunken awkwardness he upset the glass. ‘“‘1’m sure you’re not so clumsy,” said the other girl to Lord Charles. “ Let’s try,” answered the nobleman, and lifting the glass, he spilt all its contents down his paletot. Both the girls affected to laugh, but at the same time they darted suspicious looks toward Mrs. Bambridge. ‘‘ Who can sing a good song?” asked Stanley, with the hope of giving a turn to the proceedings and averting the suspicions which he saw were awakened. ‘Tt just happens,” replied Mother Bambridge, with her simpering air, “‘ that there are three or four gentlemen — real gentlemen, like yourselves — in the front parlour, and they seem as much inclined as you to make a night of it. They sing capital songs, and with your leave I’ll go and fetch them.”’ She quitted the room accordingly, and during her absence, which lasted two or three minutes, the girls again endeay- oured to cajole the officers into retiring, but they were re- solved not to be separated, and they vowed, with tipsy declamation, that they would not go to bed till daylight. Mother Bambridge reappeared, with the four ‘“ gentle- men ”’ of whom she had spoken, and the two officers at once. recognized some of the flashily dressed fellows whom they had seen hanging aloof behind the girls in front of the public-houses. The four bullies — for such indeed the new- comers were — themselves affected to be drunk, and sitting down, they began singing a bacchanalian song. The girls endeavoured to persuade Lord Charles and Stanley to drink of the last supply of wine, but as a matter of course, without effect. The looks which the women rapidly exchanged grew more and more suspicious, as the excuses of the officers for refusing to drink became proportionately more and more transparent, — their conduct now being so little consistent with that of tipsy men, and yet they had no alternative but to persist in the refusal, even at the risk of having their aim altogether frustrated. “Come now,” suddenly exclaimed Mrs. Bambridge, rising up from her seat, ‘‘I must have the house quiet, or else I shall stand the chance of being indicted. You must all be off to bed without any more delay.”’ (ECOMMMICE book