The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 382: what you’re looking at

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

360 REYNOLDS’ WORKS “T think I said a hundred,” observed Shadbolt, coolly, “ but at all events we’ll make it so.” Out came Madame Angelique’s purse; with a nervous hand she counted down what she conceived to be five bank- notes for twenty pounds each, but one happened to be for fifty, though when Mr. Shadbolt reckoned them over with an air of easy indifference, he did not consider it necessary to draw her attention to the little oversight. “ And now, ma’am,” he said, “‘ I tell you what must be done. I shall make my report to-morrow, and it will be to the effect that though there certainly is that looking-glass door of communication, yet that you have given up the business, and you are now devoting yourself altogether to the millinery line. I shall add too that I contrived to learn that the looking-glass door is to be walled up — ”’ ‘‘ And so it shall be,” cried Madame Angelique. ‘“ Any- thing —‘anything — ” “ Don’t be foolish, ma’am,” interrupted Mr. Shadbolt, having tossed off his ninth or tenth bumper; ‘‘ you needn’t do anything of thesort. Only be more careful in future; don’t let that French tailor suffer a soul to pass through his house unless he knows he is all right, pay me a cool hundred every year, and you may go on driving as roaring a trade as ever.”’ “Then you do really think that for the present there is no danger? ”’ said Madame Angelique. ‘“‘ Not an atom of it, if you follow my advice. Honest Ike Shadbolt is not the man to deceive a lady of your respect— generosity, I mean. And now, ma’am, I’ll be wishing you good night.” Mr. Shadbolt,- having consigned the bank-notes to his pocket, lingered to drink one more glass of wine to the lady’s health, then just one more to his own, then a last one to the highly philanthropic sentiment of “ Here’s better luck!” He was then advancing toward the mirror-contrived door with a somewhat unsteady pace, when Madame Angelique said, “ Have you really no idea who gave the information to the police? Do you think it was a lady?” Mr. Shadbolt had in reality no more idea than the man in the moon, but under the influence of the wine and the cir- cumstances, he thought it necessary to appear knowing, and he therefore said, “‘ Well, ma’am, betwixt you and me and the post, you are not very far wrong.”’ CORMICOOO