The Mysteries of London; or, Lights and Shadows of London Life — page 183: what you’re looking at

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

THE MYSTERIES OF LONDON a . Yo - “~~ — ode ~~ = el te A ‘ a and \ — ey ee Len, _¢ , iin \ . . . ail ~x ~ fr d ar A 4 ‘ —._* Y P, — ~ . wn ae | ~- NA . ee -- - - ™ »s - ee a « ac’ ~~ ~~ on Js \ - F —--<¢ Z ‘ >." y= f fl of . ~ —_= — = a *j Sta ; _H rr —wr f \ ” ~ >— Weak) —-~(; : . j 4 I i 7 \ Ys, +> ~ ne \> oo , \ » > : : = { ‘ > i} f ‘ © x Sipe = EN SC AD ay 18) s inp —~—s>. cvAhN. SS ~ vt — . = LSS Q AY 4 Le wale < / ; ~~ No A (0 a OP VO ( . Pw Ss < x 7Y << — a ws A Ww NY OSS — con ~ om yy \~ Ss Sa RY wes SS 4 — 4 * ~~ ——<—— WS ISS > DA fe v, Gos SLE ikthe — = PID eT feel quite out of spirits. Vavasour, have the goodness | to reach my scent-bottle. No, you need not trouble yourself, | have my etui.” And disengaging the golden appendage from her side, she applied the essence to her handkerchief. “ And I, too,” added Mrs. Rushton, in a sentimental tone, “feel quite hurt at the intelligence. Such an excellent woman! Really, it is quite shocking, espe- cially when we remember how we were pulling her to pieces.” Could a look have annihilated the indiscreet speaker, the one given by Lady Heartley would have produced that effect; but Mrs. Rushton was not a person to be silenced by a look, and she returned it by one of jaughbty indifference. The countess, for several reasons, having no wish to quarrel with her visitor, smoothed her ruffled brow, and replied in a tone of wel)-affected surprise : “Pulling her to pieces} Why, my dear Mrs. Rushton, you could not really for one moment imagine that we were in earnest? It was but a little harmless pleasantry, at which the poor duchess would have been the first tosmile. Had any thing serious been intended, I should have been the first to resent ys vy A nk 2 L— — = wy — < ¥ s [Nee ef MZ (ttt Zz ose CLZz ZZ SL, NZ | 4 =e i —-* [_——_ - _— it. You know I always defend my absent friends; besides, we were distantly connected.” The rest of the party, taking the hint, declared that all their observations were meant in strict good nature, and without the slightest intention of de- faming the character of one so amiable, as every body knew the duchess to have been. It was a considerable relief to the conversation when Oscar announeed two visitors, Mr, Radcliff and Mr. Gerald Fitzgerald. | “ Radcliff— Fitzgerald! who are they, my love?” demanded Miss Hunter. “The names sound well, They were not of your set last year, or I must have known them. Neighbours in the country, 1 presume, Who may they be?” “That is a question I shall be obliged to any one to answer me, for at the present I am as much in the dark as youare, All that I know of the former is that he has just bought the Monkshold property which adjoins ours, and that he is reputed to be very rich, Heartley knows them, but is provokingly silent on the subject. By his request,” she added, “I am to receive them most graciously.” o_o ee ee ee — -—— —_—_—_——— - — - - = A ALL BOLLE LLL LLL The two gentlemen made ——_—_——— rnin Try ewripa meh COMMIGDOOKE (E)