The Mysteries of the Court of London by Pauline Clarendon — page 45: what you’re looking at

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

42 THE COURT OF LONDON cumstances, which I cannot possibly pause to detail, fa- voured the secrecy of all that has occurred; and Is as well and in as good spirits as can be expected. I will write again in a day or two. We shall remove to-morrow to my seat in Herts. c6 I) E. D This letter was addressed to ‘‘ General Barth, Post-office, Weymouth,” and, having carefully folded and sealed it, Mrs. Smith took it herself to a receiving-house in Oxford Street. Thence she proceeded in a hackney-coach to a banker’s at the West End; and having there obtained a large sum of money, she visited a jeweller’s shop, at which she purchased two handsome lady’s watches and several other articles for the embellishment of the female toilet, the total cost amount- ing to about a hundred guineas. Mrs. Smith then returned to Paradise Villas, and pre- sented the jewelry to Octavia and Pauline. The young ladies, though much delighted with the gifts, which were at once tasteful, elegant, and handsome, at first objected to receive them on the ground that it appeared as if any little service which they had rendered might appear mercenary; but Mrs. Smith succeeded in overruling tneir scruples, by assuring them that the “ trifles ’ she proffered were merely to be regarded as proofs of a sincere friendship. This matter being arranged, Mrs. Smith hinted in a delicate way that, for certain reasons which she considered it un- necessary to explain, it would be better to keep the incidents of the past night as secret as possible; and the sisters readily promised to obey this injunction, observing, however, that they could not do otherwise than inform their father on his return of what had occurred. But they assured Mrs. Smith that he was by no means likely either to find fault with them for receiving the ladies into the house, or to mention the circumstances elsewhere. These precautions being adopted, Mrs. Smith sent as soon as it was dusk for Mr. Thurston, who arrived shortly after- ward. She then paid him the stipulated sum of ten thou- sand pounds; and the moment had now arrived for Mrs. Mordaunt to part with her child. The scene was a paintul one; for although that infant was the living evidence of the young mother’s frailty and the proof of her dishonour, yet ECORNIE OOO KS (Elo) m