Penny Blood Serial Fiction — page 207: what you’re looking at

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

a 190 THE COURT OF LONDON ‘“T dare not give way to the suspicion which your words have conjured up,’ murmured Pauline, covering her face with her hands as if to shut out some unpleasant object from her view. “You are passing from a state of complete innocence, with regard to the world, into the novitiate of experience,” said Florimel; ‘‘ and you will be happier, Pauline, oh, far happier, when there is nothing left for you to learn. Already has Octavia passed the boundary which separated her from the true enjoyments of this life, and in the arms of him whom she adores she tastes the ineffable bliss and the Elysian delights of love.” ‘No more—no more!” exclaimed Pauline, a strange tremor agitating her entire frame. “Hush! ”’ whispered Florimel, “‘ remember that your father is in the next room.” “My father!’ repeated Pauline, with a shudder. ‘ What will he say, what will be his feelings, when my lost and unhappy sister returns home in the morning, if indeed she should ever come back again? ”’ ‘Fear not, she will return,” said Florimel. “Then your lordship knows more than you have already told me?’ exclaimed the maiden, her excitement every instant increasing. ‘‘ You are aware of much — oh, far too much — concerning my sister? Perhaps you were even assured beforehand that she would not come back to-night? ” added Pauline, now calling to mind the readiness with which he had invented excuses in order to tranquillize her fears relative to the prolonged absence of Octavia. “T will not attempt to conceal from you, my angel — ” began Florimel. ‘“ Again I command you, my lord, to refrain from language which it ill becomes me to hear,” interrupted Pauline, recovering her maiden dignity once more. “Then you do not love me!”’ said the nobleman, assum- ing a plaintive tone. ‘Oh, I could love you, I could serve you on my bended knees, I could become your slave,’ returned Pauline, re- lapsing suddenly into a state of painful excitement, as different emotions swayed her soul, even as an Aolian harp oscillates to every variety of the breeze; “ ves, and I should look upon you as a guardian angel,” she added, with a CORNIE OOO KS (E(@) m