The Works of George W. M. Reynolds — page 169: what you’re looking at

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

CHAPTER XVII THE GATHERING STORM AT about the same hour that the scene which we have just related was taking place at Carlton House, another of a very different character, but of equal interest in the development of our tale, was occurring in the City. Mr. Emmerson, the bill-broker, was seated in his private office, examining the letters which had arrived by the morning’s post. His countenance was haggard and careworn; there was an occasional quivering of the lip which denoted an inward excitement of no ordinary degree, and as he opened letter after letter, his hands trembled with nervous agitation. Ever and anon he gave a kind of convulsive start, as if suddenly becoming aware of the moral weakness to which he was thus yielding and the physical derangement that was accompanying it, and then he would compress his lips and clench his fists violently, and even stamp his foot upon the carpet, as he said to himself, ‘ This is ridiculous! this is childish! Things cannot be so bad as my fears portray them.”’ But things were bad, though, and very bad, too, with Mr. Emmerson the bill-broker. Several unfortunate specu- lations had within the last few months crippled his resources, and the enormous drains which his amour with Lady Curzon made upon his purse tended still further to hamper him. Concurrently with these progressive sources of ruin, the extravagances of his family had increased at Clapham, and in the endeavour to outshine all their neighbours, his wife and daughter had set no bounds to their profusion. But, as Emmerson day by day had seen his own affairs becoming more involved and his family’s expenditure growing more lavish, a feeling of pride mingled with alarm had prevented 152 EORMIELICO KS (E(0)