The Works of George W. M. Reynolds — page 33: what you’re looking at

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

16 THE COURT OF LONDON her a few brief questions, that she was in a condition that would justify him in leaving her. | Emma and Julia were slightly shocked when the well wrapped up corpse of their sister’s child was thus pointed out. to them, but the next moment they both experienced a feeling of satisfaction that the babe was dead; and in answer to the rapid question which they whisperingly put to Mrs. Ranger relative to Agatha’s condition, they were still more rejoiced on learning that she was progressing favourably. Now, then, came the moment for these young ladies to play the part already arranged for them, and which was a contrivance admirably adapted to display the diabolical ingenuity of Mrs. Ranger, —a contrivance invested with an air so natural and so perfectly genuine that it was indeed but too well calculated to make the desired impression upon Doctor Maravelli’s mind, namely, that it was the royal mistress of that villa who was his patient now. The moment those few whispered words already alluded to had been exchanged between the sisters and Mrs. Ranger, the two young ladies advanced quickly toward the couch, and as if labouring under the excitement of the sincerest feelings of devotion and love, they threw themselves upon their knees, seizing Agatha’s hand and pressing 1t by turns to their lips. Then, as if hurried away by excess of emotion, Emma murmured, ‘‘ Oh, dearest, dearest princess! ”’ ‘“ Beloved princess!’’ added Julia, also in accents that seemed characteristic of the most genuine excitement. At the same instant Mrs. Ranger darted forward, as if perfectly horrified at the expressions which had just fallen from the young ladies’ lips, and with a quick “‘ Hush! hush!” which seemed to denote a terrible perturbation on her part. Nothing of all this was lost upon the doctor. Without understanding English, the word princess, as just pronounced by the young ladies’ lips, was quite intelligible to him, — the French word being very nearly the same; and then the sudden flurry into which Mrs. Ranger seemed to be thrown, and her apparent eagerness to prevent any further ebullition of the feelings on their part, naturally confirmed Maravelli’s belief that the patient whom he had been brought hither under such mysterious circumstances to attend upon could be none other than the Princess of Wales. ECORMICLIOOKS (E(0) im