The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 322: what you’re looking at

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

THE DEATH -BED 291 imprint one last kiss upon your cheek — Pauline herself would not be displeased were she here now — ‘There — ’tis the kiss of complete reconciliation — ”’ “ And you pardon me, Caroline?” said Florimel, tortured with suspense to have his other query answered. ‘Yes, God knows how sincerely I pardon you,”’ was the gentle and scarcely audible response; but the glazing eyes looked up with a last expiring fondness at the young noble- man. ‘“ And the name — the name of the Unknown? ”’ he said, in an agony of suspense. ‘“ Ah! I had forgotten,” were the words that wavered upon the lips of the dying girl. Then, with a last effort, she breathed a name in the ear of Florimel, and fell back sense- less upon her pillow. At the same instant it happened that the surgeon, followed by the nurse, entered the chamber; and upon beholding the state in which Caroline was, the medical man hastened to adopt restorative means. These succeeded in bringing her back to life, but not to consciousness; and, in answer to a question whisperingly put by Florimel, the surgeon said that she might haply linger on a few hours, but that her existence could not possibly be prolonged to days. Sad and sorrowing did Lord Florimel throw a farewell look upon the unfortunate young girl whom he had known so beautiful, but who now lay there like a lily which the rude hand of man had plucked from the stem of its pride and the garden of its purity, and thrown aside, crushed and sullied, when the sense was sated with its despoiled loveliness. A fearful pang shot through the heart of the young nobleman as he thus gazed upon that form which he had once clasped glowing and impassioned in his arms, and which now lay shghtly quivering and gently convulsing with the pain of returning animation beneath the influence of the restoratives. The thought — the bitter conviction — flashed to his mind that had he never seen her, had he never known her, she might yet be in the enjoyment of a vigorous health and an unalloyed happiness, as well perhaps as of a stainless purity; and then followed the damning, cutting, lacerating reflection that it was he — yes, he, the seducer — who had originally done the deed which turned the whole current of her destiny, and gave the impulse to that career which, commencing CORnNICLOOKS (©)