The Works of George W. M. Reynolds — page 140: what you’re looking at

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

AGAR TOWN | 123 boots, the brilhant gloss of which even now shone brightly through the dust that was upon them, set off her long, narrow feet to great advantage, and the clinking spurs gave her a sort of semimulitary appearance. Her hair, which was of raven blackness, appeared when she took off her hat to be combed back from the high and open forehead, and though not worn very long, fell in rich and natural waves over her ears and to the lower edge of the collar of the coat, so that in fact it was not longer than the hair of many fashionable youths at the West End of London. She wore a pair of delicate buckskin gloves, and carried a handsome riding- whip in her hand. We have already said that this woman’s features, though exceedingly handsome, were largely chiseled and somewhat coarse. This was especially observed in the mouth, the lips being full, yet not with that sweet pouting expression which gives a charm to such fulness of lips in woman. Of a rich and moist red, they were not merely luscious but strongly sensual lips, yet when parted they revealed teeth faultlessly even and white as ivory. When first casting the eye upon her, and ere the delusion as to her sex was thoroughly cleared up, the absence of beard or whisker was not immediately noticed, in consequence of the olive duskiness of her com- plexion, which gave her a masculine air; and then, too, that bold and hardy gaze which she invariably fixed upon any stranger the moment she encountered one likewise tended to sustain the idea of the sex whose apparel she had assumed. Her age might be about twenty-five or twenty-six, but when considered in her male apparel, she at once struck the beholder as being a young man of one and twenty. When she spoke, it was in a voice that was strong without being coarse or harsh; it had all that flutelike power of tone which was also calculated to deceive the observer as to her real sex and sustain the delusion. Who or what she was will hereafter transpire in due course, but at present we can only introduce her to the reader as Lady Bess. On entering the wretched tap-room an expression of dis- gust flitted across her features, but almost instantaneously throwing aside that look, she said, with a careless smile and in an offhand manner, ‘‘ Well, you are all deep in your orgy. I suppose it began ere sunset and will last till at least sun- rise? ”’ CONnNIEOOKS (C(O)