The Works of George W. M. Reynolds — page 186: what you’re looking at

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

THE GRAND ENTERTAINMENT 169 “TI expect him every moment. I should hope that he will not fail to make his appearance,’ responded Lady Saxondale, a cloud lowering.upon her grandly handsome countenance, as if she felt that 1t was too bad for her son not to be there already. ‘‘ He knows that there is a dinner- party this evening — ”’ ; Her ladyship’s sentence was interrupted by the opening of the door, and Lord Petersfield was announced. This was one of Edmund’s guardians, and was therefore received with very great attention and extreme politeness by Lady Saxondale. He was an old man, stout, but not exactly corpulent, tall and stately, and dignified even to solemn pomposity both in his manner and speech. He was a diplomatist, and had been ambassador to several of the principal European courts, but for certain political reasons, which it is not worth while to enter into here, he at present held no office, although the party to which he belonged was at the time in power. The most common observer could not be five minutes in his company without discovering him to be a diplomatist, though previously uninformed of the fact; for Lord Petersfield never spoke a word that was not duly measured, and scarcely ventured to perform the most trivial action without appearing to reflect whether it were a wise one or not. Ever invested with that solemn and indeed awful air of eravity which he had contracted during a long career in diplomacy, Lord Petersfield constantly looked as if the weight of the whole world’s affairs were upon his shoulders, and that the slightest unguarded word would plunge them into ruin. Sometimes, if he could not make up his mind what answer to give to even the most trivial question put to him, he would remain scrupulously silent. Thus, if any- body observed that “‘ the weather was very fine,” and Lord Petersfield on casting his eyes upwards beheld the least cloud upon the heavens, he would prudently shut himself up in a solemn silence rather than stand the chance of compromising his judgment by admitting that it was fine when it was just possible to rain. If his opinion were asked upon any passing event or current topic, he was very seldom able to bring his mind to give an immediate response. He was not aware, he had not thought upon, or it was a subject that required the deepest consideration. If he were met CONnNIELOOOKS (CO)