The Works of George W. M. Reynolds — page 306: what you’re looking at

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

A STRANGE SCENE 289 It appeared as if he had just wakened up from a dream the influence of which pursued him even when he was awake. Was it possible that the proud, the dignified, the haughty Lady Saxondale had so far forgotten her wonted selt- possession as to expose herself in such a manner? But by a natural transition of ideas, the young artist was led to contrast the sensuous fervour and immodest passion of that lady with the chaste love and delicate affection of the ~ beauteous Florina. Then, still pursuing the thread of his reflections, he could not help trembling at the satanic threats of vengeance which Lady Saxondale had hurled at his head, — and not at his head alone, but at that of whom- soever she might detect in being what she chose to regard as a rival. Deveril saw that she was a desperate and dan- gerous woman, — a woman whom her disappointed passion had rendered thus desperate, and who was likely to prove all the more dangerous because she possessed the strongest energies, which she would not fail to exercise in the pursuit of any object she was anxious to attain. But what was he to do? Should he confidentially impart to Florina’s ear everything that had occurred, and thus put the young maiden upon her guard in case Lady Saxon- dale should by any accident discover that the object of his love was none other than the same being who had been selected to become her own son’s bride? No, the honourable and upright mind of Deveril recoiled from the bare idea of shocking the pure and chaste Florina by the tale of her ladyship’s depravity, and he therefore came to the resolve to observe the strictest secrecy in respect to all that had just taken place. It was now five o’clock, and Deveril, quitting Hyde Park, bent his way to a lodging which he had in Pall Mall. Not that he habitually resided there, for he had another place of residence in one of the suburbs of London. But this lodging, consisting of three apartments, served as the place where he received letters and visits in respect to the pro- fession he exercised. One of the rooms was fitted up as a studio, where he gave lessons to those who preferred to visit him there, another room was used as a parlour, and a third as a bedchamber, in case it suited him to sleep at his lodgings. On returning to Pall Mall he found two or three persons waiting to see him on matters of business, and when they GOmiGaooks (CO)