The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 229: what you’re looking at

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

206 THE COURT OF LONDON ‘“ Heavens, Venetia! to hear thee talk thus,” exclaimed Lord Sackville, “‘ drives me mad. Why, even within a few hours aiter what may be termed your fall, yes, even the very next morning, we could look each other in the face without blushing. But now it seems as if the pangs of remorse and the poignancy of shame have sprung into keen vitality again, as if memory, instead of being blunted with the lapse of days and weeks, is actually becoming sharpened, as if pleasure could not drown that memory in its roseate floods, as if luxury could not lull our recollections into repose, and as if honours, riches, adulation, and rank could not appease us for what we have done.”’ | ‘“ Oh, look up at me, Horace, look up,” exclaimed Venetia, in the melting harmony of that delicious voice which pene- trated like a strain of celestial music into the soul; “ look up to me a moment, my beloved husband. Let us forget what we are, let us forget what has passed, let us forget also what is to come, and think only of this present moment. For we are here alone together; and oh, let us concentrate our thoughts into a dream, if it may not be a reality of bliss! Let us indulge in an embrace as warm, as tender, and as affectionate as those in which we were wont to steep our senses ere the date of what you just now so truthfully denominated my fall!” “Yes, oh, yes, let us embrace thus,”’ cried Horace, sud- denly inspired with all the enthusiasm of adoration and devotion for his young and beauteous wife; then, as he knelt at her feet, he gazed up passionately into her glowing countenance, while she looked down with equal tenderness upon him; and then their lips met in a kiss more delicious than any in which those lips had joined since the memorable date of Venetia’s fall. But now as Horace, resuming his place upon the footstool, gazed up at his wife, now that he surveyed her with a fond- ness as fervid and as impassioned as ever he was wont to display previous to that night of her degradation and her shame, he could not help feeling rejoiced at possessing a woman of such transcending beauty, even though he was compelled to abandon her at times to the arms of another. But as his eyes slowly travelled over her entire person, commencing with that superb auburn hair which lay upon her brow like dark gold on alabaster, then lingering on that GOMiGHOooks (@) (E(0)