The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 267: what you’re looking at

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

240 THE COURT OF LONDON becoming angry and almost enraged. ‘‘ Thy voice is familiar to me; I am certain IJ have heard it before — ”’ “Yes,” interrupted Laura, in a low tone; “and I have seen thee before, and I know more of thee than thou thinkest, and I could breathe in thy ear the name which ought to have been in the passport.” “Then, who art thou? Tell me who thou art,’ exclaimed our young hero, becoming more and more excited; “ for there is something so strange, so mysterious in all this.’’ “Stay, let me whisper a word to your ear,” said Laura, ‘and you will then see that I know everything concerning you.” “Speak aloud, Miss Linden!” cried Jocelyn, who per- ceived by the rustling of her dress that she was approaching him through the pitchy darkness which prevailed. ‘“ Ah! you are afraid of me? ’’ she exclaimed, scornfully. ‘“ Oh, what sickly sentimentalism, what a maudlin affecta- tion of virtue is all this! Even the beauteous Louisa Stanley herself,’’ she continued, with a marked accentuation upon a name which made Jocelyn start suddenly, “ could scarce think well of one who seems not to be made of flesh and blood.” ‘“ You have alluded to a young lady,” said Loftus, ‘‘ whose example it were well, Miss Linden, if you would follow. But let me beseech and implore you to put an end to a scene as derogatory as it is painful, as humiliating as 1t is ridiculous.” There was a dead silence of nearly a minute, and then the lady’s voice suddenly vibrated upon Jocelyn’s ear, exclaiming, “‘ Oh, I love thee, I love thee! ’’ and the next instant he heard her come bounding toward him like a ser- pent flinging its coils through the utter darkness at some object which a mysterious instinct impelled it to seize upon, so that ere Jocelyn had leisure to step back even a couple of paces, he was clasped in the arms of his midnight com- panion. Violent was that embrace, as if the young lady’s impas- sioned nature were wrought up to a frenzied pitch. The plump white arms were thrown so suddenly around his neck and held him in so firm a clasp, and the lips of the temptress were instantaneously glued to his own with so burning an intenseness, that it seemed as if it were impos- sible for him to escape from the empire of such an Amazonian (COU () IDnoOOks (E(0)