The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 32: what you’re looking at

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

AN ARISTOCRATIC PAIR 13 she started slightly, in a scarcely perceptible manner, while a gentle flush appeared upon her countenance. The earl, who was observing her at the instant, noticed that little movement and this transient glow; and he said, ‘‘ Who is your correspondent? ”’ ‘No one of any importance,” replied Editha; and having hastily scanned the contents of the note, she thrust it into her bosom. The earl was neither astonished by the evasive answer which she gave him, nor by the manner in which she thus disposed of, the letter, for they had long ceased to be on terms of mutual confidence and were not accustomed to communicate, much less peruse, each other’s correspondence. But he had noticed the start and the flush, and a suspicion, faint as the first glimmer of dawn in the Oriental sky, eleamed in his brain. This was the first time he had ever entertained an idea derogatory to the honour of his wife. On the contrary, he had hitherto believed her strictly faithful to her marriage vows. But now — he scarcely knew why — a certain uneasi- ness crept slowly upon him. That start, almost imperceptible as it was, and that blush, faint and transient though it were, had engendered a vague and undefined misgiving in his breast. The next moment he found himself reflecting upon the fact that Editha belonged to a family notorious for its profligacy; and he knew full well that her own passions were of the strongest, most fervid, and insatiable description. All these thoughts traversed his brain in a few moments; but dissembling the incipient uneasiness which he experi- enced, and suddenly determining not to excite in her mind the suspicion that he even entertained such a misgiving, he began to converse upon a variety of ordinary topics. On the other hand, Editha fancied that her temporary emotion on receiving the letter had escaped his observation; and she discoursed with more gaiety and friendliness than she had for a long time manifested toward her husband. He would have given worlds to obtain a peep, just one peep, at that letter; but the thing was impracticable. At one moment he was half-inclined to seat himself by her side and begin to toy and dally with her; but such a course, by being most unusual on his part, would at once have excited her suspicions as to his real object. He therefore COUM a LOOKS (CO)