The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 347: what you’re looking at

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

CHAPTER XXVIII THE LAMB AMONGST THE WOLVES IN SHEEP’S CLOTHING TuRN we now to one of the many handsome apartments of Leveson House, and there we shall find the beautiful Louisa Stanley seated in company with Lady Ernestina Dysart. | Her ladyship was clad in the weeds of widowhood, the sable garb becoming her admirably, and setting off the whiteness of her polished skin with dazzling effect. She even wore the widow’s cap with a certain air of coquettish- ness, not suffering it to conceal altogether her light brown hair, which now, instead of showering 1n tresses over her shoulders, was arranged in simple bands. In sweet and innocent contrast with Ernestina sat the charming and beautiful Louisa Stanley. When describing her in an earlier chapter, we said that her cheeks were not exactly of a rose colour, but of an animated white, so that without being absolutely pale, they were of the delicate bloom which deepens only through emotion or exercise into the vermeil of the peach. Such was Louisa’s complexion then, at the time of her first introduction to the reader; but now, alas! now it was really and truly pale, the hand of grief having even effaced the health-tint of her youthful bloom. Indeed, it was only necessary to look for a moment into the depths of her blue eyes to perceive that the remorse- less iron of care had penetrated deep, deep into her soul; but in the pensiveness of her mien and the fixity of her desponding gaze it was also easy to observe that a true Christian fortitude so far attempered and restrained her orief as to prevent it from bursting forth into frenzy or settling down into a blank despair. It was about midday when we find Lady Ernestina Dysart 316 (COU () IDooks (E(0)