The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 107: what you’re looking at

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

86 THE COURT OF LONDON this is almost punishment enough for her perfidy, if she did but know it. Butshe can not know it — she will never know it. And you will turn against her, dear girl, will you not? Ah! wherefore that impatient ejaculation? Well, I will speak to you no more upon that topic, at least for the present. ‘To-morrow, or another time— Ah! my darling Gertrude, I love you, yes, I love you; and I will forgive your taciturnity, your silence, if you will continue to lavish those tender kisses upon me.”’’ About an hour afterward, when all was still and quiet in the boudoir, some one cautiously unlocked the door and stole forth, closing the door as noiselessly again behind her, but now leaving it unlocked. The person who thus stole forth was Gertrude; and ascending to her own chamber on the story above, she procured a light. With the candle in her hand, she once more descended; and this time she stole guardedly and with spirit-like tread to the Earl of Curzon’s own apartment, — that apartment which he had ere now left to seek the boudoir. In this apartment Gertrude forthwith instituted a minute search, and after some delay she found what she sought concealed amongst the linen in one of the earl’s drawers. Joyous as if she had discovered a treasure, and triumphant as if she had just achieved some important victory, the damsel stole up again to her own chamber; and before she retired to rest she set fire to a quantity of papers and threw them into the grate, gaily and cheerfully watching s them till they consumed to tinder. She then extinguished the light and laid down to repose. But in about three hours Gertrude awoke, and it being now daylight, she got up. Having arranged her beautitul hair, so dishevelled and disordered by the prominent adven- ture of the preceding night, and having refreshed herseli with ablutions in the chill water, she put on the plain but neat and becoming apparel of her station. When she had thus concluded her toilet, she went down-stairs to the servants’ hall, to wait till her mistress’s bell should ring. The light of the new-born day had already rendered every- thing plainly visible within the boudoir when the Earl of Curzon awoke from a slumber where the image of Gertrude EONNIELIOO KS, (E00)