The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 151: what you’re looking at

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

130 THE COURT OF LONDON him to his house, and had done all he could to reclaim him from the ways of vice. But although the endeavour seemed to prosper for a few days, those favourable symptoms speedily disappeared, and alas! the youth returned to his old companions and no doubt to his old habits. All these things did Lady Florimel succeed in gleaning, or rather extorting, from Doctor Thurston’s lips yesterday, and this day has she revealed them to me! ”’ “Then if the youth is so inveterate in his bad habits,” observed the prince, ‘‘ the best thing will be to leave him where he is.”’ ‘“ How can you recommend such a course?” cried the princess, in a voice of bitter remonstrance. ‘“ How could you have abandoned him for more than nineteen years? ’’ demanded the prince, coolly. “Oh, now I am indeed righteously rewarded for my unnatural conduct! ’’ and as the princess thus spoke in a voice of rending anguish, she again burst into a flood of tears, at the first outpouring of which her brother made a movement of impatience. ‘“‘ Unnatural mother that I have been,’ she continued, after a long pause, “ most richly, richly do I deserve every reproach, every taunt, every imputation, that can be thrown against me. Nevertheless, it is cruel indeed to receive this chastisement at the hands of a brother.” “Well, perhaps I was a little harsh,” said the prince regent, “‘ but do pray tell me at once and without any further circumlocution what I can do for you, what you require at my hands? ”’ ‘Of all my brothers you only,” said the princess, ‘ are acquainted with my secret, and therefore, in the first place, it was natural I should confide to your ears all that I have learned concerning my boy. In the second place, you alone, as prince regent, have the power to snatch that unhappy youth away from the career of degradation and depravity which he is pursuing.”’ ‘“ Sophia! ’’ exclaimed the prince, bending a stern look upon his sister, “‘ am I to understand that you propose to place this youth about your person, to have him near you, and make him aware of the secret of his birth? ”’ ‘I mean nothing of all this,’’? returned the princess. ‘But I wish him to be rescued from that den of infamy where he now is, and to be placed in some honourable } é¢ Gomicdooks (C(O)