The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 63: what you’re looking at

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

46 THE COURT OF LONDON length she took her departure, and after an absence of more than an hour she made her appearance again in the prison- chamber. ‘“T have seen the Englishman,” she said, “‘ and I gave him back the scrap of paper on which you had written something, which evidently satisfied him that I was trust- worthy. He thereupon took me in a hackney-coach to a house in the Rue du Bac, and in a handsome apartment on the first floor I was introduced to an elderly gentleman with a great brown wig, red whiskers, and a very good set of teeth. He is also an Englishman. A few words passed between him and the gentleman who had brought me hither, but as they spoke in English I did not understand what they said. I however perceived that the one with the black whiskers and mustachios was called Captain.”’ “IT cannot think who they can be,”’ said Jocelyn. “ But pray go on.”’ | “The gentleman with the brown wig and red whiskers desired me to sit down, and he then proceeded to put all kinds of questions concerning the prefecture, — its internal arrangements, the distribution of the buildings, the manner in which they are guarded, and the exact position of your chamber. To all these queries,’ continued the nurse, “ I gave the fullest and most faithful particulars. Indeed, being well aware for what motive I was thus interrogated, I told the two gentlemen that it would be madness to dream of effecting your escape either by force or stratagem, so long as the prefecture remained your prison. Struck by this last observation of mine, they asked what I meant, and I proceeded to explain that this very afternoon you had received a letter from the prefect intimating that you were shortly to be removed elsewhere. This statement seemed to give a new impulse to the thoughts of your English friends, and after conversing together for a short time in their own language, the Captain penned a few hasty lines which he bade me give you.”’ With these words the old woman handed Loftus a note, the contents of which he eagerly perused, and which ran as follows: , “The few words you sent just now have been regarded as a token that the bearer is fully trustworthy. Being unac- CORNICE OOOKS (C(O)