Her Royal Lover: A Novel — page 310: what you’re looking at

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

302 _ HER ROYAL LOVER. Selfish reflected about that which was to be done. After some efforts of reflection he said to himself that in order to arrive at the most minute informa- tion it is always to the ladies that one must address one’s self. He repaired, then, straight to the only one with whom he was at all acquainted, to the grand- mistress, the crabbed Comtesse de Langweilig. Opportunity favored him. It was precisely the “day” of that first lady of the palace. A circle of ladies, with visages as faded as their garments,- seated in a row like onions, surrounded the feminine dictator of the residence. Madame de Langweilig was dressed in a black silk gown of an ancient cut, which had certainly figured in her trousseau and which must have been constantly enlarged accord- ing as the lady increased in amplitude. She wore as a brooch a monumental cameo representing the “Three Graces,” from whence a long watch-chain depended. It did not depend on her that all the pretty women of the residence and elsewhere were ~ not hung, without that it had been labor quickly done! She was dictating according to her custom. Ah! bless me! when “she” had spoken, no diver- gence of opinion could arise; that would spoil all. When Lord Selfish entered the house of Madame de Langweilig, there was suddenly a glacial silence. They had spoken precisely words more or less am- biguous about the king’s marriage with Madame de Mineleko and Madame de Langweilig had led them to infer that she knew much more than she liked to say about that “adventuress.” But, on the arrival of the empress’ minister she deemed it prudent to change the subject of conversation. Lord Selfish was for an instant positively afraid of catching himself a portion of the venom which was ‘ et | Gomicbooks: co