The Mysteries of London, Vol. IV — page 342: what you’re looking at

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

THE MYSTERIES OF LONDON, Mrs, Grevillo’s friends, who knew me well, repre- sunted to her that I was notoriously a half-ruined rake, the old lady had too much confidence in all tho promises of reformation which I had made, to revoke the consent she had given to our union. Besides, she saw that Editha was decply attached to me, and that the boauteous girl’s happiness de- pended on the smooth progress of love’s course. “ But, alas! painful infaghts forced themselves upon my mind. I felt that my constitution was ruined—and I believed myself to bein a consump- tion, Faithful to the solemn pledges which I had made to Mrs. Greville, I established 2 complete change in my habits; and instead of drinking wine to excess, I foreswore all alcoholic liquor whatso- ever. Likewise, instead of passing my nights in dissipation, I returned home at an early hour and sought my couch. But the suddennoss of this 2.:‘ration in my habits produced effects which I car, only compare to the terrible reaction that a mat . tperiences when waking in the morning after a nigh of deep debauch, A dead weight fell upon No co*.—Mysterizs or Lonpon. aly int Y é YY S peal, 4 Uf y Yjfillitioe _—— Mi Ys Y , ‘1 Uy, 7 YY, Uy 7 Wa Sw = eS \ ep Kee ere my spirits. I became so low and depressou thut horrible thoughts of suicide wero constantly fluat ing in my brain.teMy nervousness was extreme and intensely painful. An unusually lond knock or ring at the front-door would make me start as if I had committed a crime and was expecting the officers of Justice to come and arrest me. I was constantly conjuring up tho most shocking visions respecting the future; and when immersed in those reveries, J verily believed that I was coutemplatirg roalitics—such was the morbid stato of my mind !¢, “Tt was therefore natural that I should begin et reflect upon the step which I had taken with regard to Editha. I had sought and won the affections of a beautiful creature, who was possessed of a rene- rous heart, an amiable disposition, and a loving soul; und ) was shocked to think that such a being, in all the vigorous health of vouthfulness, should bo led to the altar by one whose constitution was shattered, whose vital energics were almost ruined, and who seemed to be hovering on the vor? verge of the tomb! Oh! how maddening wore (C(O) (C DOO <S LL (SO)