The Mysteries of the Court of London Vol. 7 — page 192: what you’re looking at

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

i owe ee ee ee eee eewn ee oes = = ~ > ce ee eee eee { | ea THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. “You don’t mean to eay you've done it P’ criad the Frenchwoman io alarm. “Done it? Ob, dear me, no! not for tho world! Bosides, the girl is too ready with her hand in slapping one’s face——” “Then you have tuken: liberties with her!” ex- claimed Madame Angelique “Now really this is tow bad nN “Pray don’t entiYtain sych an evil opinion of jour devoted friend honest Ike Shadbolt. I only meant that she looks like a girl who would slap a fellow’s face——But hush! mum !—here she is!” The lunch was accordingly brought in; and it wis now quite ediusing to observe the curious yoanner in which Mr. Shadbolt endeavoured to look grave, serious, and well-conducted—pursing 1.) his*mouth, and only furtively leering from the corner of his eves at Madame Angelique and Jane tu mark the cffeet which he produced. When the pietty maid-servant hud retired, he indqmnificd hinseif for three minutes’ seriousness by five minutes’ laughter; and then he began to pay his veepects to the cold clueken, the ham, and the Madeira. , * Talking about respectability,” continued Mr. s.tadbolt, °F highly approve of your determination ty maintain that re spectubility here. People in @ certai class of life can’t get‘on without it. Take your grocer, for mstancc® who all tho week has been selling sucvar wnixed with sand, sloe leaves fur tea, ebichury for coffee, turmeric for mustard, ground bones for arrow-root, and every other kind uf abomination: but he goes to church on Sunday, and is, of course, a& most respectable man. It is the same with everything else ” “No doubt,” said Mudame Angelique, again smiling. © But I tell you what I should advise you todo,” resumed Shudbolt. “Just send a twenty pound note to some Missionary Society-—that one of Choker’s, for instance ™ * No—J am not guite such a fool as all that,” rephed Mudame Angelique. “A think I shall establish my respectability in this neighbourhood | on @ very suro basis without any such ridiculous ° , you proceeding. By the bye, I was gong to ask 99 “Ask me anything, my dear madam,” inter- jected Shadbolt, “except to give up this bottle of Madeira until I bave sent the last glass of it down my throat.” “TI was going to ask you who that Captain Cartwright really is, that you introduced to me, and wlio managed those affairs so admirably ?” “He really was once a Captain in the army,” reptied Shadbolt: “but he sold out and ran through all his money. Thon he became a regular man upon the town—living on his wits— until a few years ago, when ho visited Paris ; and there he got in gaol for debt. Afterwards he returned tu’ London, and became a scoret spy of the Home Office.” “ What do you mean?” exclaimed Madame Av- gclique. “ Aspy of the English Home Office ?” she cried incredulously. “Yes, to be sure,’ responded Shadbolt. “ If you ever read the newspapers, you will see that every year twenty or thirty thousand pounds—! forget exactly how much~are voted fdr what is called Secret Service Money: and what do you DS qGPéeenmeas oo 179 think secret service money is for except for the employment of spies and aif that sort of thing P Why, there's never a political meeting held’ by the working-classes but what the secret’ spies of go. vernment are present; snd when anything very ex- |'strong or very seditious is said, the spies always cheer the -loudest.”” “You astonish me!” said Madame Angelique. “Tt’e nevertheless a fact,” replied Mr. Shadbolt: “and the renson’s clear enough. The government likes to give a certain,colour to the working-class mectings, becauso it frightens the middile-classes and makes them stick ail the closer to the aristo- cracy.” “To bo sure! damo Angelique. of whom we were speaking —— Ifo got into disgrace somehow or another with the government,” continued Shadbolt: “I think it was for not swearing strong cnough at a political trial some time back; and so he got his discharge. Than he took to living on his wits again; and 60 tho business we have lately put into his hand has been a splendid windfall for him.” While thus disesursing, the luncheon progressed ; and when Madame Angolique hai imbibed three or four glasses of the fipe old Madeira, she began to feel loss antipathy towards Shadbolt than she was wont to experience at times when she was not under any artificial influence. The idea strength- ened in her mind that though she already possessed riches, shoe might as well double their amount; and that as circumstances hac thrown in her way so willing an instrument as this man, she might just as well render him etill more useful. Accord. ingly, after having partaken of another glass, Madame Angelique said, “ Well, Mr. Shadbolt, everything considered, I mean to adopt the pro- posal you made to me just now.” “I knew you would,” responded this individual, who, during a brief pause in the discourse, had been making immense inroads upon the corpestibles as well as upon the fluids. “The sooner we make a beinning, the better.” Madame Angelique*reflected for a few minutes; and after enumerating several names in her own mind, she at length stopped at one the recollection of which appeared td give her great satisfaction. “'Yea—this is agure card,” she said, now giving audible expression to her thoughts. * You have nothing to duebut present the note, which [ will immediately write.” “ And who is the lady P’ asked Mr. Shadbolt. Madame Angelique did not respond to the ques- tion: but placing herself at a writing-tablu near the window, she penned a note. “Now, Mr. Shadbo¥,” she said, when ehe had fulded, sealed, and acgiressed tho billet; “if you think you are sober enQugh, after all that wine, to conduct the business pr J, you may at once set about making your fist exp%yiment. Balhaw Hill is at no great distance: you can find some vehicle to take you thither——— ‘*T will“ proceed on this faigston at onco,” ox- claimed Mr. Shadbolt, whd§mas eager to begin. * As for beng sober ehough, mee more I drink the better fitted [' am for buémegyr* Thus speaking, he received' the note from the Frenchwoman’s band’; and surveyed the address. “Lady Annstatia Latharn, * mid Mr. Shadbdelt Now T understand I” said Ma- “But this Captain Cartwright 2 me 4503 © cee ss eee D> eames ee OOO) C) COMIC SS (CO)