The Mysteries of the Court of London Vol. 7 — page 41: what you’re looking at

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

! 4 THE MYSTERIZS OF THE COURT. whole of one foot and half the other in qe grave —deaf, and in his, dotage—this nobleman had neveftheless only just returned {rim an embassy atone of the principal Continental courts after an absence from England of some five or sig years. Lord Wenham—for such was his denomination evhad been an old patron of Madame Angelique previous to his appointment to the embassy above alluded to: he was therefore well initiated in the mysteries of her household~—but the four young ladies whom the private part of her establishment now contained, were complete strangers to him. She had heard of his recent return to the British metropolis; and being resolved to make a last penny out of him before she gave up business altogether, she had written him the note which now brought him into her presence. “Why, my dear Madame Angelique,” mumbled the old lord, as he deposited himeeclf in an easy ohair—an effort which raised so violent a fit of coughing that for upwards of a minute it scemdll as if his enervated frame mutt be shattered to pieces,—* I vow and protest that yeu look—ugh! ugh !—this cough of mine!—younger than when I last saw you.” . § “And yet, my lord,” responded the milliner, “the lapse of five years can scarcely make one look younger-——” “Ah, very goad! very good!” ssid Lord Wen- ham, laughing with a chuckle that was hideous as a death-rattle. “Yes, yes—in spite of five years you find me looking—ugh! ugh !—younger also?” —for be it observed that on account of his deaf- ness he had not caught the precise terms of the ‘milliner’s speech. | “You look so young, my lord,” exclaimed Madame Angelique, taking pdvantage of the little error into which he bad fajien, and now speaking loyd enough to make herdelf heard, “thst I am convinced you are as terrible amongst the fair sex as ever!” * Ah, ah! I understand,” said Lord Wenbam: “vou have got—ugh! ugh!—some sweet creature that you mean to tempt me with—eh ? eh ?—ugh ! h yr we Fully esteeming your lordship’s kind patron- ,” rojoined Madame Angelique, “before you went as Ambassador Plenipotentiary to the Court of———~, I was resolved to give you the prefer- ence for the most beautiful girl that ever con- fidingly placed herself in my hands. { can assure} paragon you, my lord,” added the wily woman, ‘ith a sig- nificant look, “that she is as pure and Virtuous as the day she was born—an immaculate ” The old nobleman Jeered aad licked his lips salaciously. *I¢ is a positive fact, my lord,” continued me ue. “The teuth is, she has re- eently been left an orphan: and to be candid, she thing ! except pro ‘ & way o Shich het | 3 her bo P+ “To be sure! to be sure!” said the old noble- denly ejaculated. “Somehow or another the Duke of Marchmont heard of this lovely creature being under my care; and he came last night and offeredwme five hundred guineas to take her off my hands. Bug I said, ‘No, no, my Lord. Duke |! I have the honour of a nobleman’s acquaintance who I know will cheerfully write me a cheque for a thousand, and bear off Miss Eglantine in triumph !’—That’s what I said, my lord.” “And you meant me?” said Lord Wenham, full of nervous anxiety to obtain possession of the much-vaunted prize: “you meant me, my dear creature——tigh | ugh! this cough of mine !-—— But you meant me?” “Oertainly I did, my lord! And was I not right P”” “To be sure! to be sure!” responded his lord.» ship, “But can you really guarantee—ch !——= you know what I mean ——ugh! ugh !” “That she is‘innocence itself!’ exclaimed Madame Angelique. “In short, she is almost too prudish: but I have no doubt that with your lordship’s powers of cajolery—those powers which, as the newspapers say, you used to such effect when you put the Foreign Minister at the Court of ———~ in such a dilemma ——” “Ab, you have heard of that ?” said the an- cient diplomatist, chucklin;. “Egad! I talked Mis Excellency off to sleep; and when be woke up, he signed the treaty in the twinkling of an eye. But about this Miss Eglentine——what a sweet name! dear me, what a sweet name !——ugh f ugh ! ugh !” “She is your's therefore, my lord!” answered Madame Angelique ;. “and the bargain is con- cluded.” Eh P—stop!’’ cried his lordship. “I should just like, you know, to see her first of all—merely, you know——-ugh ! ugh |—this cough of mine numnen, h 4" “To be sure! I will go and fetch her at once. There are writing-materials: your lordship can pen the cheque—for if you are not satisfied with the firet view of her, your lordship can but cancel the draught.” Having thus spoken, Madame Angelique issued from the boudoir; and leaving his lordship in the midst of an ecstatic fit of coughing, she«ascended to the private chamber of Miss Eglantine, who had only ju completed hef toilet. For this of virtue and innocence, who was also tinged with pradery, had been passing the night, and several hours of the forenoon also, in the arms of one of the frequenters of Madame Angelique’s — establishment. “Now, my dear girl,” said the crafty woman, “T am come to announce to you that your fortune is made. I purpose to give up my business as soon as possibla: but in all motherly kindness I mean to provide for the dear girle—yourself in- cluded~-whom I'‘look upon as my daughters. Hore is a nobleman imimepsely rich, who will take you into his keeping: he will allow you at least eighty pounds a week; and if you play your cards man, who iu order that he might no6 lose a single ag well, you can marry him. To be sure, he is not ayllehis phat fell from Madame Angelique’s lips, an ear-trampet, and listened therewith. | quite eo young as he might be—perhape sixty or tac lore ugh {” hough he may look a trifle older: but then m “Th is al) precisely as I have the honour to in-| there is this to be you can . Siem your lordship,” continued the woman: © and | manage bim all the, more easily for he is some- ieerre—But what do you think?” she eud- ' what in?his dotage," Come along with me at ones. ee t COMIN DOCKS .aCO