The Mysteries of the Court of London, Vol. 7 — page 203: what you’re looking at

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

(eng 2 a a a TAT ES NR a TET EET dgtuaay «= ar edges ow ee ee 0 -ele P e eeies Oe® Gt, Doe 28 eeaaredaje .s 192 “Oh, yea, sir! be is a Duke fast enough: but sach a Duke!” exclaimed the waiter contemptu- ously. “Iam sure my master would, like to be well quit of him and all his craw of hungry Germans, with their hard names, their aire, their meanness, and their insolence. Perbaps you saw, sir, that I hesitated to bring up the wine | when that fellow Raggidbak ordered it? The fact is the Duke has given positive instructions that. nothing is to bo supplied except by command of Count Wronki, the Lord Steward.” “ But this is most extraordinary!” cried young Ashton, lost in bewilderment. “ Ob, extraordinary indeed !” echoed the waiter. “T nevor saw euch a wretched set of paupers in my life. They don't seem to have a farthing amongst them—I mean the Duke’s retinue; and between you and me, sir, I don’t think the Duke himeelf is over troubled with cash. Of course you know that whenever he visits this country, all his travelling expenses, both coming an@ going, are paid by the English government. These rooms too which they ocdupy, are paid from a certain quarter.” “From whence?” inquired Christian. “Why, from Buckingham ‘Palace, to be’ sure,” responded the-waiter. “ Ah! the people generally little think what a mean beggarly corde these German fellows are, with all their titles of Duke, Count, Baron, and Chevalier. I tell you what, sir—there isn’t as much linen amongst them all as any ordinary English gentleman possesses; and such linen as it is!—why, the washerwoman is afraid it will fall to pieces in the rubbing and wringing out. And then their clothes too!” addad the waiter, shrugging hie shoulders with the supremest contempt. “But what I wanted to guard you against, sir, is thie—that if you let those felluws get hold of you, they will spunge upon you - they will make you pay for wites, apirite, and cigars— they will pluck you like any pigeon. So pray take oare ;,mnd don’t say that I dropped you this hint, asjt ‘wpald only get me into trouble.” etatin thanked him for his well-meant informatiou—and took his departure, wondering still more at the various details he had just reocived in respect to the German Aeekb and his rotainers. | Having paid.s hanty visit to Christina, Chriatian returned sitiis lodgings at the house, and te ¢ in one of the bodke which he possessed, worse infoesiation relative to the Duchy | »assured Madame Angelique that sbe had little to of Maxe-Stolburg-Quetha. Hoe found that it was of tho meanest territorial axtent—with a popula- tion of a few thousande of sodle—-with a begyarly reyenue—and with an sriny eno only by bandreds. He had previously no: vety exalted idea of the German Priucipalities.: but he had not suspected that any one of thent wae m.poor aad palery as this. However, ha thougit (to, himself that his own salary would be telurably-eale, and that i¢ would at least enhance his’ fwtereat to be enabled at the close of his engagemetit t6 obtain a testimonial from a reigning Duke. n reassured the man upon the point-—_ parish-clerk’s | THE MYSTERRIPS OF THR COURT. ts Oe ee CHAPTER XXXVII. A PLOT. Ws must now once more direct the reader’s at- tention to ‘the interior of Madame Angelique’s establishment; and if we peep into the splendidly furnished apartment whence there was the mirror- contrived commutsioation with the tailor’s house next door, we shall find Lettica with the German end French girls, sitting together. Lettice Rodney therefore—disregarding Mr. Redcliffe’s advice— had returned to that abode of eplendid infamy. it was noon, on the day following that on which Christian called at Mivart’s Hotel; and thus Lettice had been back exactly Sne week. She had told Madame Angelique everything that bad ocourred: but vainly had she endeavoured to re- collect who the individual could be who had ex- torted from her the revelation of the whole pro- ocedings. It will be remembered that sne fancied his voice was not unfamiliar to her, but that she had totally failed to obtain a glimpse of hia coun- tenance in the darkness of the night: so that the acéne with him had ended by leaving her stil! in complete ignorance of who he was. Madame Angelique was much troubled: for she could not help thinking that the same individual who had thus behaved towards Lettice Rodney, bad spirited away Eveleen O'Brien. Not for an instant, how- ever, did her suspicions rest on Mr. Redcliffe : for Me had paid her bounteously at the tine, and the girls had assured her that be had entered with spirit into the feativities of that particular evening. As for the Duke of Marechmont, Madame An- gelique did not dread his anger on Lettice's ac- count: for under, all the circumstances, she did not consider that any blame cuuld attach itself to the young woman, who, when menaced with the law, and finding the plot more or less known to ber mysterious midnight questioner, had naturally saved herself from ulterior consequences by adopt- ing the course which is known to the reader. In- deed, Mudame Angelique was herself somewhat irritated against the Duke, that he should have #0 seriously compromised her own ostablishment in respect to the dresses, and likewise in respect to the purpose for which Lettice Rodney had been required in the neighbourhood of Oaklands. hastily penned note from his Grace, written im- mediately after the explosion of the plot, had dread on the part of the Duchess; as he (the Duke} would guarantee this much; and though Madame Angelique might thenceforth lose the cu of the Duchess, abe should receive an arypplg indemnification from Marckmont’s own ured, P Thus stood matters in respect to Madame An- gelique and her establichment after the transaction at Oaklands ;—and now, having given these neces- sary explanations, we return to the luxuriously furnished apartment in which we find Lettice Rod-’ ney, Armantine, and Linda seated. It was noon; and they were all three in a charming deshabilide. Lettice was reclining in a chair, reading a new novel aloud to her com-— panions—both of whom, as the reader will recol- lect, understood English to perfection. The fine --—_ NOG A. i me —-— ee ee — eee eee men ew eee ee >= ee eee eee, ~ so — eee Wee, — = wellhee wrest 2» m Ce a eee Pere Oeste ee re ce Se ie Ce i ce ele 9 ree © oe ee SS