The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 110: what you’re looking at

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

SS ——e—————— — ————— THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. 97 ee shame. And if his earlier years have been sullied by any crime, so much the better for the purpose we are now discussing.” “ T do not comprehend you, mysterious being that you are!” exclaimed Lord Montgomery, a slight shudder passing through his frame. “Oh! I will soon render myself intelligible, Eugene,” she replied, mingling her words with caresses—as if sho felt that he trembled and was anxious to reassure him. ‘For ean you not under- stand that the individual who placcs himself as it were in my power, instantaneously and by virtue of that fact renders himself :wortliy to become the depositor of mysecret? And therefore do I say that if he have committed some crime, it is all the better for such,a purpose, inasmuch as if ho confide his honour, his liberty, or his life to my keeping, I could not for a moment hesitate to entrust my reputation in his hands. A mutual necessity binds us tosecrecy; and we have a reciprocal interest in shielding each other. For if the man whom I 65 | thus select as my lover has at any period of his life committed a deed which he would blush to avow or tremble to have made public,—be it swindling, rape, robbery, forgery, or even murder,-——I should be all the more ready to trust him, and all the more confident in the safety of my secret. Nor should I love him the less: on the contraty, it would give me pleasure to sooth his wounded spirit—and even his remorse wouldrecommend him themoreclosely to my affections, because I should rejoice in the fact that he was thus dependentupon me for solace and sympathy. If he were poor, oraspendthrift, I should likewise love him with the greater ar- dour, because I should fee) that he was more completely mine, inasmuch as by placing the riches of my purse at his disposal I should ensure his gratitude and touch all the tenderest feelings of his. nature. Now, therefore, my dear Eugene, you perceive that J am prepared to accept asa paramour a man whose name must be honotir- able, though his private life be sullied—a man GOH GOO co