The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 298: what you’re looking at

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

THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. a | | | i i \| rT | | al ' i| | / wae | | | | } } | | ' | 1 | t a) | iF Ly i : | | | | ' wine . i f eT | SITS | heats ; | a) \ LLL | \ i } ae | i} ; ' | iy} -_ & sit ) / at | MN) | | Pie ay | )«, L he It was about three o’clock in the afternoon that the post-chaise entered upon the broad domain of Oaklands; and it presently dashed up to the front of the mansion. Purvis and the other domestics, in obedience to the instructions received from the Duke of Marchmont, were in readinces to afford the Princess a suitable welcome; and as she ‘alighted from the post-chaise, they were astonished at her extraordinary beauty. They had been told that an oriental lady of rank, but preserving a strict incognito, would arrive at Oaklands; and they had pictured to themselves a dark-skinned female, apparelled in some extraordinary fashion. But when they beheld Indora, whose complexion was only of the most delicate duskiness, not ex- ceeding that of a brunette, and with a fine-grained skin of transparent clearness—apparelled too in a plain but tasteful travelling-costume, such as an English lady might wear—they were all taken by No. 37,—~ FOURTH SERIES. surprise. Yet in this amazement—an amasement which was produced far more by her extraordi- nary beauty than by any other circumstances,— the respectfulness of their demeanour was not for an instant lost ; and she was at once conducted by the old steward to the State Drawing-room. There she was waited upon by females of the household, who escorted her to the bed-chamber prepared for her reception ; and now she put off her travelling costume to apparel herself in a richer and more elegant garb. On descending again to the drawing-room, she intimated a wish to bo con- ducted over the mansion; and Purvis was accord ingly promptly in attendance. He led her through the various sumptuously furnished apartments; and in due course they reached the picture-gallery. There Indora appeared particularly interested by contemplating the portraits of the Duke of March- mont’s ancestors, and throughout this inspection —— wa ry ——« (CO an (C DOO (CO