The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 88: what you’re looking at

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

THE MYSTERIES OF TILE COURT. 78 owner or the inhabitant had positively studied to ewhance the gloom which characterised it, and render its aspect more ominous and foreboding than that of its companiona, For large wooden shades projected over the windows in such a way that no one looking out of those casements could possibly catch a glimpee of the sky, but must perforce cast the eyes down- ward,—thg effect being the same as that experienced by one wearing a green shade! The real object of these overhanging contrivances was doubtless to prevent the inhabitants of the opposite houses from being able to notice what was going on in the front rooms of this particular dwelling: but in order to obtain this security against the prying eyes of the curious, the building had been invested with the! gloom of a monastic establishment or a nunnery. But as if those uncouth shades, which were painteda dull leaden colour, were not sufficient to keep out every nea! cheerfulness that might by any accident ‘4 light upon this sombre abode, the inmates | around almost invaiiably had the Minds pulled down, and not unfrequently the curtains drawn, Nay, often the shutters, which were on the plan that enables them to be folded at will into the sides of the window- frames themselves, were kept closed all day in some | of the rooms—aye, and for days and days together too: |. so that, under all these circumstances, the dark pall of funerea] gloom was never lifted from off that house! And it was here that the hackney-coach stopped: it was here that Mrs. Brace and her young companion alighted ! But when, even through the deep obscurity which prevailed at that hour and particularly in that street, the eyes of Caroline Walters were enabled to em- brace some portion of this soul-chilling gloominess ot appearance which we have attempted to describe, —an awful sensation came over her—a cold, slow, and horrified br i ial a Seaumey snake wore ni ope 7 cad winding itself grad Se hg her clothing J comicloooks. conn |