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.

97 — ee — —— — — — — — —— THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. a gy a 7 eS EE _ — = = - }-—. —= —-=— ' : il shame. And if his earlier years have been sullied ; thus select as my lover has at any period of his life by any crime, so much the better for the purpose | committed a deed which he would blush to avow we are now discussing.” *“ T do not comprehend you, mysterious being that you are!” exclaimed Lord Montgomery, a slight shudder passing through his frame. “Qh! I will soon render myself intelligible, Eugene,” she replied, mingling her words with caresses—as if she felt that he trembled and was anxious to reassure him. ‘‘Forean 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 :wortly 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, @ 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 to secrecy; and we havo a reciprocal interest in shielding each other. For if the man whom I 65 | or tremble to have made public,—be it swindling, rape, robbery, forgery, or even murder,-—I should be all the mor® 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 would recommend him themoreclosely to my affections, because I should rejoice in the fact that he was thus dependent upon 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 honotr- able, though his private life be sullied—a man (CO DOO (CO