The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 174: what you’re looking at

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

THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. 161 Sar Sd TE aM fi himself upon her mercy—implored her to release him from a compact which menaced his prospects as heir to the British throne—and thus trusted en- tirely to her love, her generosity, and her friend- ship,—oh! she felt that their relative positions would have been very different indeed: but no— the first gentleman in Europe had, with character- istic heartlessness, employed the most villanous, cowardly, and despicable means in order to coerce her into a separation. Yes—she felt all this: and she vowed that she would sooner go to a debtor’s gaol | short, and rot there, than make the slightest appeal to the purse of the man who, though really her hus- band in the sight of Heaven, had nevertheless proved her bitterest enemy and her most eold- blooded Such was the position and such were the feelings of Mrs. Fitsherbert on this particular morning when we again introduce her to our readers’ no- tiee. ae ORES, Sak, was ah ee wee pee \ _— = : in. TAT ewe : ie at ay : sive and careworn—and that the colour had com- pletely fled from her cheeks. She was in the midst of a painful reverie, when the door was opened softly—and an ill-looking countenance protruded itself. The door was then pushed more widely open; and the entire of the individual to whom the disagreeable phy- siognomy belonged passed into the room. He was followed by another man as repulsive in appear- ance as himself; and the two individuals, stopping short, exchanged looks, or rather made grimaces at each other, as much as to imply what a capital piece of fun it was! They then took a survey of the t;—and having once more expressed their delight by vulgar grins at the stealthy man- ner in which they had introduced themselves, they advanced towards the sofa. The sound of their footsteps now fell for the first time upon Mrs. Fitzherbert’s ears: and, gazing round with a sudden start, she was both amazed COL DOO (CO