The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 292: what you’re looking at

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

a THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. 281 a The Duke could scarcely repress a cry of an- guished terror at the words which had just amitten his ear ; and ho rushed into the diverging passage, as if wildly anxious to escape from the air he was now breathing. The Governor of course attributed all this display of powerful emotions on the Duke's part, to a sense of affliction on his brother’s account; and he begged his Grace to walk into his parlour and take some refreshment. But the Duke gave no response ; and issuing from the gaol, flung himself into the cab, in a state of mind that need not to have been envied by any wretch ever coming forth from that samo prison to perish on the black scaffold erected outside. The driver asked whither he should proceed; and the Duke answered, unconscious of the reply which be was giving. He had mentioned Belgrave Square; and thither the cab accordingly went. Mr. Price, Coleman’s clerk, still followed at a little distance—until be at length beheld the Duke No. 88.—Fourtn Sznizs. enter his own mansion in Belgrave Squere, from all the windows of which a flood of lustre was pouring forth ; for there was a grand entertain: ment at Marchmont House that evening. The Duchess was receiving the elite of the aris- tocracy ; and the splendid saloons were thrown open for the accommodation of the numerous guests. There was dancing in the state-apartmont —there was play in the card-rooms—and the picture-galleries, brilliantly lighted, were the re- sorts of the loungers from the saloons themselves. The intelligence of Lord Clandon’s arrest had only just reached the mansion: it began to be ru- moured amongst the domestics—but to the com- pany i¢ was as yet unknown. When the Duke alighted from the common hack-cab—and pale, haggard, and ghastly, entered the spacious hall— the namerous lacqueys assembled there, naturally supposed, as the Governor of Newgate had done, that his Graco’s appearance was produced by the comicibooks.conm