The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 165: what you’re looking at

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

THE MOTHER AND DAUGHTER 147 and you have even dared to threaten your worst. Ah, you will do me a mischief? Then perish all love, and welcome the phase of hatred. Yes, hatred immitigable, unrelieved by a single gleam of tenderness, a hatred that shall arise upon the ruins of withered affections and the best feelings of the heart. As for the pittance you promise to vouchsafe unto me henceforth as heretofore, I scorn it, I repudiate it, I reject it with contempt and abhorrence. Sooner would I drag myself, a miserable mendicant, through the streets and plunge deep down into penury’s most hideous slough, than receive another morsel of bread at your hands. Ah, the crisis is indeed come! Farewell, Bernard Audley. We shall meet again, but when next I stand before you, it will not be with the remnants of a long devoted love in my heart, but with all my wrongs raising the cry of vengeance in my soul.” Thus speaking, Lilian Halkin darted away from the minor canon’s presence, and disappeared behind the dense foliage of the evergreens. For a few moments did Bernard Audley remain transfixed to the spot, gazing in the direction where she had thus disappeared, and more than half-inclined to call her back, for he felt, indeed, he feared, that he had gone too far, and that he had unnecessarily given provocation to a spirit the wild, strange nature of which he full well knew from past experience. But his pride would not permit him to raise his voice and speak the word of conciliation that might perhaps have recalled her, and at length moving away from the spot where the above scene had taken place, he muttered to himself, ‘‘ Well, after all, it 1s perhaps for the best. She may cool down, she may think better of her menaces, and besides, in her foolish fondness she could not. altogether find it in her heart to do me harm. Let me banish her from my thoughts, and think only of the adorable Louisa Stanley, whom I shall possess to-night.” (C(O) nn) (C 0)(0)©) <Si inn