The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 235: what you’re looking at

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

CONCLUSION OF THE MYSTERIES 213 his infatuation with regard to her was immense, and though she was no stranger to his natural good qualities, yet she was equally well aware that these had been too much warped and spoiled to be suggestive of any very powerful scruples against a marriage under such circumstances. As to the consent of Miss Bathurst and Mrs. Fitzherbert to this mar- riage, she had little doubt of obtaining it; inasmuch as the main point was that she should become the prince regent’s mistress, no matter by what means, so long as the aim was successfully and speedily reached. The reader will remember that ere the prince parted from her on that occasion he extracted from her a promise that she would visit him at Carlton House on the ensuing evening; and she was to be at Hyde Park corner at nine o’clock, where his carriage was to meet her. But previous to all this, previous, indeed, to calling upon her at all, and therefore while still unaware of the extraordinary beauty of Venetia, as well as being under the infatuation of the lady in the gossamer dress, the prince had made a compact to abandon his chance to the Marquis of Leveson. Now, however, having become an eye-witness of the truth of all the reports that had reached him concerning Venetia’s charms, his Royal Highness repented of his bargain with the marquis, and, hastening to visit him, induced his lordship to forego the compact on condition of receiving the vacant Garter. The prince, however, quite forgot, when returning to Carlton House, to confer the appointment. The marquis thought he was tricked, and on the Friday evening, it being his turn to pursue the love-campaign, he treacherously in- veigled Venetia to his mansion. She, however, escaped his clutches, but upon proceeding to Carlton House, she would not abandon herself on this occasion to the prince, fearing that she had not as yet a sufficiently strong hold upon him, and that too easy a surrender would damp his ardour with respect to her. Venetia did not at once communicate to Miss Bathurst, through Mrs. Arbuthnot, the arrangement which had been made with the prince about her getting married. She merely intimated that they had come to terms and that she was to be his mistress. She was resolved to wait and see whether Sackville himself would make any tender avowal to her, in which case she would be spared the somewhat un- (C(O) nn) (G 0)(0)©) KS { r inn