The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 284: what you’re looking at

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

262 THE COURT OF LONDON London, expecting to find Ernestina still with her female relatives, from whose dwelling the letters he had received during the interval had been dated. But, to his surprise and annoyance, he found that since he last heard from her, a few weeks previous to his return, she had grown so weary of the monotonous and quiet life which her relations led that she had gone back of her own accord to Leveson House, where the marquis, who really entertained a great affection for her and had much missed her society, cheerfully received her. Whilst staying with those female relatives, she had fallen in with Mr. Dysart, who, though so much older than herself, had managed to win her affections. On her brother’s return to London, finding that he much disapproved of her having gone back to Leveson House, and impatient of the control which she fancied he sought to exercise over her, she at once yielded to Mr. Dysart’s solicitations and married him. The match was most unpalatable both to her uncle and her brother, and the former vowed that he never would speak to Paul Dysart, much less receive him inside his door, as long as he lived. Algernon, though likewise disapproving of the alliance, because he had a bad opinion of Dysart’s character, nevertheless visited the newly married pair at their residence at Blackheath, but soon afterward he quitted London on a fresh excursion, and made a tour | of Wales. On his return to the capital, he repaired to Blackheath to visit his sister. Entering the grounds of the villa, he heard Ernestina’s voice issuing from an arbour densely embowered in surrounding trees. Thinking that she was with her hus- band, he at once approached the spot, and, to his mingled astonishment and dismay, beheld her in the arms of an individual who was entirely unknown to him. This was Sir Archibald Malvern. Algernon, in his resentment, was about to inflict summary chastisement upon the seducer of his sister, but Ernestina, falling upon her knees, besought him to forbear from a proceeding that would inevitably create a disturbance and lead to exposure. The young nobleman accordingly subdued his angry feelings, but peremptorily ordered Sir Archibald to quit the premises at once. He then sat down with his sister, and in anguish of heart remonstrated with her upon her guilt, which it was impossible for her to deny. But now that the immediate connicloookKks CO