The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 362: what you’re looking at

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

336 THE COURT OF LONDON experience, no doubt,” he added, somewhat ironically, ‘‘ will enable you to carry into effect.”’ “ Sir, wherefore this species of taunt thrown out against me?” asked Mrs. Arbuthnot. ‘‘ Would you insinuate that I am accustomed to suggest or invent plans to conceal © the disgrace of young ladies? If so, your Royal Highness is exceedingly mistaken.” ‘“‘ Madam, I cannot forget the facility with which you lent yourself to the little freak which made me covet your daugh- ter, and therefore I naturally suppose that such pandering pastimes cannot be altogether strange to you.” “Does your Royal Highness mean that my daughter was not pure and chaste when she received you to her arms? ”’ exclaimed Mrs. Arbuthnot, scarcely able to repress her indignation, “or would you imply that through my agency she had been frail before? ”’ : “No, I mean nothing of the sort,’’ answered the prince. “‘T do not wish to throw the slightest aspersion on Miss Penelope’s honour previous to her intimacy with me. On the contrary, I will even declare my conviction that she was pure and chaste, as you express it; but it is not the less a fact that you yourself intrigued cunningly enough to hand her over to me. Am I not therefore justified in supposing that, as you got her into the scrape, so you will get her out of it? And as I hinted to her last night, if she wants a few hundred pounds, as a matter of course they are entirely at her service. What more can I do? What more do you require? ”’ ‘“T had flattered myself, sir,’”? answered Mrs. Arbuthnot, again relapsing into that coaxing, fawning, toad-eating manner which was habitual to her, and had been acquired by a long career of grovelling servility toward all with whom she had lived, ‘‘I had flattered myself that my poor girl would not have been thus discarded by your Royal Highness with scarcely even a kind word —’’ ‘Then I suppose that she has explained to you,”’ inter- rupted the prince, ‘‘ everything which took place between us last evening at Windsor Castle? Now, let me be explicit on my side. From what your daughter said to me, it was quite evident she had entertained the loftiest pretensions. I do not exactly know of what nature these may have been, or to what height her ambition soared, but certain it is that connicloookKks C@ im