The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 72: what you’re looking at

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

54 THE COURT OF LONDON tia, slowly raising herself up into a sitting posture and bend- ing her looks reproachfully upon the marquis. ‘‘ My sweet lady,” replied the nobleman, “ admitting that the surprise was great and the consternation overpowering — for the moment, yet I do think that a more speedy recovery from such terror and dismay is possible on the part of a lady of your strong mind and well-toned nerves, especially as it is not the first time you have seen the public executioner; but in this very room some months back did he appear as a friend to serve your cause, which at the time was so ably championized by Sir Douglas Huntingdon.” “My lord, you are bitter and sarcastic to a degree,”’ answered Venetia, now resuming the appearance of com- plete self-possession, and suddenly clothing herself with a look of calm hauteur. “Venetia, if you have to complain of my manner or tone this evening,’ rejoined the marquis, ‘it is you who pro- voke every word of irony, every syllable of sarcasm, to which I may give utterance. What arts and tricks and duplicities have you not attempted within the short hour that you have been with me this evening, to escape from the fulfilment of our compact? But you accepted the bargain, and it shall be adhered to. There is no Douglas Huntingdon here to defend you now, and the very man,” continued the marquis, with a malignant significancy, ‘“‘ who was brought as a witness in your favour, could now be produced as one against you. Ah! I behold a certain gleaming in you eye, and I under- stand it. You would remind me that you are acquainted with certain things— bad and derogatory enough, God knows! — about Ernestina, those things, in fact, of which Huntingdon spoke when you were here together. But you must not threaten me now, Venetia. For every word that you might utter against my niece, could I proclaim an equiv- alent scandal in reference to yourself. Besides, we have but one object to keep in view this evening, which is that the beautiful Lady Sackville, the favourite mistress of his Royal Highness the Prince Regent, has accepted a hundred thousand pounds from the Marquis of Leveson on a certain condition.” “Which she is now here to fulfil,” responded Venetia, bending a proud look upon the marquis, as if making a merit of this surrender of her charms, and even at the very last comlcooolkks (CO)