The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 53: what you’re looking at

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

32 THE COURT OF LONDON and all traces of the accident removed as speedily as possible. Reward the men liberally, — and see that the occurrence is kept as quiet asit may be. Having done this, you must take a lodging for yourself in the neighbourhood; and let me know your address— by letter, mind —in the course of to-morrow, so that I may be enabled to convey further in- structions to you. You can direct to me in the name of — let me see? — oh! Mrs. Smith; and a glance will inform you presently the number of this house and the name of the place or terrace or row where it is situated.” The valet received these instructions with a low bow; and the lady, whom we shall now denominate Mrs. Smith, — that being the nomenclature which had first suggested itself to her mind, — hurried back into the villa. Ascending the bedroom whither her younger companion had been borne, she exclaimed, upon entering the chamber, ‘“ How does my dear Mrs. Mordaunt feel now? ” These words were uttered with a rapid and expressive clance at the lady’s-maid, as much as to convey an intimation of the name by which the invalid was to pass; and the sisters were too much bewildered by this new adventure that had occurred to notice anything extraordinary in the way in which the question was put. The invalid herself — whom we must call Mrs. Mordaunt — was in the incipient agonies of a premature childbirth, and too wretched in mind as well as too much anguished in body to notice anything that was passing around her. Mrs. Smith now implored Octavia to procure the immediate attendance of a medical man; and the young lady, throwing on her bonnet and shawl, hastened to comply with the re- quest. Pauline quitted the chamber at the same time, and repaired to the parlour, where she awaited the return of her sister, who shortly reappeared, followed by a surgeon from the neighbourhood. The medical gentleman thus summoned was about forty years of age, and tolerably handsome. His features were large and regular; but his countenance could not altogether be styled pleasing, inasmuch as there was a sinister expres- sion in the eyes which, though scarcely definite enough to strike a superficial observer, would not have escaped any one of keener perception. It happened that he had only Just returned home from the house of a patient when Miss Claren- bi te ; J - s)