The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 385: what you’re looking at

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

THE MASQUERADE — SCENE SECOND _ 351 the interview is over; there is some disagreeable discov- ery ees! ‘‘ Or else some very embarrassing mistake,’’ observed the prince. “ But away she goes. We must follow her, and if she should leave the theatre and take a hackney-coach or a cab, Germain — ”’ “I understand what to do, your Royal Highness,” said the astute valet, as he followed his master in pursuit of the Flower Girl. But here we must take leave of the Prince of Wales and Germain for the present, and return to Lord Montgomery, whom we likewise left hastening after that same mysterious lady. Cursing his folly for having allowed a single moment to elapse ere he sped in chase of the enchanting creature, he was actually forcing his way through the crowd of masques, when a gentle hand caught him by one of the folds of his domino, and a voice of musical softness said, in a tone of — timid inquiry, “ Lord Florimel? ”’ Montgomery stopped instantaneously, but gave no im- mediate answer. For this circumstance threw him, all in a. moment, into an unspeakable bewilderment; inasmuch as the masque who had thus accosted him was a lady of fine figure, and habited as a Circassian Slave. Were there, then, two heroines in the present adventure? Were two fair ones in the secret of the overture made to Lord Florimel by means of the masquerade-ticket and the blue domino? Or was there some grand mistake some- where; and if so, which was the legitimate and real heroine, the Flower Girl or the Circassian Slave? Swift as the shadow of a flight of birds passes over a field when the sun is shining brightly did these thoughts traverse the brain of Earl Montgomery; and with the same rapidity did his eyes sweep the form of the lady who had accosted him. And what was the result of this survey? He observed that she was quite as tall as the Flower Girl and somewhat stouter; indeed, that she possessed the embonpoint of a woman of riper age, and whose charms have acquired the luxuriant voluptuousness of maturity in place of the first freshness of youth. He noticed, therefore, that her bosom was of large proportions, but still preserving a firmness (C(O) Anyi } KS \