The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 397: what you’re looking at

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

THE MASQUERADE — SCENE THIRD ‘‘ Yes, in time you shall know everything,” exclaimed the Gipsy; and hurrying away, she was soon lost to the view of the Flower Girl in the thickest of the laughing, Jjesting, moving multitude of masqueraders. ‘¢ Now the fair one is again alone,” said his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales to his faithful valet Germain, both of them having stood to observe the preceding scene from a short distance. ‘The adventure draws toward a crisis, so far as the hopes and aims of your Royal Highness are concerned,” replied Germain. At this instant the Flower Girl, who had remained motion- less in the deep abstraction of her feelings for nearly a minute after the Gipsy had left her, suddenly quitted the spot where she had been standing; and, avoiding the crowd as much as possible, issued from the brilliant scene. Rapid was her pace, and with a visible anxiety to escape from the theatre did she hurry onward. Neither to the right nor to the left did she look; much less was a glance thrown behind her, and therefore she did not perceive that a man in a black domino was closely following her. On the landing she received her cloak from the woman in and, enveloping herself in the warm mantle, but still retaining her mask, she descended the grand staircase and passed out. charge of the superfluous apparel of the visitors; of the theatre. “Carriage waiting, ma’am? MHackney-coach? Cab?” cried one of the numerous hangers-on about the place. ‘A hackney-coach, if you please,’’ was the response. ““ Now then, fust coach there,” exclaimed the fellow; and up drove a vehicle, into which the Flower Girl immediately ascended. ‘‘ Where to, ma’am?” was the next and last demand. ‘To some respectable hotel,’’ replied the Flower Girl, after a few moments’ reflection. “ All right,” ejaculated the man, banging the door and touching his hat for the silver coin which the Flower Girl dropped into his hand. And away drove the hackney-coach; but Germain, who had stripped off his mask and domino, was seated by the 361 side of the coachman upon the box; and after a few minutes’ conversation together, the valet handed five guineas to that. re, ne (C(O) | 6)(0)©)