The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 58: what you’re looking at

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

40 THE COURT OF LONDON flashed to his mind that the outraged husband had discovered his wife’s frailty and was come to wreak a deadly vengeance on him, the seducer. But respecting this apprehension the wretch was almost immediately reassured; for the earl, pointing to a chair, while he himself sank exhausted upon another, said, ‘‘ Be seated. Whatever now takes place between us must be without excitement, without noise, without passion.” ‘‘ What does your lordship mean?’”’ demanded Ramsey, with the eagerness of a torturing impatience to learn the extent of the evil which now appeared to menace him. “TI mean, sir,’ responded the nobleman, continuing to speak in a voice so charged with thickness and hoarseness that it sounded like the worn-out tones of old age, ‘‘ I mean that the moment when any unguarded proceeding on our part shall make your secret public, that instant will disgrace and dishonour, scorn and ridicule, redound also upon me.” “‘ Ah! my secret — then you know me? ” murmured Ram- sey, the frightful spasm which shot through his heart making him feel as if the hand of death were there; and he sank helplessly into the chair which he had been invited to take. ‘‘ Holy God! is it possible that such a tremendous mis- fortune should have fallen upon my head, upon that of my wife also?’ exclaimed the earl, with a groan that con- vulsed his entire frame as anguish tore it from the depths of his soul. ‘‘ But thou, unhappy man, in what haze of horror is thine existence enveloped? In what appalling mystery is thy fate involved? Thou, whom the world believes to be cold and stark in the narrow tomb — ”’ | “In mercy, spare me!” cried Ramsey, suffering all the crucifixion of ineffable torture as these words struck like a barbed arrow into his heart; and, with eyes glaring wildly and brows hideously corrugated, his whole countenance was distorted as if his neck once more felt the pressure of the accursed noose. , “ Well, well, I will seek no explanation on that head,” said the nobleman, exercising a partial command over his feelings by dint of a tremendous and almost superhuman effort. ‘‘ Little does it matter to me by what means you escaped the vengeance of the law. All my thoughts, all my - ideas, all my feelings should be absorbed in the immense COMIC OOO S (C(O)