The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 111: what you’re looking at

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

THE EAVESDROPPER 89 the milliner almost immediately reappeared; and the rapid glance which the black page threw upon her showed him that she was labouring under a profound agitation, despite of all her efforts to conceal it. ‘My young friend,” said Mrs. Brace, in a tone penetrated with the nervousness of mingled terror and vexation, ‘a person has just stepped in upon some very important busi- ness, and I was thinking that if you could return in the morning — ”’ ‘‘ Madam,” interrupted the sable youth, “do not put yourself out of the way on my account. Transact your business, and I will cheerfully await your pleasure, even if it be an hour or two hours. But we must make our arrange- ments definitely this night, inasmuch as I shall be fully engaged to-morrow until the moment when my presence will be needed here.”’ : “Then if you have no objection to wait a little,’ said Mrs. Brace, ‘“‘I will rejoin you in as short a time as possible. Perhaps you will take some refreshment — ”’ “Nothing, I thank you, madam,” said Rao. “ This book,” he added, as he took up a small volume of poems from a side table, “‘ will amuse me until you return.” Mrs. Brace accordingly withdrew once more; and the instant that she had quitted the room, Rao flung down the book and glided back to his post at the door. ‘* Ah! I know which apartment she has entered,” he said to himself; ‘‘ I can tell by the direction that her footsteps took. Oh, is not every nook and corner of this accursed dwelling as familiar to me as if I had been brought up in it from my infancy? But I will be bold —I will be adventur- ous at all risks and at any hazards; for there is something _ like a presentiment which prompts me to play the eaves- dropper this night.” And having thus hastily mused within himself, Rao opened the door so noiselessly that it emitted not even a sound which he could hear; and, stealthily traversing the passage, he approached the door of the apartment which he believed Mrs. Brace to have entered. But we must now leave the sable page outside that room while we narrate what is passing within it. The Kinchin-Grand, Carrotty Poll, and the Gallows’ Widow were really the persons whom Mrs. Brace had intro- EONNIE OOO “Ss (GO)