The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 115: what you’re looking at

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

THE EAVESDROPPER 93 the milliner, all in a@ moment becoming dreadfully con- : fused. ‘‘ Ah! then the random remark which [ let drop has struck home?” said Elizabeth Marks. ‘‘ Mrs. Brace, we shall not leave this house until you have produced the thousand pounds.” The whole of the preceding conversation had been over- heard by Rao, who was posted outside the door with his ear glued to the keyhole; but he now deemed it better to retire, inasmuch as matters appeared to be drawing to a crisis, and it was probable that the milliner would have to repair to some other room in order to procure the wherewith to satisfy her extortionate visitors. Rao accordingly beat a retreat to the parlour, where he resumed his seat and took up the volume which he had declared should engage his attention during Mrs. Brace’s absence. Scarcely had he thus settled himself, when the milliner reappeared; and, having apologized for keeping him waiting — so long, she opened a writing-desk, took something out of it, and then quitted the parlour once more, but with an intima- tion that she should return again in a few minutes. The sable page did not choose to follow her upon this occasion. He had no difficulty in understanding that, yielding to the threats of the extortioners, she had come to fetch the requisite amount from her desk to appease their rapacity; and he had already gleaned enough to place the wretched woman completely in his power. ‘“T knew that she was tortured by a sense of guilt and its accompanying fears,”’ said Rao to himself, ‘‘ but such guilt as that, — my God! such guilt, — who would have expected -1t?” And then, with his eyes still fixed upon the volume which he held in his hand, he fell into a profound reverie, from which he was startled by the return of Mrs. Brace to the parlour. ‘““T have a thousand apologies to offer you, my young friend,’’ she observed, in a voice which she vainly endeavoured to divest of the accents of deep oppression that penetrated it; ‘““but the person who called, and who is an excellent customer of mine,’”’ she added, with a sickly attempt at a smile, “‘ kept me talking longer than I had expected.” “ Well, madam,” observed Rao, without turning his head, Gon boo eS mn