The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 313: what you’re looking at

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

THE DEATH - BED 283 ‘You remember that shortly after I managed to obtain admission into your establishment, the Earl of Montgomery called upon you. While you were together I had occasion to enter the apartment to bring you a letter; and just as I opened the door I heard you say that all your papers and parchments were kept in a tin box under your bed. The words struck upon my ears like a clue to something that was as yet unrevealed to me, but which I should sooner or later find out; and, perceiving that your conversation with Lord Montgomery had taken a serious kind of a tone, I listened at the door of the apartment. First I heard the earl speak mistrustfully of me, and subsequently came the long narra- tive of love and mystery which you recited to the earl, and which was elicited by the incident of the masquerade ticket and the blue domino. When you summoned me and gave orders that the domino should be burnt, I saw by Lord Montgomery’s manner that he was chagrined and vexed, and I was struck by the suspicion that he wished-to take your place at the masquerade. At the same instant the thought flashed to my mind that. the whole affair might be rendered available to my vindictive purposes, and I resolved at all events not to burn the blue domino. As Lord Montgomery was taking his departure, I spoke to him in the hall; and he bade me come to him at Grafton Street in the evening. Thither I accordingly repaired, and accident led me to over- hear a conversation which took place between himself and Mr. Rigden. This discourse related to the lawsuit which Rigden was then about to commence against you; and I heard enough to convince me that it was already in my power to injure you seriously, if not ruin you completely. When Rigden had taken his departure, I explained my busi- ness to Lord Montgomery, and he gladly accepted my pro- posal to give him the blue somINO which you had ordered me to burn.” ‘Ah! and it was Montgomery, tdhees who played the att of your accomplice at the masquerade, ’” cried Florimel. “‘ But did he encounter the Unknown on that occasion? ” ‘‘ Most assuredly, and it was for this purpose that he went thither,’’ returned Caroline Walters. ‘‘ Meanwhile Pauline Clarendon had fallen into a snare which I had laid for her, and her jealousy being excited by an anonymous letter — ”’ “IT am acquainted with these particulars, Caroline,’ COU Doo Sj mn