The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 149: what you’re looking at

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

UNPLEASANT VISITORS 133 the silver lamp that was suspended to the ceiling, but which was not burning now. After contemplating it for about a minute, he stood upon a chair to examine it more closely; and thus convincing himself that it was real silver, he mut- tered, ‘“‘ Old Jeremy would give me a pretty penny for this. Well, I don’t think I need go away empty-handed when I do take my departure.”’ Grimly smiling at this\pleasant conceit, and already re- garding the silver lamp as his own, Mr. Daniel Coffin de- scended from the chair, took a taper from the mantel, and passed into the adjoining room. This was smaller but more luxuriously furnished than the one he had just left; and instead of sofas, it contained a number of large and massive armchairs, each provided with a cushion of immense size. But there was no choice collection of fruits, sweets, and wines now upon the table, nor was the lamp with the ground- glass globe now lighted, as was the case when we introduced Venetia Trelawney to this apartment. Without pausing many minutes, Daniel Coffin proceeded to open the door which faced him; and, still holding the taper in his hand, he entered the gallery of pictures and sculptures. At first he was not inclined to pay much at- tention to these works of art; but their subjects speedily altered his mood, turning his indifference into eager curiosity, wonder, and sensual delight. We have already in a previous chapter depicted a few of the statuary groups and glanced at one of the pictures; but we must now observe that there were other groups and other pictures the flagrant indecency of which would even have brought a blush to the cheeks of the inmates of a brothel. From the entrance of this gallery to the farther extremity, the works of art became successively more and more indelicate, as if the whole purpose of the arrangement were gradually to lead on the imagination from the first petty shock, through all the phases of enhanc- ing allurement, into the crowning grossness of the most nude and undisguised lasciviousness. “Well, ’pon my soul, these noblemen are precious rum fellows to have such scenes as these in their houses,” thought Daniel Coffin to himself, as with increasing amaze- ment he passed along the gallery. ‘“‘ By goles! it gets worse and worse. If anybody had told me he’d seen such a place in a nobleman’s mansion, I shouldn’t have believed him. (COMMIC OOO <S' (EO)