The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 71: what you’re looking at

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

THE JOURNEY TO PARIS 50 of the Princess of Wales; whereupon the young gentle- man observed that he also was bound on a visit to the same sunny clime, giving his hearers to understand that his was a tour of recreation and pleasure, although in the first instance he had some important business to transact in Paris. The eyes of the young ladies shone with unmistakable joy when they thus heard that their new acquaintance was proceeding all the way to Italy; and Mrs. Ranger inquired how long he purposed to remain in the French capital. He answered that a couple of days would suffice for the business which he had to conclude in that city; whereupon Agatha remarked how singular it was that they also intended to limit their halt in Paris to an equally brief period. The observation was too significant not to be seized upon as available for Jocelyn’s purpose; and he expressed a hope that he might be permitted the honour of escorting the ladies as far as their destination in Italy. The proposition was received with many expressions of gratitude and much evident delight; but Jocelyn was somewhat surprised, as well as secretly vexed and annoyed, when he observed that Agatha, the eldest sister, gazed upon him with a certain subdued tenderness as she breathed her thanks for the proposal he had just made. He could not even help looking earnestly at her for a moment in order to assure himself that he had rightly inter- preted the meaning of her gaze; but as her eyes fell beneath his own, and a fleeting blush appeared upon her cheeks, he fancied that he must have been deceived, and regretted having thus regarded her in a manner which she might consider as savouring of rudeness or impertinence. But as the conversation turned upon different topics, it became clearly apparent that she had taken no offence; for she treated Jocelyn with a friendly but well-bred courtesy, as much as to imply that since it was agreed they were to be travelling-companions on a very long journey, there was no necessity to regard each other as the mere acquaintances of afew hours. At least, such was the interpretation which the young gentleman now put upon her demeanour, as well as on the bearing of her two sisters and Mrs. Ranger; and as it was his object to gain the good opinion and the con- fidence of the three girls as speedily as was practicable (COMNMUC JOO (CO) am