The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 282: what you’re looking at

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

262 REYNOLDS’ WORKS lord was extricated from the trap and borne into the house, but on arriving there, he would not suffer any one to attend him in his dressing-room except Makepeace. The countess and Isabella, having retired to their own apartments to put off their shawls, had not heard the cries, and when they were informed of what had happened, they sped to the door of the earl’s suite of rooms to make inquiries and render any needful assistance. But Makepeace, opening the door a few inches, assured them that his lordship was by no means seriously hurt, that he desired to be left alone, and that they were on no account to send for medical assistance. It was quite true that the old nobleman was not much injured, for the simple reason that the calf of his leg had been protected by a pretty considerable piece of padding, which was artistically fixed inside his stocking so as to give that appearance of modelled robustness which nature had denied to those spindle shanks. And it was likewise on account of this succedaneous arrangement that the earl would not suffer any one to enter his dressing-room except Makepeace. CORMICOOOK