The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 70: what you’re looking at

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

54 REYNOLDS’ WORKS tion about to be offered him, and one which would still enable him to occupy his lodgings beneath the same roof with the lovely Isabella. While making these reflections, Christian arrived at Mivart’s Hotel, at the door of which a waiter was lounging with a white napkin in his hand, looking up the street as if in contemplation of some beautiful prospect, although there was in reality nothing to be seen except what must have been familiar enough to the man’s view. But no one ever did observe a hotel waiter standing at the street door who was not thus staring fixedly in one particular direction. ‘* I have been directed,”’ said Christian to the waiter, “to attend at this hour upon the Duke of Maxe-Stolburg- Quotha.”’ “Very good, sir,’ was the man’s response, as he slowly desisted from gazing up the street. ‘‘ Please to follow me, and I will take you to Baron Raggidbak.”’ Christian for a moment thought that the waiter was put- ting off upon him an insolent jest, but as the man spoke with an air of perfect seriousness, and at the same time began to lead the way up the staircase, our hero followed, though still marvelling at the extraordinary title of the nobleman to whom he was about to be presented. They ascended to the first landing, where the waiter, opening a door, ushered Christian into a sort of antechamber, in which a tall, thin, hungry-looking man, moustached and bearded, dressed very much in the style of the Chevalier Gumbinnen, and whose appearance combined an equal amount of tawdriness and shabbiness, was lounging in an armchair by the fire, reading a German newspaper, very dirty and very much crumpled. “ This is Baron Raggidbak, his Royal Highness’s groom of the stole,” said the waiter, in an undertone, to Christian, and then the man withdrew. Our hero advanced with a respectful salutation toward the high functionary who was seated by the fire; and the high functionary, laying down the newspaper, surveyed Christian in a sort of supercilious manner, as if determined to see what he was made of ere introducing him to his ducal master. At length he condescended to speak, and in so doing displayed at least one advantage over the Chevalier Gumbinnen. CORMICLOOOK