The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 79: what you’re looking at

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

THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. 65 Ys i y if Me! oh hay Hi | Hh He Hf ih } / io fiii Dae allowed the servants to be idle: but still she managed them without much scolding—and, what is more remarkable still, without making them her enemies. She drank a glass of wine with evident satisfaction—and did not object to a leile drop of warm brandy-and-water in the evening. Lilke all persons in her dependant condition, she was in- clined to be over-complimentary, and to forget that she had aright to entertain an opinion of her own: and this constant habit of sacrificing, veiling, or forcing her feelings, naturally rendered her an adept in all the little arts of duplicity, deceit, and hypo- crisy. Whether she was utterly and completely false,—or whether this ductile and pliant disposi- tion on her part was only a very venial weakness, without any sinister intention,—could not possibly be ascertained on a short acquaintance. But though Venetia’s knowledge of her was limited to the experience of a few weeks, the young lady ap- peared to place full and implicit confidence in her 5 gag ge companion, — eed j YY Bi Life WY yy y pe WN . 7 7 ai Gj \i 4 i tt ’ iti it a oh Wika iy a ce (it Vy Bsi\\\\\\\" _ { mn LY — tH — Mi | vail If | i = | Hh i : —~ SS : Sai {| “ ul i} vy teed Hh \ NX i i Uf, ay Wh /) fi AWA II I EUR a 7 Mii J {| Soe s3'5 elt tog ras Wf, Lf) /) 7 / CY LLL WY) Vf yo / ; 4 C = ‘ / fii4 yr \ Goh = /// , Living as Miss Trelawney was,—her own mis- tress, young and handsome, reputed to be well off, and unmarried,—she could not have dispensed with some person in Mrs. Arbuthnot’s capacity. Having no relatives residing with her, the compa- nionship of an elderly, respectable, matron-like female was absolutely necessary, on the score of propriety and protection. Thus was it that Mrs, Arbuthnot accompanied Venetia in the carriage and to the theatre—sate down to table with her— accupied the next bed-chamber at Acacia Cottage —and superintended all the domestic arrange- ments of the household. For these duties and services, she received a salary at the rate of sixty guineas a-year, in addition to board, lodging, and all kinds of perquisites. But to return to the thread of our narrative. Venetia’s toi'ette was completed: and she looked radiantly handsome—overpoweringly lovely. Mrs. and Miss Arbuthnot were also dressed in evening costume: and, the carriage being announced at eonnichools Ko