The Mysteries of the Court of London by Pauline Clarendon — page 208: what you’re looking at

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

CAROLINE WALTERS 205 her senses by the opening of the door, and the appearance of an elderly woman, bearing a light, on the threshold at the bottom of the descent of steps. “Come, my dear girl,” said Mrs. Brace, taking Caroline’s hand, “ let me introduce you to my friend Mrs. Lindley, who is here to receive you.”’ The young girl threw a shuddering glance upon the woman, who was endeavouring to wreathe her countenance into a bland smile of welcome; but as the light, which she shaded with her long thin hand, was thrown full upon her features, it gave them a ghastly appearance, for Mrs. Lind- ley’s face was long, angular, and sallow. “Come, I say, Caroline — dear Oaroline!’’ whispered Mrs. Brace, almost in an imploring tone, as she felt the young girl’s hand snatched back abruptly from her own. Those words succeeded in somewhat reassuring the affrizhted creature, for they were spoken in a tone of pene- trating kindness; and she accordingly followed the milliner down the steps into the house. Mrs. Lindley then shut the door, and conducted her visitors from the long, low, dark passage, to the end of which Caroline’s straining eyes could not penetrate, into a small pariour opening therefrom. The shutters were closed inside the casements; the blinds were down, and the dark stuff curtains were drawn, as if the object were hermetically to seal up those windows, so that not a crevice should afford any passer-by an oppor- tunity of peering into the room. ‘The furniture was of © walnut-wood, and looked like ebony in funereal dye; a few old and villainously executed steel-engravings, pro- fessing to be portraits of eminent physicians, and set in common black frames, were suspended to the wainscoting; and in an antique bookcase a few mouldy volumes on subjects of midwifery and the uses of herbs kept company with a huge Bible fastened by means of silver clasps. - There was a good fire in the grate, but the lambent flames that rose from a pile of crackling coal failed to mitigate the gloomy appearance of this room; and even the large black cat, which lazily opened its sparkling, glasslike green eyes, as it lay rolled up on the hearth-rug, had something ominous and foreboding about it in the estimation of the trembling, shuddering Caroline Walters. COME OOO SS (GO)