The Mysteries of the Court of London by Pauline Clarendon — page 233: what you’re looking at

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

230 THE COURT OF LONDON his countenance, the young woman said, “ You are perhaps right as a prudent man to mistrust me; but if you knew how much I hate the people next door — I mean Briggs and all his friends — you would not be alarmed. Besides, have you not come on a business which may prove beneficial to me? — and why, therefore, should I seek to do you an injury? ”’ “Tam glad you have spoken to me in this manner,”’ said Page, perceiving that Julia was rapidly losing her sullenness of temper and acquiring confidence in him; ‘“ because it makes me feel all the more pleasure in coéperating with you. You are a nice girl, Julia,” he added, patting her face and again ogling her tenderly, which little indications of the matrimonial views which she suspected him to entertain were far from disagreeable to the girl. ‘Now, then, get to work,” she exclaimed, smiling, and fixing her bold eyes wantonly on the commercial travel- ler. He returned the leer, and took the pickaxe from her hand; then, throwing back his cloak, he commenced operations. The mortar which surrounded the flagstone was not par- ticularly hard; and the task of raising it was speedily ac- complished. When it was removed, half a dozen canvas bags of tolerable size appeared in a small hollow beneath. ‘Six thousand guineas, at the lowest computation! ” ejaculated Mr. Page, his heart leaping with delight; and, taking up one of the bags, he weighed it in his hand. “ Yes, this contains a thousand, I am sure! ’’ he added, in a tone of exultation. “How shall we remove them?” asked Julia, also in a joyous manner; ‘‘ and where shall we take them to?” “ First into the kitchen — or up-stairs, in the room to which you showed me just now,” responded the commercial traveller. This latter suggestion was immediately adopted; and when the bags had been conveyed to the empty chamber on the ground floor and ranged upon the mantelpiece in such a fashion that Mr. Page could embrace the entire array with one gloating glance, he said, ‘‘ Now, my pretty Julia, we must decide upon our future proceedings. In me you behold a commercial traveller of high respectability and old standing, capable of giving the most satisfactory refer- CONNIE OOO KS (E(o)