The Mysteries of the Court of London by Pauline Clarendon — page 308: what you’re looking at

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

MR. PAGE AND HIS WIFE | 3095 execration of such a man, were this document made public. But that is not our game. We care nothing about the mo- rality of the thing: all we want is to make money.” “And what do you propose to do?’’ inquired Julia. “There are two distinct lines of action open to us,” an- swered Page, after a few minutes’ deep cogitation. ‘‘ One is to sell our half of the certificate to that Mr. Meagles of whom you spoke this morning; the other is to try and get the remaining half into our possession, and then dispose of the complete document to the government. You see that the fragment which we have not got is the most important, because it contains the signatures of the present king and your late aunt.” | “ But how can we obtain that half? ’’ demanded Julia. “There is one way, and only one way that I can see,”’ responded Page. ‘I must call upon Meagles and propose to give him his own price for procuring me the fragment which his principal or employer, whoever he may be, pos- sesses. It would be worth while to venture three or four thousand guineas in such a bargain. We should make ten thousand by it.” ‘‘ And where are you to get three or four thousand guineas from? ” said the young woman, putting the query with some degree of hesitation, amounting even to uneasiness, as if she felt that it was now necessary to reveal something of a dis- agreeable nature, and that it became impossible to delay the confession. ‘Where are we to get such a sum from? ”’ cried her hus- band, surveying her with astonishment. ‘‘ Why, haven’t we six thousand golden guineas safe in that cupboard? ”’ “ But you must not — you cannot — you dare not pass away many of those coins at the same time,’’ said Julia, speaking with an emphasis which was unusual on her part. “ What the devil do you mean?’”’ demanded Page, with increasing wonderment. ‘‘ You have come by the money honestly, at all events; it is yours by inheritance, and you are not supposed to have any idea of the illegitimate means whereby your father thus enriched himself.” “ Ah! I have already told you that my father was a terrible man,’ observed Julia, with a strange mysteriousness in her tone and aspect; “ and he was acquainted with a number of marvellous secrets.” GOMmiGoOoOks (GO)