Penny Blood Serial Fiction — page 189: what you’re looking at

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

172 THE COURT OF LONDON of heavenly influence, a sudden pang shot through his breast at the idea of the black treachery of his present conduct. But, thrusting aside these unpleasant reflections, as a man brushes off a loathsome cobweb from the leaves of a charming rose which he desires to pluck, the youthful voluptuary continued the discourse in a cheerful tone. Playing his part with the utmost caution, he measured every word that he uttered, calculated every look that he threw toward her, and studied every attitude that he assumed and every movement that he made; so that not once, no, not even for a single instant, while they thus re- mained seated together in the parlour, did Pauline suspect that her agreeable and fascinating companion was other- wise than as represented. , Indeed, so well pleased were they with each other that three hours elapsed ere they fancied that even one had passed away since the first moment that they met. It was now ten o’clock, and Pauline prepared supper, of which they partook together; and thus the time was again whiled rapidly away, until eleven. Then the young lady began to grow anxious for the return of her sister; but Florimel was perfectly certain that Octavia would not come home until the morning. He accordingly affected to be getting sleepy, in the hope of inducing Pauline to retire to rest without delay; and she proposed to conduct her new friend to the spare chamber, observing that she must sit up to await her sister’s return. Florimel apologized for his drowsiness, and declared his intention of keeping her com- pany in her vigil; and thus another hour passed. Midnight struck — and still Octavia came not. “You are uneasy respecting your sister?” said the dis- suised nobleman, in a soothing tone. ‘‘ She promised to return by eleven, at the latest,” an- swered Pauline. ‘Perhaps something of importance may detain her,” suggested Florimel, anxious to elicit, if possible, the nature of the excuse which Octavia made for her absence. ‘“ Jt may indeed be so,” said Pauline, in a musing tone. ‘She went out shopping yesterday evening; and as she was passing along Oxford Street, she saw an elderly lady run over by a hackney-coach. My sister was the first to hasten to the assistance of the sufferer, who happened to Gomichbooks (e(0) m