Penny Blood Serial Fiction — page 383: what you’re looking at

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

366 THE COURT OF LONDON useful to him in many ways and was acquainted with too many of his secrets to permit him to treat her with coolness or indifference, much less with disgust. ‘Oh, is not all this a horrible dream? ’’ murmured the wretched woman, as she slowly came to herself; but as the full tide of memory swept back in her excited brain, she raised her eyes in an imploring manner toward the prince, saying, ‘‘ What must your Royal Highness think of me now? ” “ Just the same as I did before,’ was the prompt but insincere answer. ‘‘ You cannot help the degradation into which that vile man is evidently plunged, and I pay a better compliment to your taste than to suppose that when you married him years ago he was anything like what he is at present.”’ “Oh, I thank you — sincerely thank you for these assur- ances,’ said Mrs. Brace, considerably relieved; and she pressed his hand to her heaving bosom. ‘To-morrow you must send him a thousand guineas — mind, a thousand guineas, Fanny,’’ observed the heir apparent; ‘“‘ that is to say, five hundred for yourself, and five hundred for me. He will then leave you tranquil, no doubt. If not, we must devise some energetic measure to send him out of the country altogether.”’ “Did he, then, dare to make stipulations with you? ”’ inquired Mrs. Brace, who, it will be remembered, was in a senseless state when the Magsman ordered the prince to send him the money that was to purchase his secrecy and forbearance. “He did. But we will not dwell upon the subject,” hastily observed his Royal Highness, who experienced the keenest sense of mortification at the insult which he had found himself compelled to put up with. “I will send you over a cheque for five hundred guineas in the morning, and you must not fail to remit the thousand to that man befoie night.” The milliner was about to make some remark, when Harriet entered the room to announce that Miss Clarendon had just arrived, and was waiting for Mr. Harley in the apartment to which the lady’s maid had conducted her. GOmicdooks (E(0)