The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 349: what you’re looking at

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

318 THE COURT OF LONDON siren that practises her debaucheries under the cloak of the most tremendous hypocrisy that ever veiled the dissolute life of a Messalina!”’ ejaculated Kugene Montgomery. ‘Proofs! do you require proofs?’ exclaimed Florimel. ‘“‘ And if you possessed them — ”’ ‘“T think that I could silence her relative to any unfortunate. admission which, in a moment of infatuated madness, I was beguiled to make,” said the earl, eagerly. “Then behold the proofs! ”’ cried Florimel, producing two pieces of drapery and handing them to Montgomery, who received them with mingled surprise and incredulity. ‘“‘ These are cut from the curtains in the boudoir where utter darkness was wont to throw its veil upon the wanton revels of that lascivious woman and her paramours. Display them before her eyes, and she will sink, ashamed and humiliated, at your feet. Caroline Walters possessed herself of them, and she gave them to me when I visited her ere now.”’ “Thanks, a thousand thanks, Gabriel!’ cried Montgomery, his countenance lighting up with joy. ‘“ You have indeed proved yourself a friend — a sincere and loving friend — on the present occasion! ”’ ‘“‘T do not attempt to penetrate into your secrets, Eugene,’’ said Lord Florimel, “ and therefore I do not ask you how you have placed yourself in that woman’s power. But when I learned from the lips of the dying Caroline that you had encountered the Unknown at the masquerade, and when I remembered that you were battling against each other in affairs of the utmost importance to both, it struck me that a siren so proficient in all the artfulness of a captivating seductiveness would not have allowed such an opportunity to escape. I felt assured that she must have probed your heart to the very bottom, wormed out of you all your most sacred secrets, and every man has his secrets, of some kind or another — ”’ “True, true,” exclaimed Montgomery, with nervous excitement. ‘“ Knowing, I say, her disposition and her character,” continued Florimel, ‘‘ and suspecting that she would not fail to turn to her own purposes the accident which threw you into her arms, I thought that I would come and give you a warning which I foresaw must prove useful. I was aware, moreover, that this is the day on which you reckon so much; Gomicbooks ¢€o