The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 360: what you’re looking at

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

THE FIRST ORDEAL 329 which amounted to a benignity that nothing appeared able to disturb or ruffle. At the same time there was a certain dignified self-possession in her looks and manner which seemed to denote a mind not only at ease in respect to the opinion of the world, but also with regard to its own secret thoughts. Advancing thus into the room with a mingled gracious- ness and matron-like dignity, the Marchioness of Bellenden saluted Lady Holderness and Earl Montgomery with a sufficient courtesy to be consistent with her position as the lady of the mansion, and with just enough reserve to con- vince them that she was by no means disposed to cringe and fawn, although the lawsuit was as good as decided in their favour. | Placing herself upon a sofa, she made a motion for Fer- nanda to take a seat by her side, while she indicated a chair close at hand for the earl. And thus were the three relatives grouped together, — those three relatives, two of whom had been waging such a desperate warfare against the third. While proceeding to take the chair pointed out to him, Lord Montgomery threw a hurried, furtive, but scrutinizing look upon Lady Bellenden, as if he sought to pierce down into the very profundities of her soul; ay, and more than that, for the searching glance had also a less refined object; inas- much as it endeavoured to penetrate her very garments and trace beneath them every contour and every outline of the splendid form which they enveloped. And at the same time he thought within himself, as his looks swept over her placid, almost heavenly countenance, “Is it possible that a vol- cano of raging desires and frenetic passions lies concealed beneath that calm and tranquil exterior? ”’ While he was asking himself this question he encountered her glance, and it struck him that a slight flush appeared upon her cheeks and that a momentary embarrassment “sprang up in her manner; but on darting another rapid, furtive look upon her, he found her aspect as serene and her deportment as untroubled as at first. “ I know not what to think,’’ said Montgomery within himself; ‘‘ she is either the most accomplished hypocrite that ever out-Heroded Satan’s duplicity, or else Florimel must have been deceived concerning her. But we shall see, CORMIEOOKS (E(©)