The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 179: what you’re looking at

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

154 THE COURT OF LONDON a man who meant to enforce his designs and had the power to do so. “But wherefore my niece?” cried the marquis, now trembling with the apprehension of something wrong. “‘ Would you expose me in her presence? ”’ “My lord, I have no doubt,’ answered the baronet, with a peculiar smile, “ that her ladyship is tolerably well aware of all your lordship’s proceedings. Was she not your accomplice in inveigling Miss Louisa Stanley — ” “Ah! the mention of that name,” exclaimed the marquis, with an expression of fiendish malignity, ‘“‘ reminds me that if there is to be exposure on one side, there shall be exposure on the other, and that if you mean to proclaim any secret matters connected with the name of Leveson, I shall hold myself justified in making public all I know in connection with the name of Stanley.” “You will tell a different story presently,’”’ said the baronet, with a look which made the marquis quail, for he felt how deeply he was already in Huntingdon’s power on account of the affair of Ariadne, and he likewise saw full well the baronet had somehow or another obtained a still deeper hold upon him than even that, but how or in reference to what circumstance he could not conjecture. “ Will you explain yourself, Huntingdon?” accordingly asked the bewildered and terrified nobleman. “ Will you tell me what all this means? Venetia, I appeal to you, is it to be peace or war between us? ”’ ‘A treaty of peace, if you will,” responded Lady Sack- ville, who had hitherto remained a silent but not unin- terested witness of the scene. Then raising her veil and bending her indignant looks upon the marquis, she added, ‘* But it must be a treaty of peace accompanied by guarantees and securities, and those can only be explained in the presence of Lady Ernestina Dysart.”’ ‘““ Lady Sackville’s remark furnishes the key to the whole business,’’ observed the baronet, “‘ and to cut the discussion short, I do this.” Then, as he pulled the gilded bell-rope, he said, ‘‘ Now your lordship can give orders for Lady Ernes- tina to be fetched hither.” Brockman speedily answered the summons, and Lord Leveson, mastering his emotions as well as he was able, gave him that message which, as the reader has already seen, CORNICE OOOKS (E(@)