The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 195: what you’re looking at

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

170 THE COURT OF LONDON courage of despair. “ I cannot, I will not submit to you this night. The demand is so sudden, so overwhelming, and then I have suffered, too, so much anguish from other causes — But I swear, most solemnly, sacredly swear, that if you will only grant me the delay until that night when we shall meet on Westminster Bridge — ”’ “No!” exclaimed the Hangman, ‘“ not a day — not an hour, not a minute.” ‘Then, by Heaven!’ cried Ernestina, darting to the bell-pull and seizing it in her hand, “‘ I will not submit this night.” There was something so resolute in her manner, wild and frenzied though it were, that Daniel Coffin was staggered, and it struck him that in the whirl of her agitated feelings she might alarm the whole house, thereby occasioning an exposure equally unprofitable and dangerous to them both. He accordingly began to cool down somewhat in his desires, and feeling the necessity of consenting to a compromise, he nevertheless, with characteristic greed, resolved that it should be one based upon immediate advantage to himself. ‘““ Come, what will you give me to agree to your proposal? ” he said, with a tone and manner full of sullen menace. ‘There is my purse,” replied Ernestina, still retaining her grasp upon the bell-rope with one hand and pointing with the other toward the toilet-table, “‘ and you will find a few jewels in that box. Take them all, everything you fancy, and then leave me.” “ But what security have I got,’’ growled the Hangman, “that you will prove more condescending when we meet next Wednesday night? ”’ ‘Shall I not be as much in your power then,”’ asked the lady, ‘‘as I am now? The relative circumstances of our position will not be changed. You can still threaten me, still coerce, still intimidate me; but by that time I shall have brought my mind to view the thing with less horror, less aversion, and less disgust.”’ ‘Well, be it so,”’ said the Hangman. ‘“‘ And now mind me, that when we meet next Wednesday night I stand no more nonsense, but you shall go with me to some place where we can be comfortable together — ”’ “Yes, yes,’’ exclaimed Ernestina, her soul revolting from his words and looks down to its utter profundities. ‘‘ I swear Gomicbdooks (E(0)