The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 247: what you’re looking at

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

218 THE COURT OF LONDON by royalty, that the duke and one of his sisters — the Princess Augusta it was—stood sponsors for Sellis’s youngest child. Moreover, though all the servants of the duke’s household were on board wages, and the valets were not regularly lodged in St. James’s, —the one on duty for the week alone being expected to sleep there, as a general rule, —Sellis and his family were nevertheless accommodated with rooms over the gateway leading into the Kitchen Court from Cleveland Row. These rooms communicated by means of a passage with the duke’s suite of apartments, and sometimes the princesses, when on a visit to their brother’s rooms, would pass into Sellis’s lodgings and fondle his children. In addition to his wages, which were handsome, he had various perquisites such as were enjoyed by no other dependent in the duke’s household; and thus in every way was Sellis a favourite, and all circumstances combined to render him a happy man.”’ ‘‘ And was he perfectly sane? ” inquired Lady Prescott, — ‘in the full and complete enjoyment of his reason? ”’ ‘““ Undoubtedly,’’ exclaimed Mrs. Bredalbane. ‘* Quiet but cheerful, unobtrusive in manner, though of a gay dispo- sition, and so temperate that he never tasted spirits, dis- liked wine, and habitually drank water, Sellis was never a prey to any unnatural excitement. In fact, he was just one of those persons who seem fitted by nature to pass tranquilly and serenely through life, experiencing as little of its agitation and turmoil as can possibly fall to the lot of mortals. Thrifty and economical, abstemious and regu- lar in his mode of life, he was not only free from pecuniary embarrassment, but had accumulated some little savings from his wages, which the presents he had received from the royal family had materially increased.”’ “Then he was altogether a good and excellent man?” said Lady Prescott. ‘““ An excellent man!” cried Mrs. Bredalbane, with marked emphasis. ‘“‘ But having now concluded my prefatory remarks, I shall enter upon the recital of that most dread tragedy which has made the name of Sellis known through- out the world. It was, then, in the forenoon of the 31st of May, 1810, that Sellis was walking with his wife in St. James’s Park. His mood was gay and cheerful as usual, and the discourse chiefly turned upon the preparations which Gomichboo 6S (E(0)