The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 275: what you’re looking at

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

246 THE COURT OF LONDON the letter which she had received from her niece the day before through the medium of Lady Prescott. Then, so soon as Jocelyn had perused this communication, her Royal Highness proceeded to explain to him how the Princess Charlotte had overheard the conversation on the part of the queen and Mrs. Owen. ‘““T am now convinced,” said Jocelyn, “‘ that your Royal Highness has really nothing to do with this dreadful con- spiracy. But you will excuse me if at first I proceeded with perhaps more caution than courtesy.”’ “You are quite right, Mr. Loftus,’’ said the princess. ‘But my brother, the prince regent, assures me solemnly that there is no conspiracy at all.” ‘“ From the lips of Miss Agatha and Miss Emma Owen,”’ observed Loftus, emphatically, ‘‘ have I received the ad- mission that they are both engaged in such a conspiracy. That their sister, Miss Julia, is likewise an accomplice, is beyond all question; and the youngest sister, Miss Mary, now at Canterbury, as your Royal Highness has heard, can confirm the sad truth. Besides, numerous other incidents corroborate the existence of the conspiracy and point to the conspirators.”’ Jocelyn thereupon entered into a few hurried details connected with his imprisonment at the prefecture, showing by the proposals which the prefect had made him as the price of freedom that such a conspiracy did positively exist, and that the conspirators must be chiefly personages of the highest rank and influence thus to have been able to set the machinery of French policeism and tyranny at work in respect to an Englishman whose only crime was harbouring the intent of warning the Princess Caroline against her enemies. Sophia was convinced. All doubt and uncertainty van- ished, and she perceived that her brother was wilfully per- jured when he pledged his soul against the existence of this conspiracy. But there was still one point concerning which she required some little reassurance. “Mr. Loftus,’’ she said, “‘ we are met to discourse on a serious subject, and we must stand upon no reserve with each other. You fancied just now that I might be one of the conspirators, and I have proved to you that I am not. Now I seek equal candour at your hands. I have been Gomicbdooks (E(0)