The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 315: what you’re looking at

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

CHAPTER XXX THE MASKED BALL Tue reader will recollect that in the early part of this narrative we introduced him to the residence of Lady Wen- lock in the neighbourhood of Kew. On that occasion this kind-hearted, hospitable, and wealthy widow gave an autumnal féte at her mansion, which stood in the midst of spacious pleasure-grounds, and it was there that the memo- rable scene took place between Venetia and Colonel Malpas. But some months had elapsed since then, and the hand of winter was now upon the scene. True was it that the shrubberies formed of evergreens resisted the frost, the ice- chill, and the snow of the borean season, and presented their long patches of verdure to the eye. But the shady avenues of summer were now nought save a bleak network of skeleton boughs, and the delicious arbours of roses, jessamine, and clematis had lost their verdure and their floral embellish- ments, and were shrivelled to a scant interlacement of bare tendrils. | But if nature were cold and cheerless without, all was brilliancy and warmth within the vast and gilded saloons of Lady Wenlock’s mansion. By eight o’clock the almost countless carriages had set down a numerous and gay com- pany, lords and titled dames, gentlemen and ladies, old and young, many clad in fancy costumes, and still more wearing masks. The effect was dazzling in the extreme, the dresses exhibiting all the variations of elegance, gorgeousness, and magnificence, and making the saloons resemble parterres of flowers with their infinite minglings and blendings of hue and their illimitable diversification of gaudy splendours. But we do not intend to dwell upon the description of a scene which our readers can doubtless picture for themselves. 282 Eomicboo cS (E(0) mn