The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 328: what you’re looking at

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

THE FORGED LETTER 295 any particular notice of the scene which had Just oc- curred. The earl led her again up the staircase, into the drawing- room, and thence they passed into the conservatory, where they found themselves alone. ‘Good heavens! ”’ said Lady Prescott, in a voice full of that anguish to which she was now enabled to give free vent, ‘“what a fatal occurrence! Wretched woman that I am! My disgrace will to-morrow be bruited throughout London. How seriously I am compromised with you! But, Curzon,”’ she exclaimed, suddenly interrupting the course of her own ideas, ‘‘ explain all this! Wherefore write so urgent a letter enjoining me to be here, and then seem surprised that ’tis I whom you have met — ”’ “My dear creature,’’ interrupted the Earl of Curzon, ‘“T ere now told you that I would give the fullest explana- tions. Know, then, that I this day intercepted a letter from Lord Sackville to my wife, giving her an appointment at this mansion and specifying not only the dress he would wear but also the pass-words to be used on the occasion. That dress was the costume of a Cavalier; those pass-words are the ones which you and I this night exchanged. You can now understand wherefore I am here disguised in this costume to-night, and whom I really expected to meet.”’ “Ah! then the letter I have received is a forgery? ”’ ejaculated Lady Prescott; ‘‘a vile base forgery? Oh, heavens! how am I covered with ridicule in your eyes! And how shall I be disgraced in the eyes of the world! I am ruined, [am undone; my reputation is gone. The queen will hear of it, and banish me from court — ”’ ‘Compose yourself,’ said Curzon, who experienced some sort of regard, though chiefly based upon sensual passion, for the handsome widow. ‘‘ All may not turn out so bad as you now apprehend. We will talk upon that subject directly. But tell me, have you that letter about you — ”’ ‘Ah! yes, ’tis here,’’ responded Lady Prescott, in a tone - indicative of a most mournful sense of humiliation, and thrusting her hand into her bosom, she murmured, “ I have the letter, but I dare not show it to you.” Her voice was scarcely audible, influenced as it was by her emotions of mingled anguish and shame, and stifled too as the accents were by the thick veil through which they had EORNNIKE OOO KS (E(@)