The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 345: what you’re looking at

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

312 THE COURT OF LONDON continued the marquis, ‘‘ to do everything to render Lord Sackville extravagant and a spendthrift, for I have a particu- lar object to serve, which it is not necessary to explain to you, but which can only be carried out by plunging Sackville into debts and difficulties. And mind, if you can succeed in doing all this, never fail to urge him to apply to his wife for money when he wants it. Let him be importunate, too, with her, for she can and she must find him the means to oratify his extravagances, so that you must not allow him to take any refusal from her. Come to me from time to time, not only to report progress, but also to receive such recom- pense as I may consider you to deserve. There are a hundred guineas as an earnest of my liberality. So, to work at once, and let not the grass grow underneath your feet.’ Captain Tash readily undertook a commission which promised to be so lucrative, and making his bow to the marquis he strode forth from Leveson House with such an awful swagger in his gait, and with his huge hat stuck so much on one side, that even his man Robin was astounded at the demeanour of his master. “Follow me, my good and faithful servant,” said Tash, with the air of a king addressing a subject. ‘Where to? ’’ asked Robin, shrinking back as if he were about to condense himself into the thinness of the lamp-post against which he had been planted. ‘‘ Where to?” ejaculated Tash, with inconceivable mag- nificence of look, ‘‘ why, to Carlton House, to be sure!” and giving his huge life-preserver a terrific thump upon the pavement, he turned and walked along with so grand an air that a stranger would have thought all Albemarle Street belonged to him. ‘Well, I wonder what is in the wind now,” said Robin to himself as he sneaked stealthily along at a humble dis- tance behind his master, like a spaniel at the heels of a bull- dog. Gomicbooks (E(0) m