The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 352: what you’re looking at

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

THE FIVE THOUSAND GUINEAS 319 to give it my most cordial approval; and I did approve of it in reality, for, to please me, Mr. Emmerson cannot possibly be too guarded in respect to his connection with your lady- ship. I should be sorry indeed if any suspicions which even such a man as Colonel Malpas may have entertained in this respect were confirmed, and I am truly glad that they will now be quite set at rest by the letter which Mr. Emmerson has written.” “IT understand you, Gertrude,” said Editha. ‘‘ The fact is, this amour of mine with the stock-broker is one little creditable to me and of which I have no reason to be proud. But you know that it was one entirely of convenience. Em- barrassed as I have been for money, I should not have known what to do without him.”’ ‘‘ That is all well and good, my lady,” said the girl, ‘‘ and I do not blame you for having formed the connection. I was only saying that I was glad when Mr. Emmerson of his own accord proposed a plan which was at once calculated to give the lie to Malpas’s suspicions.” ‘To be sure; you have taken the proper view of the case,”’ said Editha. ‘‘ And now for the note which I am to write to the colonel. Give me my desk. But I know not how I shall acquit myself of so unpleasant a task.”’ Editha made several beginnings, but tore up sheet after sheet of paper, and it was not until she had made at least a dozen attempts that she could achieve anything calcu- lated to satisfy herself. At length she finished the following epistle: . ‘““Qne who has every reason to regret that she ever knew you, much more that she ever loved you, has just received another proof of that cowardly selfishness which prompts you to sacrifice the most sacred ties to your own immediate interests. From a gentleman in the City, to whose generous forbearance both you and I were largely indebted on a certain occasion, I have received an intimation of the menaces which you have thought fit to hold out concerning me. Were I of your own sex and subjected to only one-hundredth part of this crowning insult, I should wreak a fearful vengeance upon you, but being a defenceless, frail, and erring woman, I have deemed it more prudent to succumb to the cruel ex- tortioner. That extortioner is yourself, and herewith I enclose you bank-notes to the amount of five thousand CoOnnicloooks Go