The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 367: what you’re looking at

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

334 THE COURT OF LONDON morning in respect to the impossibility of ever needing to use you as my banker, I did not foresee what was to happen to-night.” ‘If your ladyship is about to present your cheques,” said the marquis, with ill-subdued delight and surprise, ‘you need make no apology. The drafts shall at once be honoured.”’ ‘““I tender your lordship my best thanks,” said Venetia, assuming an air of cold dignity, in order to prevent her from seeming completely humiliated. ‘‘ This young person,” she added, observing that the marquis was looking at Jessica, who still retained the dark veil over her countenance, “‘ is my confidential maid.” The nobleman bowed in courteous acknowledgment of this explanation. Then drawing forth his pocketbook and taking out a quantity of notes, he said, ‘‘ To what amount does my fair patroness propose to draw upon her most honoured and grateful banker? ”’ ‘To this amount,” answered Venetia, producing the five pearls. “Tis but a trifle,” observed the marquis, and he then handed Venetia bank-notes to the amount of five thousand sulneas. ‘Again I thank your lordship,” she said, and drawing down her veil, took her departure, the nobleman accom- panying her as far as the front door and handing her into the hackney-coach. Venetia was not altogether ten minutes inside Leveson House upon the present occasion, and as she returned home- wardin company with Jessica, she observed, ‘‘ I most sincerely hope that this will be the last time I shall ever have occasion to set foot in that dwelling. An apprehension of covert treachery and dark, mysterious danger sat heavy upon my heart the whole time.”’ Alighting from the hackney-coach in Pall Mall, Venetia and her confidential maid réentered Carlton House, and when Horace, at the expiration of the hour, went up into his wife’s boudoir, he found her seated quite alone, awaiting his presence, so that he little thought she had been compelled to sally forth during the interval in order to obtain the money which she now placed in his hand. Having duly reiterated his grateful thanks, he once more left her in order to hasten Gomicbooks (E(0)