The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 373: what you’re looking at

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

340 THE COURT OF LONDON household of the princess and were devoted to her interests, but, as the reader is well aware, the Misses Owen were the trained spies and secret emissaries of the conspirators who were leagued to accomplish the ruin of her Royal Highness. The principal equerry in attendance upon the princess was the Baron Bergami, with whom she had been acquainted in her youth at her father’s court in Brunswick, and for whom at that period it was supposed she had entertained some little affection. After an interval of nineteen years, circumstances had again thrown the baron in her way, during her recent visit to Italy, and hearing that he was poor even to actual distress, and had been very unfortunate, she at once took compassion upon him and offered him that situation which we now find him occupying in her household. In addition to those members of her suite already mentioned, we must observe that there were three pages, a young lady acting as “‘ reader ’’ and secretary, and two or three other females, amongst whom was Mrs. Ranger. Such was her Royal Highness’s retinue which accompanied her on her travels, but now of course there were the menial servants, in addition thereto, at the villa, the entire household therefore consisting of upwards of twenty persons. The mansion was, however, large, having several detached buildings and outhouses at the back, and it was thus enabled to accommo- date so large an establishment. It was on a lovely evening, in the’ middle of the month of March, 1815, that Emma Owen, the second of the sisters, issued forth from a side door of the villa, and threading a shrubbery of evergreens, entered one of the beautiful gardens where exquisite specimens of statuary appeared amongst the natural glories of the scene. A dark scarf, negligently thrown over her shoulders, set off the whiteness of her skin to great perfection, and made her charms, which the low-bodied dress left much exposed, seem absolutely dazzling. Very beautiful, indeed, did she appear, for on her cheeks was the heightened bloom of expectation as she emerged from the shrubbery and flung a rapid glance around the garden. Then, as she beheld a gentleman suddenly spring over the boundary wall at the extremity, she affected to be terrified, and turning suddenly back, she made a movement as if about to retrace her way toward the villa. Along the gravel walks did he bound, threading the Elysian maze formed by Gomicbdooks (E(0)