The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 83: what you’re looking at

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

62 THE COURT OF LONDON the gold with which he profusely supplied her she rewarded. him as liberally with her favours. But to avert suspicion and avoid the chance of scandal, Editha had not herself been the direct means of introducing the bill-broker into fashionable circles. Lady Lechmere, who was privy to her friend’s intrigue, had cheerfully undertaken this task. Accordingly, Emmerson had first appeared as the guest of Lady Lechmere; and therefore the supposition was that. in this capacity had he been introduced to Lady Curzon, and thus formed her acquaintance. The reader has already seen that Emmerson was a veri- table money-grubber, stern and implacable in his financial dealings, intensely selfish, unprincipled, and hollow-hearted. But he had become completely infatuated with Lady Curzon. Not only did her extraordinary beauty and her glowing temperament exercise a magic influence over a man of strong sensuality and licentious ardour, but his vanity was also supremely flattered in possessing so aristocratic a mistress. When he beheld that woman of dazzling beauty, elegant manners, and brilliant accomplishments enter the ballroom in all the glory, pride, and effulgence of her rank and her loveliness, he felt that it was worth any sacrifice to be enabled to say to himself, ‘‘ That woman, the cynosure of all admiration, the centre of all regards, the object of all devotion, that woman is mine!’’ Then, on accosting her and being received with a smile, all the sweetness of which was not allowed to appear in the presence of observers, but was shed upon him, as it were, in the furtiveness of a rapid sidelong look, to feel that while men of the proudest titles and loftiest rank were gazing with admiration, passion, and desire upon that lady of warm and glowing beauty, to feel, we say, that he, the mere citizen, without birth or aristocratic halo, was the master of all those charms, this was indeed flattering to the pride of a vain, conceited, seli- sufficient, and to some extent weak-minded person such as Emmerson. But he had the good sense not to accost her the moment she entered the room, not to obtrude himself upon her, nor pointedly thrust himself amidst the aristocratic circle of gallants by whom she was immediately surrounded. Much less did he attempt to elbow away any one who for a moment might appear to be enacting the part of rivalry. With con- Gomicbdooks (E(@)