The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 140: what you’re looking at

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

THE EARU’S VENGEANCE 117 Lady Lechmere’s footman, who stood at the hall door, gazed with stupid astonishment upon this scene; for he, of ocurse, had never supposed but that it was always the countess herself whom the carriage had been wont to fetch, and who was accustomed to trip forth so well muffled up in that cloak and hood. The lackey, who was in attend- ance upon the carriage which had just arrived, hearing the strange exclamations to which his master was giving vent, peeped into the hall, and became a witness of the scene. To the coachman, who was seated on the box, did he hur- riedly communicate what he thus beheld, and that func- tionary, leaping down, also looked into the hall to gratify his curiosity. Indescribable was the scene of confusion which now fol- lowed. Gertrude, after standing for nearly a minute, gazing in speechless horror upon the earl, fell into strong hysterics; for she now understood and experienced a full sense of the terrible revenge which her master was bent upon this night executing, and the first fury of which had overtaken Lady Lechmere and herself. Leaving the servants to pay such attention as they chose to the mistress of the house, who had fainted, and to Ger- trude, who was screaming in a fit, the Earl of Curzon sped forth from the hall. “You see that your mistress is not here,” he said, in a tone of well-affected bitterness, as he encountered his coachman and lackey on the door-steps. ‘‘ But did you both mark well that it was the vile Gertrude who has adopted this stratagem to shield her still vilerlady? ’”? Then, without waiting for a reply, the nobleman jumped into the carriage, saying, ‘“‘ Perhaps we shall find the countess somewhere else. Drive to Soho Square.” The carriage door was banged, the coachman clambered. on his box, the lackey sprang up behind, and away rolled the equipage. We need hardly say that the two domestics were astounded at what had just taken place. Although they had often thought it odd that when they went to fetch the countess, at Lady Lechmere’s house, she should on every occasion, without a single exception, be so closely hooded or so carefully veiled, yet never had they entertained the slightest suspicion that it was not the countess whom the carriage on those occasions conveyed home. Now, how- COM a LOOKS (C(O)