The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 242: what you’re looking at

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

THE DOCTOR’S SECRET 215 gold. This very look at once served as a hint, although it was in reality the natural peeping forth of the man’s char- acter rather than an intentional development of it on his part. Jocelyn, however, at once profited thereby, and producing a pocketbook, he counted down Piedmont bank- notes to the value of two hundred louis d’or. “You will not be offended with me, sir,’’ he remarked, endeavouring to do the business in as delicate a way as possible, ‘ ce I offer this earnest of my liberal intentions toward you.” “I cannot feel offended, no, I cannot possibly be angry at such generosity,” a abicd the physician. ‘But, I ought not, really I ought not — that is, I don’t think —— But, however, I suppose that we do understand each other now,’ and thus speaking, the physician consigned the bank-notes to his pocket, with the evident lust of one who is satisfying the strong craving of an insatiate passion. “That is just double the fee that I received from Mrs. Ranger,’ he thought within himself. ‘Then, fixing his eyes upon Jocelyn, he said, “‘ It is indeed too true that her Royal Highness the English princess became a mother a short time ago, barely three weeks, for I myself brought her child, which was still-born, into the world.” Loftus was staggered, and for a moment he certainly lost all faith in the possibility of the princess’s virtue, for this intelligence on the doctor’s part was given with an assurance, a sincerity, and a solemnity that put his truthfulness almost beyond a doubt. But still Jocelyn had resolved to sift the matter to the very bottom, and, veiling his emotions accord- ingly, he said, ‘‘ Will you now explain to me all the cir- cumstances under which this startling occurrence took place? ”’ Maravelli accordingly narrated to our hero those circum- stances which are already known to the reader: how his services had been secured in advance by a liberal payment, how, when the night came, he had been conducted blind- folded to the place, how he was led up into a room where a lamp burned dimly and feebly, draperies were carefully drawn over the window and around the bed, and his patient’s head was completely enveloped in the folds of a thick black veil, how he had delivered this female of a still-born child, and how two young ladies, whom he had since recognized CORNICE OOO a cS (CO)