The Works of George W. M. Reynolds — page 278: what you’re looking at

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

RESPECTABILITY 261 who all the week has been selling sugar mixed with sand, sloe leaves for tea, chicory for coffee, turmeric for mustard, ground bones for arrowroot, and every other kind of abomi- nation, but he goes to church on Sunday, and is, of course, a most respectable man. It is the same with everything else.”’ | “No doubt,” said Madame Angelique, again smiling. ‘But I tell you what I should advise you to do,” re- sumed Shadbolt. ‘‘ Just send a twenty-pound note to some missionary society, — that one of Choker’s, for in- stance.” - ‘No, I am not quite such a fool as all that,’ replied Ma- dame Angelique. ‘I think I shall establish my respectabil- ity in this neighbourhood on a very sure basis without any such ridiculous proceeding. By the bye, I was going to ask you—”’ “Ask me anything, my dear madame,” interjected Shadbolt, ‘‘ except to give up this bottle of Madeira until I have sent the last glass of 1t down my throat.” “I was going to ask you who that Captain Cartwright really is that you introduced to me, and who managed those affairs so admirably? ”’ “He really was once a captain in the army,’ replied Shadbolt, ‘‘ but he sold out and ran through all his money. Then he became a regular man upon the town, living on his wits, until a few years ago, when he visited Paris, and there he got in gaol for debt. Afterward he returned to London, and became a secret spy of the Home Office.” ‘““What do you mean?” exclaimed Madame Angelique. “A spy of the English Home Office?”’ she cried, incredulously. ‘Yes, to be sure,’’ responded Shadbolt. ‘If you ever read the newspapers you will see that every week twenty or thirty thousand pounds —I forget exactly how much — are voted for what 1s called secret service money, and what do you think secret service money is for except for the employment of spies and all that sort of thing? Why, there’s never a political meeting held by the working classes but what the secret spies of government are present, and when anything very strong or very seditious is said, the spies always cheer the loudest.’’ “You astonish me,’ said Madame Angelique. “It’s nevertheless a fact,’’ replied Mr. Shadbolt, “ and Gomicbooks (E(@)