The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 148: what you’re looking at

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

CHAPTER XII THE COTTAGE AGAIN Ir was about nine o’clock on the following evening, when Lord Saxondale, in pursuance of the appointment he had made with the woman at the cottage, knocked at the door of that lonesome habitation. His summons was at once answered by the woman herself, and he was admitted into the same sordid little room where he had held his conference with her on the previous day. A single candle was burning upon the table, but so dimly that it made the place look so gloomy as at first to send a very unpleasant sensation thrilling through the entire form of the young nobleman. “ Well, what news?” he hastened to demand, fixing his eyes upon the woman. “I told you that I should have some favourable intelli- gence to report,” she at once answered. ‘“‘ But sit down and listen to me.” Saxondale had been drinking pretty freely, according to his wont, ere he quitted the dining-table to keep his present appointment, and his transient fears at finding himself in that gloomy-looking place now vanished in a moment. He accordingly sat down, already inspired with hope and rekindling passion at the encouraging words which the woman had uttered. ‘* Last evening,’ she resumed, “ I managed to get into conversation with the lady’s-maid down at Evergreen Villa, and finding that she was naturally talkative, I began to draw her out. Without telling you everything that took place, or how I wormed myself into her confidence, I may at once proceed to state that I told her how an elegant and rich young gentleman was very desperately in love with. her mistress. The lady’s-maid grew deeply interested on hearing 129 EOMIGIOOKS (CO)