The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 123: what you’re looking at

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

10C REYNOLDS’ WORKS ‘“Her Grace, my lord, is gone,’ answered Jane, sobbing violently. | ‘Gone? ”’ ejaculated Clandon, in astonishment. ‘‘ What mean you? No equipage has departed — ”’ ‘“‘Her Grace would not have a carriage,” rejoined the lady’s-maid; ‘‘ she is gone away on foot.” ‘On foot? ” echoed Clandon, with continued amazement. “But where? whither? What purpose has her Grace in view? ”’ ‘‘ All this, my lord, I know not,” answered Jane. ‘“ Her Grace bade us farewell, and departed, as I have told you.” Lord Clandon descended the stairs slowly, and in profound mental deliberation. Again he knocked at the door of the apartment in which the duke had shut himself, but this time the key turned not in the lock. From within, however, the duke demanded in a voice which sounded irritable and stern, ‘‘ Who is it? Wherefore am I thus incessantly dis- turbed? ”’ “Tt is I, uncle,’ answered Lord Clandon. ‘‘ Her Grace has taken her departure — ”’ ‘Enough. Trouble me no more. Leave me, [I insist,” exclaimed the duke from within. ‘‘ Give orders, Hugh, that no one comes to me. I would be alone — entirely alone.”’ Lord Clandon dared not speak another word, and hastening away from the door, he was about to summon a domestic, when he beheld his own valet Travers ascending the stairs. “Go and counter-order the travelling-carriage,” said Clandon, ‘‘ which a few minutes back I commanded to be got in readiness.” | “Yes, my lord,’ said the valet, and he hurried off to execute his master’s instructions. It was now six o’clock in the evening, and the guests were all grouped in the drawing-room, discussing in whispers as much as they knew of what had taken place. Some were suggesting the propriety of immediately ordering their carriages and taking their departure, as their presence under existing circumstances might be regarded as an indelicate intrusion. But others reeommended that no precipitate steps should be taken, as after all it might transpire that the duchess had been wrongly judged, and a complete reconcilia- tion might take place between herself and the duke, for they knew not that Eliza had already left Oaklands. Gomichbooks (E(0)