The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 127: what you’re looking at

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

CHAPTER IX THE CATASTROPHE Axsovut a quarter of an hour after Lord Clandon had left the mansion to keep his appointment with Bertram, a letter, addressed to the Duke of Marchmont, was brought by a boy and delivered to the hall porter. The boy, who was already paid for his trouble, tarried not for any further recompense, but hurried away the moment he had acquitted himself of his commission. That was the letter which Bertram had sent, but the address on the outside, as well as the contents within, were written in a hand so changed by the violent agitation of the writer, that no one, however familiar with his usual style of penmanship, would for a moment have suspected that it was his own. The hall porter gave the letter to a footman, who, proceeding up-stairs, knocked at the door of the apartment in which the Duke of Marchmont still remained. ‘Who is there? ’’ demanded the nobleman from within, and his voice was half-stern, half-passionate. ‘‘ I expressly ordered — ”’ ‘‘ A letter, my lord,’ responded the footman, trembling with alarm. | ‘From whom?” demanded the duke. ‘‘T know not, my lord,” rejoined the domestic. ‘* It is in a strange hand —” The duke opened the door, and received the letter. The footman, as he caught a momentary glimpse of his master’s countenance, saw that it was deadly pale, with the traces of all strongly wrought feelings upon it. Hastily closing the door again, the duke looked at the address, and not recog- nizing the writing, opened the letter, but the instant his eye settled on the first words of its contents, he dashed it upon 104 Gomicbooks (E(0)