The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 169: what you’re looking at

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

146 REYNOLDS’ WORKS should he persevere in his contemplated suit with Zoe? His naturally honourable feelings shrank from the thought. At that instant he almost loathed himself as one who had entertained the idea of performing the despicable part of a selfish fortune-hunter, and he said to himself, ‘‘ No, poverty sooner, — poverty ten thousand times sooner, in preference to this utter self-abasement in my own estimation.” Two days afterward there was a splendid party at the house of Mr. Armytage, and Lord Octavian Meredith was one of the invited guests. He attached himself to Zoe as her principal partner in the dance; he turned the music for her as she sat at the piano; he accompanied her in a duet. He had a fine voice and sang admirably. Zoe’s voice was of silvery softness, and she too sang with exquisite taste, — a taste that was all the more apparent from the utter ab- sence of affectation. When Lord Octavian, after having sat by Zoe’s side at the supper-table, returned at two in the morn- ing to his own lodgings, he thought to himself that never did Miss Armytage appear so ravishingly beautiful and so charm- ingly fascinating in his eyes, so that he mentally ejaculated, ‘“‘ After all, I think I can love her.”’ On the following day he paid the usual visit of courtesy which follows an evening’s entertainment, and on this occa- sion he remained an hour and a half with Zoe, her father having at the time, or pretending to have, a very pressing appointment with some great nobleman, whom he of course spoke of as his very particular and intimate friend. After this visit Lord Octavian said confidently to himself, “I not only can love her, but I do already love her.” Yet an image rose up before him, and a sigh came up into his very throat. He hurried his pace through the Regent’s Park as if to escape from the image; he stifled the sigh ere giving it vent, and then he endeavoured to persuade him- self that it was all nothing, that the fair unknown had really no hold upon his affections, that it was a mere passing whim or caprice excited by a pretty face and a sylphid figure, — and besides, that it was perfectly ridiculous to entertain a serious thought of one to whom he had never spoken in his life, and whom he might never see again. Still there was a secret voice speaking with its silent eloquence in the depth of his soul, which told him that he was reasoning not as the truth really was, but according as he wished it to be, and EORMICLIOO KS (EO)