The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 176: what you’re looking at

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

ZOE 153 readily excused his Grace from accompanying the bridal party to the church. On the eve of the day fixed for the ceremony, Mr. Armytage was seized with a violent fit of the gout, and his physicians positively forbade him from attempting to stir out-of-doors. Zoe, deeply afflicted at this circumstance, besought her sire to postpone the wedding, but he would not listen to it. All the preparations were fully made, and he was determined that the ceremony should take place. Zoe still renewed her entreaties, but in the midst of this discussion Octavian Meredith himself arrived, his countenance beaming with the satisfaction of one who had good intelligence to impart. He was, however, for a moment saddened on perceiving Mr. Armytage sitting in an easy chair with one of his legs hugely bandaged up, — saddened too, likewise, because he beheld the tears trickling down Zoe’s cheeks. The intelligence he had to communicate was to the effect that the invitations, which as a matter of courtesy had been forwarded to his father and his two brothers, were all accepted, and he him- self had brought the written replies, addressed to Mr. Army- tage. They were couched in courteous terms, and Octavian explained that he was now completely reconciled to his relatives. If any circumstance had been wanting to sup- port the resolution of Mr. Armytage that the bridal should take place on the morrow, notwithstanding his own indis- position, it was the intelligence Octavian had just im- parted. Zoe, perceiving further remonstrance to be vain, yielded to her sire’s will, and her grief at his illness was mitigated not only by the assurance that he should be enabled to preside at the wedding-breakfast, but also by the satisfac- tion which he and she alike experienced at Octavian’s recon- ciliation with his family. On the following morning the bridal was celebrated. The Marquis of Penshurst,— a tall, thin, pale old man, — accompanied by his two elder sons, arrived at the mansion at an early hour, and though they were but little more than coldly courteous to Mr. Armytage, they were on the other hand exceedingly affable and cordial toward Zoe, whose beauty and inobtrusive manners made an immediate im- pression upon them. The Marquis of Penshurst gave Mr. Armytage to understand that he had converted the allowance of five hundred a year made to Octavian, into a permanent EORNICOOKS (E(O)