The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 179: what you’re looking at

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

156 REYNOLDS’ WORKS dwelling. He was walking along that road which, diverging from the main one near the Colosseum, leads to the inner circle, when his attention was suddenly drawn to a scene that was taking place a little way ahead. A gentleman, having caught the hand of a young female genteelly but simply dressed, was endeavouring to retain it against her will, and was doubtless addressing her in a style of language which ex- cited her virtuous indignation, for asshestruggled to release her hand from his grasp, her ejaculations of angered remonstrance reached Octavian’s ear. But, ah, that figure! He recognized it in a moment, and darting forward, reached the spot swift as an arrow shot from a bow. The gentleman — a gentleman in name only, but not in conduct — was at once stricken to the ground by the chivalrous and indignant Meredith, for it is only fair to observe that if the young person who was the object of the genteel ruffian’s outrage had been an utter stranger to him, he would have acted in precisely the same manner. The discomfited individual started up from the ground in a furlous rage, exclaiming, ‘“ By Heaven, sir! whoever you are, you shall give me satisfaction for this insult.” r It is you who have perpetrated the insult against a well- behaved young lady,’ was Octavian’s coldly dignified re- sponse, ‘‘ and you have received your punishment. If in ad- dition to this chastisement, you require any other, depend upon it you shall receive it at my hands. Here is my card.”’ | ‘Very good,”’ responded the other, without even glancing , at the card which Octavian handed him. “ You shall hear | from me,” and with these words, he walked hastily away, . brushing off the dust from the sleeve of his coat. Let us pause for a few minutes to describe the young female whom Meredith had thus delivered from the stranger’s audacious conduct, and in whom he recognized the beaute- ous unknown who has been before aluded to. Beautiful she indeed was, as the reader has been prepared to learn; youth- ful, too, for she did not appear to be more than sixteen or seventeen years of age. Though slender in figure, the symmetry of her proportions constituted a rare model of developing charms. Her countenance was pale, but it was the paleness of beauty and of health; not the dull dead white- ness of the skin, but the purest complexion with a vital animation upon it. Her eyes were large and dark; their Gomichbooks com