The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 206: what you’re looking at

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

THE TWINS 179 profound thankfulness, while her brother bade the servant show the gentleman up. But while Lord Octavian Meredith is ascending the stairs, we must avail ourselves of the opportunity to describe under what circumstances he still preserved his feigned name of Percival, and meant to retain it while visiting Christina. The reader already knows that he had all along been deeply enamoured of the young girl while she was still to him only ‘his fair unknown,” and that he had deluded himself in respect to the real nature of the senti- ments which he experienced toward Zoe. That unexpected meeting with Christina in the park had torn the veil from his eyes, and had cleared his mental vision to the full per- ception of the grievous mistake he had made. In short, he could not conceal from himself that he was deeply attached to Christina Ashton, that he loved her with an enthusiasm it was impossible for him to restrain; and though his duty toward Zoe and his duty toward Christina herself should have led him to avoid the dangers of another interview, he had not the moral courage, he had not, indeed, sufficient control over himself, to resist the temptation of calling upon the object of his passion. To do the young nobleman justice, the idea of a deliberate seduction had not for a single instant entered his head. In his infatuation he thought of nothing but the pleasure of beholding Christina again, of contemplating her beauty, of listening to the sweet music of her voice. Yet there was a whisper in his soul that this visit which he was now paying would not be the last, for he could not possibly make up his mind to the bold and resolute step of avoiding her in future. Yet to announce his real name, to proclaim himself Lord Octavian Meredith, would be to furnish her with the means of ascertaining that he was already married, —a circumstance which an accident at any moment might bring to her knowledge. And if the truth did thus come to her ears, he could not again hope to be received by her; whereas, if disguised under the name of Percival, he might entertain the hope of being oc- easionally permitted to call in Mortimer Street. Thus it was without any deliberately wicked plan, without any positively settled design against the virtue of the young girl, but merely in obedience to an infatuation which he could not possibly control, Lord Octavian Meredith secured com a LOOKS (C(O)