The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 26: what you’re looking at

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

THE BROTHERS 7 mutual attachment on the part of the young couple, for he felt that his gray hairs would go down with additional resig- nation, and even with contentment, to the grave, if previous to his death he had the happiness of seeing his beloved daughter comfortably settled in life. If the captain had been wise — or, in other words, more cunningly and shrewdly worldly-minded — he would have taken the trouble to inquire into the young man’s prospects, when he would have found that though belonging to the Viviandale family, yet as the younger son of a younger branch, Bertram had nothing but that family’s interest to push him on in the world. The retired old officer was, however, naturally indolent, too apt to take his own views of things as positively acquired facts, and withal exceedingly self-willed, so that whatever he got into his head, he regarded as something quite as positive, real, and actual, as if it had received ten thousand unmis- takable corroborations. Months passed on, and Bertram Vivian became steadiness itself. Scrupulously keeping secret his acquaintance with the Lacey family, he withdrew himself from the society of Hugh and his companions, love rendering him utterly indifferent to the taunts which a false shame would not at one time have suffered him to endure. His brother fancied that he was seized with a studying fit, and being at length tired of. as he called him, i) endeavouring to draw the “ bookworm, from his pursuits, he vented his annoyance in such terms as “milksop’”’ and “saint,” and ultimately left Bertram altogether to his own courses. Thus, all the time that the younger brother could spare from his studies — and some too which he pilfered therefrom — he passed at Captain Lacey’s house. It was a dream of bliss in which the two lovers were plunged. Months and months had elapsed since their acquaintance first commenced, and though their lips had breathed no avowal of affection, yet their looks had mutually told the tale. They never walked out together, because Bertram did not choose to stand the chance of encountering, when in the companionship of Eliza, any of his college friends, — least of all his brother. He was fearful of being dragged into the necessity of introducing them, and from such an idea he recoiled loathingly. It was sufficient hap- piness for him to sit by the charming girl’s side in the com-- EORMICLIOO KES (EO)