The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 271: what you’re looking at

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

240 REYNOLDS’ WORKS They had requested that Mrs. Macaulay would not mention their new abode to that Mr. Percival who had once called, if he should happen to call again. The twins had their own little pride as well as other people, and they did not choose to be visited in their more humble lodging by one who was evidently moving in the best sphere of society. Besides, Christina herself had felt that for other reasons, which her feminine delicacy naturally suggested, 1t would be better that such an acquaintance should be discontinued. Not, be it understood, that she knew or even suspected that under the name of Mr. Percival an aristocratic title was disguised, but a becoming sense of propriety made her com- prehend that situated as she was, with no other protector than a brother of her own age, — a mere youth, — it were imprudent to receive the visits of a fashionable young gentleman of whom she knew comparatively nothing. The reader will recollect that we glanced hurriedly at the resources possessed by the orphans when they left Mrs. Macaulay’s; we stated that in addition to a good stock of clothes, they had some fourteen or fifteen pounds in money, besides a few articles of jewelry of some value. The outlay on Mary Wright’s part had made a certain inroad upon the pecuniary portion of those resources; their lodgings were ten shillings a week, — they had now occupied them ex- actly nine weeks, — and therefore it is easy to calculate that by this time their money was exhausted. They had lived with all possible frugality, allowing themselves mere neces- saries; and as day by day went by, beholding the gradual decrease of their money-stock, until the very last sixpence was expended, — those same successive days bringing no brightening prospect in respect to the chances of obtaining employment, — the poor orphans naturally grew more and more dispirited. And now at length the day came when they had no money left. What was to be done? To seek assistance of Mrs. Macaulay was out of the question. They did not altogether understand her mercenary disposition; they did not pre- cisely expect a refusal, if they did address themselves to her, but they felt that they had no right to do so, that they had no claim upon her, and that even if they had, they saw no chance of fixing a date for the refunding of any loan which she might advance. The orphans deliberated mournfully and Gomichbooks (E(0)