The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 276: what you’re looking at

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

- STRUGGLES 245 the numerous powdered and liveried lackeys who were lounging in the hall conducted the youth to a sumptuously furnished apartment, where his Grace, enveloped in a splendid silk morning-gown, was lounging on a sofa, reading the newspapers, for it was yet early in the forenoon. We must observe that Christian took great care of his clothes; he was neatly dressed, and from the description already given of him, we need scarcely add that he was not merely respectable-looking, but of an unsurpassable gen- tility. The duke, slowly turning his head without raising himself up, and lazily depositing the newspaper by his side, surveyed Christian attentively, and then said, “‘ So you have come after the situation of amanuensis? ”’ ‘“‘ Yes, my lord,”’ was the youth’s response, and he trembled with the nervous anxiety of mingled hope and fear. ‘“ First of all,”’ said the duke, ‘‘ before we speak another word upon the matter, sit down at the table and give me a specimen of your writing.”’ His Grace then took up the newspaper again, and continued the reading of an article in the midst of which he had left off. Christian sat down, and now that the duke’s eyes were no longer upon him, he felt much less embarrassed than at first. He took up a pen, opened a book which lay near, and began to copy on a sheet of paper a portion of its contents. His hand trembled as he first took up that pen, but when he thought of all that was at stake, of how much seemed to depend on this initiative test of his capacities, of his beloved sister Christina, and how she had parted with her raiment on the preceding evening, when he thought, too, of how joyous his heart would be if he were enabled to return and tell her that he had succeeded at length in procuring a situation, he was suddenly inspired with a fortitude which surprised himself, and his hand trembled no more. ‘“ That’s enough, I dare say, for me to judge by,’’exclaimed the duke, at the expiration of about five minutes, and Chris- tian hastened to proffer the paper on which he had been writing. ‘‘ This is excellent,’ cried Marchmont; “ the very thing! A most gentlemanly hand. I suppose, my lad, you have been well educated? ”’ Christian replied, with a becoming modesty, that he had certainly been at a good school, and that he hoped he had profited by that opportunity for instructing himself. ¢om () IDoOaks (E(O)