The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 319: what you’re looking at

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

288 REYNOLDS’ WORKS heard, I ordered to retire at once. We have but a few words to say, and may as well say them here as anywhere else.”’ ‘‘ Afraid, my lord? ’’ said the other voice, and which was totally unfamiliar to Christian’s ears. ‘‘ What can I be afraid of? But your Grace will confess that it is a somewhat strange proceeding to drag a man almost by force into a dark room, shut the door, and then tell him that it is on a most important business — ”’ The Duke of Marchmont interrupted the speaker with a loud laugh, exclaiming, ‘‘ Why, my dear Stanhope, a man who was brave enough to go out and fight a duel cannot care for being a little while in the dark! ”’ ‘And I tell your Grace that I do not,” replied the individ- ual, who, it appeared, was Mr. Stanhope. “ But still —”’ “ But still — but still— you do not much relish it?” continued the duke, laughing, and yet there was something curiously unnatural and forced in that laugh of his. ‘You opened another door,’ said Mr. Stanhope, ‘‘ ere you brought me in hither? Pray speak seriously.”’ “Well, I will,’’ rejoined the duke. ‘‘ Now, the fact is, my dear fellow, the door that I opened first of all was that of a little cabinet where the servants are accustomed to leave a light, together with wine and spirits and so forth, when I come in very late at night; but, as you yourself saw, there was no light there. Sometimes the light and the refresh- ments are placed here, in the library, and that was the reason I led you from one door to another. But, however, there is no light here any more than there is in the cabinet, and as we are here, we may as well talk. Candidly speaking, I have something important to say, and don’t want to go up into the drawing-room because that valet of mine may not have retired to bed as yet, and I would not have him overhear our discourse.”’ | ‘But may it not be also possible, my lord,’’ inquired Stanhope, “‘ that we shall be overheard here? ”’ “No, for the inner green-baize door hermetically seals the entrance against eavesdroppers. Now, Stanhope, are you prepared to hear me? ”’ ‘Tam, my lord. Go on.”’ ‘You have this night lost twelve thousand pounds to me at the gaming-table,’”’ continued the Duke of Marchmont, speaking with a certain tone of resoluteness, as if he felt EORMICLNOO KS (E(0)