The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 354: what you’re looking at

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

THE LISTENER 323 original conveniences of the library could well contain. Not that he himself had purposed at the time to plunge headlong into all those intellectual treasures; his reading was limited enough, — the newspapers and new novels, with perhaps a few political pamphlets and Parliamentary Blue Books, constituting the range thereof. Those quantities of volumes therefore, so elegantly bound, were bought for ornament and show, just as were the vases which stood upon the landings, the specimens of sculpture on the staircases and in the pas- sages, or the pictures which hung to the walls. He had purchased, then, — as we have said,— more books than could be conveniently stowed away in the cases originally provided for them, and not choosing to have them thrust into a cupboard or put anywhere out of sight, he had caused shelves to be arranged against the door opening into the cabinet. Now, Christian had one day discovered, while sitting in the cabinet, that a conversation going on in the library could be overheard with very little difficulty by any one in the former place; that is to say, if such person chose to play the part of a regular eavesdropper and apply his ear to to the door which was fastened up. Be it well understood that Christian would under ordinary circumstances have scorned to become a willing and wilful eavesdropper, but he had been counselled by Mr. Redcliffe to keep the strictest watch on the proceedings and conduct of the Duke of Marchmont, and this advice, under those circumstances which are known to the reader, he was resolved to follow out. One forenoon — at the expiration of that week to which we have alluded — Christian was seated with the Duke of Marchmont in the library, when a domestic entered to announce that Mr. Armytage solicited an immediate inter- view with his Grace. Christian perceived a strong expression of vexation and annoyance pass over the duke’s counte- nance, — an expression indeed which was so extraordinary that, though it immediately passed away, it dwelt in the youth’s mind. He of course knew that Mr. Armytage was Lady Octavian Meredith’s father; he knew likewise that the Duke of Marchmont visited the Merediths, and he was there- fore astonished that the announcement of the name of Zoe’s sire should produce such an effect on his ducal employer. COUN a LOOOL<S (CO)