The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 36: what you’re looking at

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

THE DUKE OF MARCHMONT 17 to compose her mind somewhat after so many recent and frightful calamities, but she saw that her father was now all anxiety to get to London, and with her wonted amiable submissiveness, she stifled the half-prayer, half-remonstrance which had risen to her lips. The preparations they had to make were few, and they quitted the humble lodging to which they had retired after the conflagration had deprived them of their home. During the journey, Captain Lacey implored and enjoined his daughter to render herself as agreeable as possible to Mrs. Bailey, by which, in plain terms, he meant that Eliza was to shake off her low spirits and her looks of sadness by all means in her power. Misfortunes as well as anxieties on his daughter’s account had rendered Captain Lacey worldly-minded and selfish. He hoped that in Mrs. Bailey’s gay saloons Eliza would captivate some wealthy personage, and ever ready to jump at conclusions, the captain regarded it as almost as good as settled that Eliza should form a brilliant alliance. He did not, however, impart his views to his daughter, and the poor maiden little suspected that he was dreaming of fresh matrimonial projects on her behalf, within only a few weeks after the receipt of the frightful intelligence which had given a death-blow to the former ones. Though inwardly full of sadness, though feeling that the first affections of her heart being so cruelly blighted, she never again could love, indeed, though considering it to be a sacred duty to cling to the image of her lost Bertram, Eliza assumed as much external calmness as she could possibly call to her aid; while the natural vigour of her con- stitution had prevented the bitterness of affliction from making any ravages upon her beauty, beyond chasing away the colour from her cheeks. Therefore when she arrived in London, and was introduced to her relative Mrs. Bailey, she appeared to be of a loveliness so exquisite and so interest- ing, with the expression of pensiveness upon her counte- nance, that the old lady, in the enthusiasm of joy, gave both herself and her father a welcome that seemed disinterestedly cordial. } It was the month of September when the Laceys arrived in London, and the greater portion of the fashionable world being out of town, it was not the season for Mrs. Bailey’s parties. She herself seldom went out of town; she disliked the country, hated the seaside, and would not for worlds give com a IDoOOkKs (E(O)