The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 38: what you’re looking at

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

THE DUKE OF MARCHMONT 19 severe and thoughtful expression of countenance. His bearing had all the aristocratic hauteur of his high rank, attempered, however, by the manners of a polished gentle- man. His face was long, his features were prominent, his complexion was pale, almost to sallowness, but he had evi- dently been very handsome in his time, and might still be pronounced a fine man. His hair and whiskers, once dark, were now of a grayish tinge, but his teeth were so admirably preserved, and so singularly white for a person of his age, that when he smiled they gave to his countenancea younger aspect. He had never been married, and had not until recently worn a ducal coronet upon his brow. Such was the Duke of Marchmont, — a nobleman pos- sessed of great wealth, with a splendid town mansion, and three palatial residences, with their accompanying estates, in three distinct counties. Many a cap, to use a vulgar phrase, was therefore set at this great peer; many a manceu- vring mother made excruciating efforts to lead the ducal attention to her marriageable daughters. Hitherto all in vain; but on the night of Mrs. Bailey’s grand entertainment, his Grace’s heart seemed to be smitten. He was evidently fascinated with the bewitching beauty of one fair creature there, and this was Eliza Lacey. But the young lady herself was the only one present who did not observe anything pointed or marked in the duke’s attentions. Mingled with her resignation, there was a kind of dreamy, listless apathy which still clung to her, as if the senses had not as yet com- pletely recovered the stunning influence of the blow they had received several months back. Weeks passed on; at every entertainment given by Mrs. Bailey, the Duke of Marchmont was sure to be present; at whatsoever house Eliza visited in company with her relative, there was the duke likewise sure to be. He was paying his addresses to her as visibly and as sedulously as a man could; everybody else saw and knew it, —the object of these attentions alone remained unaware that they were proffered. She still con- tinued to look forth upon the world as if from the midst of a mental dreaminess within; there was something more mechanical than voluntary in her conversation, her looks, and her smiles, in her bearing, too, and in all her movements. But inasmuch as there was a consistent uniformity in her tone and demeanour, with an ineffable sweetness over all, (EMMA NOVO KS (E(0)