The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 101: what you’re looking at

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

82 REYNOLDS’ WORKS trunk, which she relocked, and then proceeded to join her fellow domestics, with an air as settled and composed as that which she had worn when overtaking her mistress and Christina in the Zoological Gardens after her final issue from the snake-house. Meanwhile the Princess Indora and our heroine were seated together in the elegantly furnished drawing-room, and the timepiece on the mantel proclaimed with its silver tongue the hour of ten. Scarcely had it finished striking when the sounds of a vehicle stopping at the garden-gate were heard, and these were immediately followed by the loud ringing of that gate-bell. The summons was answered, and the Princess Indora expressed to Christina her wonder who could possibly be coming at that hour of the night. In a minute or two Sagoonah made her appearance, and having performed the wonted low salutation, she stood in the attitude of a slave in the presence of the princess, waiting to be questioned. ‘What is it, Sagoonah? ”’ asked Indora, who, since Chris- tina had been with her, was accustomed to speak to her ayah in the English language when in the young lady’s presence, — not merely because she was unwilling to seem to have any secrets with our heroine, but likewise because she wished to enable Sagoonah to have as much practice as possible in that tongue in which Christina was her tutoress. ‘““May it please your ladyship,’ answered the ayah, ‘two messengers from your royal father humbly solicit an immediate audience.”’ ‘‘ Messengers from my dear father? ” said Indora, clasping her hands with a gush of filial emotions. ‘‘ Let them at once be admitted.”’ Sagoonah bowed and withdrew. Christina rose from her seat, and was likewise about to retire from motives of delicacy, when the princess retained her, saying, “ Sit down, my dear friend. These messengers can have no secret to communicate which you may not hear, and even if they had, they would converse with me in a language which you cannot understand.” Our heroine accordingly resumed her seat, and in a few moments Sagoonah introduced the two messengers from the King of Inderabad. The ayah retired, and the messengers prostrated themselves at the feet of her who was heiress EORNICIOO KS (E(0)