The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 109: what you’re looking at

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

90 REYNOLDS’ WORKS house, and had already gone to hisown home. On returning to that room, Mark deliberately locked the door and con- signed the key to his pocket. He was the last man in the world — much too sedate and serious — to play a practical joke, and therefore his fellow servants at once comprehended that there was something strange and unusual in progress, while perhaps Sagoonah, having a guilty conscience, might be smitten with the suspicion that the proceeding related to her own infernal project, but if so, she outwardly betrayed nothing. ‘What is the meaning of this, Mr. Mark? ”’ inquired the groom, but in that tone of respect which he was always ac- customed to adopt toward his mistress’s intendant. ‘You need not alarm yourselves,” responded Mark; ‘“‘ it is merely a wise precaution. Every one knows we have a certain species of venomous reptile in this country, and there is some little reason to suppose that one has got into the house.” “Well, Mr. Mark,” exclaimed the groom, scarcely able to prevent himself from bursting out into a laugh, “ and if there should be such a thing as a viper in the house, it is not by locking ourselves in this room that we shall get it out again. J would just as soon tackle it as I did the large rat that I killed in the stable yesterday morning.”’ “There happens to be a snake-charmer from India here this evening,’ replied Mark, ‘‘ and perhaps her ladyship has a mind to see whether his skill extends to English reptiles as well as to Asiatic ones. But hark! he has commenced. Those are the sounds of my flageolet.”’ The two English maid servants were very much alarmed at the idea of a viper being in the house; the groom now laughed outright, Mark continued serious, and the English interpreter knew not exactly what to think. Tippoo, the Indian man servant, appeared to be suddenly seized with terror as the sounds of the peculiar melody which the junior messenger drew from the flageolet reached the servants’ hall, for Tippoo instantaneously recognized the particular strains used in charming the cobra in his own native land. As for Sagoonah, she saw at once that the presence of the reptile was suspected; she was at no loss to conjecture how the instincts of the quondam snake-charmer must have led to the discovery, she perceived that her project was ruined, and she ECORNICLIOOKS (E(0)