The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 195: what you’re looking at

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

168 REYNOLDS’ WORKS here? Once for all tell me, for I am growing impatient. This secret of yours — ”’ ‘“* Will take a long time to explain, sir, and if you have no patience,”’ added the negress, ‘‘ it will be useless — ”’ ‘‘ Plenty of patience if you will only come to the point,” interrupted our hero. ‘‘ Itis by no means the most agreeable thing to stand here conversing in the dark — especially,” he thought within himself, suddenly leaving off speaking aloud, “as I cannot see your black visage and judge of whether you are trifling with me or not. But come,” he added, again addressing himself audibly to the negress; ‘here are a couple of chairs within the sphere of the moon- light; let us sit down and converse, and you shall tell me this secret of yours.”’ ‘““ Well, I may as well, — indeed I must under all circum- stances,’’ muttered the negress, and she suffered herself to be led forward to a chair near the toilet-table which stood against one of the windows of the room, — Christian himself taking another, so that he exactly faced her. ‘““ Now,” he said, ‘‘ I am all attention.” ‘‘ Perhaps you know, sir,’’ resumed the negress, “‘ or per- haps you do not —in which case I must tell you — that when I first came into Sir John Steward’s service, between seven and eight years ago, the masons and bricklayers were altering and repairing this house. Sir John did not habitually live here then, but chiefly in London; but I was. put here, along with another woman, to get the house in readiness and set everything to rights, as the masons were just finishing their work.” ; ‘ And what on earth,” ejaculated Christian, “‘ has all this to do with your presence here to-night? Beware how you trifle with me.’’ ‘ T told you, sir, that the tale would be rather a long one,” answered the negress, ‘‘ and if you are already impatient — ”’ ‘TI was wrong,” interposed our hero. ‘ Continue in your own way.”’ ‘ Well, sir,’”’? resumed the black woman, ‘‘ I must tell you that those masons and bricklayers were all sent down from London to do the work, and the moment it was finished they went away, liberally rewarded. And no wonder, for there is a secret connected with the house which I am now going to explain. It isso contrived that there is a room the existence EORNIClIOO KS m