The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 221: what you’re looking at

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

194 REYNOLDS’ WORKS valet, with a sneer, ‘‘ in persuading a jury or in making the House of Lords believe your innocence.”’ ‘But you have not overheard me confess guilt,” cried Adolphus. ‘ No, in all your listenings, you can have heard nothing but denial on my part.” ‘But I have heard the countess accuse your lordship of it a dozen times within the last hour,’ rejoined Makepeace. ‘“In short, you accused each other, and therefore if I said the word, you would both have to go and pit your averments against one another elsewhere.”’ The Earl of Lascelles was frightfully convinced of the truth of all this; his pale countenance again became ghastlier still, — again, too, did he tremble visibly, as he thought within himself, “ ‘The exposure would be hideous — horrible, and one at least would be sure to go to the scaffold.” “Now, my lord, what is your decision?’”’ asked Make- peace, who saw that the victory was his own. “Tf I give you this money,” was the Earl of Lascelles’ answer, “‘ you must not for a moment think it is a bribe for your silence with respect to a terrible crime of which I am incapable, but it shall be given to you to save the honour of a lady from exposure. You shall have the amount, but on condition that you henceforth and for ever leave me unmolested.” “That is a bargain, my lord,’’ replied Makepeace, who knew perfectly well that it rested with his own good-will and pleasure whether he should adhere to it in future years. ‘“ But,” continued the Earl of Lascelles, “‘ two or three days may elapse before I shall be enabled to place the amount in your hands, for as yet, as you may have seen, I have had neither heart nor spirit to take any steps to put myself in possession of my late father’s property; and though his undisputed heir,’’ — and the young nobleman looked hard in the valet’s face, as he thus spoke, to assure himself that the terrific secret of his birth was indeed unsuspected, and the result of the survey was at least on this point altogether satisfactory, — ‘‘ and though my late father’s undisputed heir,” he continued, “‘ yet still there are certain little legal formalities to be fulfilled. But I will set about them to- morrow, and I repeat in two or three days — ”’ ‘There is no hurry for a day or two, my lord,’’ answered ECORNICLIOO KS (E(0)