The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 222: what you’re looking at

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

MAKEPEACE 195 Makepeace, “‘ provided the bargain is to be considered as sood as settled, and you will not fly off from 1t.”’ ‘“T will not,” returned Adolphus. ‘‘ And now leave me. I shall remain here in my own chamber for the rest of the evening. You may tell Walter ’’ — thus alluding to his principal body servant — “that I shall not require his services to-night.”’ ‘Very good, my lord,” answered Makepeace, who, now that his object was gained, at once relapsed into that servile civility of tone, look, and manner which was habitual with him, and bowing low, he issued from the nobleman’s presence, doubtless chuckling inwardly at the apparent success of his scheme of extortion. As for the Earl of Lascelles himself, it may easily be con- ceived that he was left in a state of mind scarcely to be envied by even a felon lying under sentence of death in a condemned cell. Makepeace, on closing the door of the antechamber behind him, heard the key turn again violently in the lock, and he knew therefore that the young nobleman was in a condition of fearful excitement. “‘ Ah! he will remain there for all the rest of the evening,”’ thought Makepeace to himself; ‘‘ he will not issue thence till the morning. Well, then, so much the better. It affords me the opportunity to carry out that other project which I had in view.” With these words musingly spoken to himself, Makepeace entered the red drawing-room, where the Countess of Lascelles was seated. She did not immediately hear him, and when he passed around the end of the screen into her presence, she thought for a moment that it was Adolphus returning to speak to her. But upon perceiving that it was her late husband’s confidential valet, and that he advanced into the room with an air somewhat different from that which he habitually wore,— an air that was in a certain respect strange, though she could not exactly define to herself how it was thus singular, Ethel started, and a feeling seized upon her sending a chill to her heart like a presentiment of evil. He approached nearer to the sofa on which she was half-reclining at the instant he entered, but where, upon perceiving who the individual was, she at once raised herself up to a sitting posture. CORMICLOO© cS (CO)