The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 309: what you’re looking at

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

278 REYNOLDS’ WORKS as if he had dropped into two or three wine-vaults in his way, previous to making the present call. ‘“ And pray what do you want, sir?’ inquired Marion, now abandoning her voluptuous indolence as much as it was in her sensuously languishing nature to throw it off, ‘‘ what do you want?’’ she repeated; for having recently come from beneath aristocratic protection, she was the first to resent the vulgar intrusion. ‘““Did you ask me, miss, what I would take to drink? ”’ said Mr. Shadbolt, with police-court ease and station-house familiarity. ‘‘I have got a detective eye for whatever’s good; trust honest Ike Shadbolt for that!’’ and then he burst out into a loud guffaw at the witticism borrowed from his professional avocations, but the humour of which was lost to the young ladies, who were now all four full of indig- nation, surprise, and disgust. Mr. Shadbolt however, nothing abashed, advanced to- ward the sideboard, and deliberately filled a tumbler with claret, for it was the habit of this exceedingly independent gentleman scornfully to eschew small glasses, and having slowly poured the somewhat copious libation down his throat, he gave a long sigh of pleasure. Then, having thus refreshed himself internally, he relieved his amatory feelings by nod- ding with a familiar leer at Marion, blowing a kiss from the tips of his fingers to Linda, smirking at Armantine, and ex- tending his arms invitingly toward Eglantine. The young ladies, however, relished these pantomimic displays as little as might be, and they exchanged amongst themselves fresh looks of indignation and disgust. Mr. Shadbolt only laughed, and now with a huge slice of cake in one hand, and a quarter of a pineapple in the other, he leaned against the sideboard, feeding deliberately and still bestowing his glances of tender familiarity on the four houris. ‘This is too disgusting!’ said Marion. “ Eglantine dear, you are nearest, ring the bell — hard! hard! ”’ “Do if you like,”’ said Mr. Shadbolt, ‘‘ but depend upon it the old dowager ’’— thus again irreverently alluding to Madame Angelique — “ will give me a most welcome recep- tion. Why, Lord love you all, you sweet creatures, how do you think I could be here in any possible way unless I was one of the privileged? And where is not honest Ike Shad- bolt welcome, I should just like for to know? ”’ ECORMICLIOO KS (E(0)