The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 311: what you’re looking at

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

280 REYNOLDS’ WORKS indeed! ”’ and then Mr. Shadbolt was lost for the next half- minute in a series of nods, winks, and amatory leers. Eglantine consulted Marion with a glance, and the latter said, in a loud, haughty tone, ‘‘ This scene must positively end, my dear. Ring the bell, and have done with it.” ‘“ Perhaps I had better not,’’ whispered Eelantine. ‘“ It might only annoy and frighten madame, as this man has already intimated.’”’ Then hastening toward Shadbolt, she said, “‘ Come, follow me.”’ | The detective officer, bowing after his own free-and-easy fashion to the other three young ladies, accompanied Miss Eelantine, who conducted him to Madame Angelique’s boudoir, taking very good care, however, to keep sufficiently in advance so as to avoid any practical familiarity which Mr. Shadbolt might in his amatory playfulness think fit to exhibit. Madame Angelique was alone in her luxuriously furnished room; the detective officer was introduced thither, and Eglantine flitted back to the saloon, to communicate to her companions how startled and dismayed the mistress of the establishment looked when Mr. Shadbolt entered the boudoir. And such indeed was the case. A cold tremor swept through the form of the Frenchwoman, whose conscience for some time past had been so uneasy, and who constantly ~ experienced a sensation as if some fearful calamity would suddenly explode stormlike upon her head. The detective bowed with the air of one who had no necessity to await a welcome greeting, but who felt that he exercised an influence, or indeed an authority, which would ensure him a most civil reception, no matter what the real feeling of the mistress of the house might be. ‘‘ Sit down, Mr. Shadbolt, pray be seated,” said Madame Angelique, as soon as she had sufficiently recovered from the first shock of terror to be enabled to give utterance to a word; but still her limbs were all trembling, and her voice was full of a nervous trepidation. ‘“ I thought — I thought — that is, you led me to believe — that— that it would bea long, long time — ”’ ‘Before you saw my beautiful visage again?’ added Mr. Shadbolt, with his wonted flippancy. ‘‘ Well, I believe, ma’am,”’ he continued, as he leisurely smoothed down the ruffled nap of his hat with his coat-sleeve, ‘‘ I did intimate something of the sort — ”’ GOmMiGdooks (E(0)