The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 326: what you’re looking at

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

THE MILLINER AND THE DUKE 295 and then he said, ‘‘ To tell your Grace the truth, Mr. Coleman did not fly from his word; he advanced me the money — yes, every farthing of it,’’ added Zoe’s father, as if with the bitterness of desperation. “ And you do not mean me to understand that you have lost it all?’”’ exclaimed Marchmont, in dismay. ‘‘ Why, money appears to melt out of your pocket as quickly as in former times it was wont to pour into it!’’ Then, as the thought struck his Grace, he said, “‘ By Heaven, Armytage, I am afraid that you gamble? ”’ ‘““ Yes, gamble as some of the highest and wealthiest in the City of London gamble,”’ replied the speculator, — “ not as you noblemen and gentlemen gamble at the West End in such places as these,’ and he glanced toward a flood of light streaming forth from the portals of a splendid club-house they were passing. “You mean on the stock exchange? ”’ said the nak. in- quiringly. ‘“‘ | mean on the stock exchange,” replied Armytage, curtly. They continued walking on together in silence for a few minutes, — Armytage with his looks bent downward in moody reverie, the Duke of Marchmont in anxious thought, for he was now sorry that he had addressed the speculator at all, inasmuch as he feared lest the interview should end by the demand for another loan. ‘‘ And is that enormous sum of fifty thousand pounds,” he at length asked, ‘which you obtained from Mr. Coleman, is it all gone? ”’ “Heaven forbid!” ejaculated Armytage, clutching the duke’s arm quickly and violently, and looking up into his face with a countenance which, as the nearest gas-lamp streamed upon it, appeared absolutely ghastly. ‘‘ Surely that question of yours was not prophetic of evil? No, no, I should be utterly, hopelessly ruined.”’ “Then what, in the name of Heaven, have you done? ”’ inquired the duke, ‘“‘and why are you in this dreadfully per- turbed state of mind? ” ‘“ Because I have ventured the whole of that sum upon a speculation which will either in one day, in one hour, I might almost say in one moment, give me a fortune — or on the other hand,” he gulped for a moment, and then added, gaspingly, “‘ or beggar me.”’ EOMINGIOOKS (CO)