The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 379: what you’re looking at

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

CHAPTER XXIX THE SUBTERRANEAN Ir was evening, some five or six days after the interview of Jack Smedley with his mother-in-law, and his wife Barbara sat alone in the little parlour at their abode in London. She was reflecting upon what her husband had done at Liverpool, and bestowing an equal part of her attention on the glass of spirits and water which stood on the table. She had been rendered aware of Jack Smedley’s successful mission to Mrs. Webber, inasmuch as he had written from Liverpool to his wife, but in a very guarded strain, for fear of the communica- tion being intercepted. They had, however, agreed before- hand between themselves on some phrase that was to be introduced in case of success, while another phrase was to indicate failure. The former had found its introduction into the body of the epistle, and amidst a series of canting sen- tences and studied hypocrisies, the gold-beater thus found the means of setting his wife’s mind at rest on the one grand important point. Upon this she was cogitating, and dividing, as we have said, her attention between the subject of her thoughts and the liquor to which she had become so wedded. It was nine o’clock, and the servant-girl who attended for a certain period during the day entered to inquire whether anything more were wanted from her this evening. A response was given in the negative; the girl took her departure, and Mrs. Smedley was now alone in the house. She knew not how it was,—she could not account for it,— but assuredly did it seem as if a chill smote her the instant the front door closed behind that girl. Bab Smedley was by no means the woman to yield to the influence of vague presentiments or un- serounded alarms, but she liked not this feeling which took 348 EORMICLIOO KS (E(0)