The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 45: what you’re looking at

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

26 REYNOLDS’ WORKS perhaps it was in a measure connected with his unprepos- sessing looks, or it may be that all these three reasons en- tered into that feeling of aversion which I thus experienced. And he on his part conceived an equal antipathy toward me, which speedily manifested itself when he attempted to play the tyrant while affecting to give sound and useful advice. “He authoritatively warned me against ever contracting what he denominated such a mad and improper marriage as that which had alienated my father from all his relatives; and when I somewhat indignantly requested my uncle not to asperse the memories of the dead, and to bear in mind that the lady whom he contemptuously spoke of was my own mother, he flew into a passion, ejaculating, ‘ By Heaven, you have inherited all your father’s self-will, obstinacy, and perverseness!’ From that day forth I saw that he disliked me. My visit to his residence was abridged, and when I was about to depart, to reside elsewhere until the period arrived for joining my regiment, he said, ‘I shall allow you one hundred a year for the present, and that, in addition to your pay, will keep you handsomely. Follow my advice in all things, and I will increase your allowance in proportion as I have proofs of your obedience, but disobey me in any single particular, and I withdraw the allowance altogether.’ I did not choose to irritate him more than I could help, but he doubtless saw by my manner that my spirit rebelled against this harsh and tyrannical treatment. I joined my regiment, and for three years my conduct appeared to give satisfaction to my uncle, for at the expiration of that time he purchased me a lieutenancy in another regiment, and doubled my original allowance, but he invited me no more to visit him.”’ Here Edgar Beverley again paused, but he shortly resumed his narrative in the following strain: ‘““ About six months ago a detachment of my regiment was ordered from Manchester, where it had been previously quartered, to Brighton. Not to render my tale longer than is absolutely necessary, I will at once proceed to observe that I had not been many days at Brighton, when one eve- ning, at a public ball, I was struck with the extraordinary beauty of a young lady whom for the sake of distinction I shall call by the name of Louisa. At the moment my eyes first settled upon her, she wag dancing with a gentleman ECORNIC NOOO KS (E(0)