The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 46: what you’re looking at

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

EDGAR BEVERLEY 27 unknown to me, and when the quadrille was finished, he handed her to her seat next to a very old gentleman whom I supposed to be her father. I know not exactly how it was, but on that particular evening I could not obtain any infor- mation concerning the young lady, for those. who were acquainted with her did not happen to fall in my way; and two or three whom I asked had now seen her for the first time, as was the case with myself. Neither could I venture to solicit her hand for a dance, inasmuch as when I applied for the purpose to the master of the ceremonies, he at once assured me that it was useless, as to his certain knowledge she was engaged throughout the evening. He was then obliged to flit away to some other part of the room, and thus my curiosity still continued ungratified. ‘It was no wonder that she should thus be engaged so deeply, and that her ivory tablets should be filled with the names of partners for even more dances than she was likely to figure in, for her beauty was of a most captivating nature, and instead of dancing myself, I watched her light, sylphid form as it glided gracefully through the mazes of the qua- drilles. On returning to my quarters, I could scarcely sleep for the remainder of the night, so absorbed were my thoughts with the image of the fair one. On the following day, as I was walking in the afternoon along the King’s Road, I beheld the young lady approaching from the opposite direction. She was leaning on the arm of that same old gentleman who was with her at the ball on the previous evening, and as I surveyed them both earnestly and attentively, yet without suffering them to perceive that I was thus marked in my gaze, I noticed that the young lady did not hang upon his arm with that sweet, familiar confidence which a daughter exhibits toward a parent, but that there was a certain de- gree of timid reserve and even distant bashfulness or con- straint in her demeanour toward him. As they passed, I heard him call her ‘ Louisa my dear girl,’ and she, in an- swering his observation, addressed him as— what name shall I use? We will call him ‘ Mr. Maxwell,’ for you re- member that in my narrative I am using fictitious names.” “T bear that fully in mind,” observed Christian. ‘ Pray proceed.”’ | “ Well,” continued Lieutenant Beverley, “I heard the young lady address the old gentleman as Mr. Maxwell, and CoOnnicloookKks (CO)