The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 56: what you’re looking at

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

EDGAR BEVERLEY 37 endeavoured to persuade myself that it would prove favour- able. The return of post brought me the answer; it was singularly brief and laconic, and was to the effect that my uncle had an attack of the gout, or he would have come personally to Brighton to see into the matter and explain his views, but that he had other means of instituting in- quiries, and that in the course of a few days I should hear from him again. ‘Within an hour after the receipt of this letter, a note was handed to me by my servant at my quarters. It was from Mrs. Maxwell, requesting that I would abstain from visiting at the house until I should hear from her again. This requisition struck me as singular, but did not fill me with despair. I remembered that Mr. and Mrs. Maxwell had been acquainted with my uncle; I thought therefore that they might have written to him by the same post which conveyed my own letter, and that they perhaps had received a reply in such a sense as to originate the request that was now conveyed to me. I persuaded myself that my uncle was taking time for reflection, or perhaps waiting to ascer- tain through some channel or another whether Louisa was in reality all I had represented, and therefore worthy of becoming my wife. I said to myself that if these conjec- tures were right, my uncle was sure to give a favourable response, because he could only hear everything that was calculated to enhance the amiable Louisa in his estimation; and I even thought he was acting a prudential part in taking time to make such inquiries, inasmuch as though he had known the Maxwells, yet he had never seen Louisa herself, as she was at school at the time her sister and her brother- in-law were acquainted with my uncle in London. “Still I was somewhat restless and uneasy at being de- barred the pleasure of visiting Louisa for the present, and I penned a note to her for the purpose of conveying comfort during a separation which I besought her to hope was only temporary. I did not, however, know precisely how to con- vey this note; but as I sauntered near the Maxwells’ dwell- ing — taking care not to be seen from the windows — I met the friendly servant-maid. From her I learned that, in consequence of a letter received in the morning, Mrs. Max- well had suddenly set off on a journey, and that it was not known whither she had gone. I was likewise told that EOMINGIOOKS (CO)