The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 65: what you’re looking at

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

46 - REYNOLDS’ WORKS inside the cab. But the conviction of the scene’s reality soon struck her mind; the man was on her left hand, the veiled woman was opposite, the street lamps were glaring on either side, the altercation was taking place close by. “Sit down, miss,’ said the woman, vehemently, as Christina in wild affright was about to lower one of the windows, and it was with a foreign accent that this woman spoke. ‘TI insist upon being suffered to alight,’’ said Christina, with another effort to lower the window, in which, how- ever, she was baffled by the woman seizing her violently by both her wrists. “The shaft is broken; what is to be done? ”’ hastily said the man who was seated next to Christina, and who was the same that had captured her in the garden. “The shaft broken?’’ echoed Madame Angelique, for she indeed it was into whose power our heroine had fallen, and who wore the veil to guard herself against future recog- nition. ‘“‘ Pray, my dear miss — ”’ ‘‘ Release me! I insist upon being released,’’ screamed Christina, and the next instant one of her fair hands was dashed through the glass. Her shriek thrilled forth; Madame Angelique — almost maddened by the dilemma in which she found herself placed by the collision of the two vehicles, and by the dread of exposure — seized our heroine by the throat, muttering, ‘“ Silence, girl, or I will throttle you! ” The mingled terror and pain which the poor girl ex- perienced caused her to swoon off once more, and when for the second time she recovered her consciousness, she found that she was being lifted from a vehicle by a couple of female servants. The first impression which now seized upon her was that she was still in the power of her enemies, and with a scream she released herself from the hold which was upon her. But this hold was a friendly one; a voice which she recognized gave her a kind assurance, for the maid servant who had thus spoken to her was the daughter of that landlady who had originally recommended her as companion to Lady Octavian Meredith. Christina experi- enced a sudden sense of safety, but had no power of lucid recollection. Stupefied by all that had occurred, and feeling as if her senses were again about to abandon her, — ECORNICLIOOKS (E(0)