The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 90: what you’re looking at

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

ANOTHER PLOT 71 a devilish idea, which had already taken inception in her mind, expanding quickly there, — “if I told you where in this city of ours there are kept the deadliest specimens of your own reptile races to gratify the curiosity of visitors, would you have the courage— But, no! it is ridiculous. You were only boasting because you believed that there were none of those venomous creatures here; you would not erasp the puff-adder or the cobra di capello in that hand of yours?”’ A slight smile of scorn appeared upon the lips of the Hindu woman, and she said, ‘‘ This hand of mine has often and often clutched the deadliest cobra, and its writhing form has coiled itself around my naked arm. To snatch the reptile deftly by the neck, to hold it in such a way that it could not bend its head so as to plunge its fangs into my flesh, to amuse myself with gazing upon its expanded hood, and in marking the rage that vibrated in its small bright eyes, then with a lightning suddenness to fling it back again into the basket of the serpent charmer, — this was a freak, woman, which I have often and often performed.” ‘* And you would perform it again, or at least a portion of it?’”’ said Madame Angelique, with a sort of dreadful shuddering joy, as she once more looked up eagerly into the ayah’s countenance. “Ay, that would I,’ answered Sagoonah. “ But it is useless thus to speak to one who is incredulous — Ah! now that I bethink me, this very afternoon will the Lady Indora take Christina Ashton to visit some gardens in this metrop- olis of yours, where there are lions and tigers and other wild beasts pent up in cages, and it is promised that I shall accompany those ladies. If you were there to see, you would soon satisfy yourself whether the eye of the tiger can infuse terror into my heart. I who have seen the fierce animal loose and at large in our Indian jungles, crouching in readi- ness to spring upon the elephant which bore me in the castle on its back — ”’ | “And you are going to those gardens this afternoon? ”’ exclaimed Madame Angelique, almost wild with delight; “the coincidence is indeed strange, because I had an idea — ”’ “ What mean you? ” asked Sagoonah. “TY mean,” responded the infamous Frenchwoman, “ that CORnICLOOOKS (CO)