The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 115: what you’re looking at

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

CHAPTER IX THE DISGUISED ONE Ir was evening, — a beautiful evening in the middle of September, and a gentle breeze had succeeded the heat of a day of more than usual sultriness for that period of the year. Queen Indora was walking in the garden attached to her beautiful villa in the neighbourhood of Notting Hill and Bayswater; she was alone, and reflecting upon the incidents of her past life. The purple which blended with the other hues of her garments indicated that she was in mourning. Her dress was half-European, half-Oriental. She wore the flowing skirt belonging to the feminine garb of the former style; a species of caftan, and the undergarment developing the rich proportions of her bust, were of the Eastern fashion. The jetty masses of her hair hung far down her back, below her waist, and seemed like a thick, ebon veil which might be drawn at will over the countenance. There was a certain degree of pensiveness expressed in the looks of the queen, which was not, however, altogether sor- rowful. Subjects for mourning and rejoicing were blending in her thoughts; on one side was her father’s death, on the other the assurance which she had received from Clement Redcliffe that he would accept her hand. Still Indora was thoughtful; she walked with a slow pace, and when reaching a fountain in the midst of the garden, she stood there gazing upon the flow of the crystal water, and giving way to the reflections that were uppermost in her mind. From amidst a knot of trees an ominous countenance was surveying her. Without preserving any unnecessary mys- tery in the present instance, we will at once declare that the individual thus concealed was none other than Barney the Burker. Nothing could be more admirable than the fellow’s 92 ECORNIClIOOKS (E(0)