The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 186: what you’re looking at

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

A WOMAN’S LOVE 163 in her thirty-third year, whose tall figure was so finely formed, and the masses of whose light auburn hair floated upon shoulders and a neck of dazzling whiteness, when he saw the large blue eyes upturned toward him, looking so beautiful in their tenderness, even through their tears, — when, in a word, his glance swept over the entire assemblage of charms which graced his wife, the Duke of Marchmont felt that his soul was touched, and a pang of remorse smote him on account of all his past conduct toward her... His arms encircled her waist, he strained her to his heart, and in a broken voice he murmured, ‘‘ Would to Heaven, La- vinia, that I had ever remained worthy of such a love as this! ”’ The duchess besought her husband not to allude painfully to the past, and wiping away her tears she smiled sweetly upon him, observing, ‘‘ You are about to put my devotion to the test; fear not that it will recoil from aught which may transpire while working in your cause. You know not, my dear husband, how far a woman’s devotion may extend.” ‘To-morrow, Lavinia, to-morrow,’’ rejoined the duke, “ I will tell you what you are to do for me, and how you may serve my cause.”’ The duchess again smiled sweetly upon her husband, and then quitted the room. ‘Yes, she can serve me,’’ said the duke to himself as soon as he was again alone. ‘ She is loving and she is faith- ful, and whatever may come to her knowledge, she at least will not betray me. No, no, she will assist me until the very last.” But as the reader may have understood, the amiable Lavinia little suspected how deeply her husband had im- mersed himself in the flood of iniquity; she could conceive no greater amount of guilt than that of which he had been culpable toward herself, as recorded in some of the earlier chapters of this narrative. She had vowed that she would not suffer herself to be deterred by aught which might come to her knowledge while acting on his behalf, and the affec- tionate lady revelled in dreams of comfort and happiness, peace and love, to be enjoyed with him toward whom she was exhibiting so much magnanimous devotion. The newspapers of the following morning contained a EOMINGIOOKS (CO) im