The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 286: what you’re looking at

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

RESPECTABILITY 259 With that free-and-easy, independent manner which characterized him Mr. Isaac Shadbolt pulled the bell, and when the pretty maid servant answered the summons, he said, ‘‘ Your mistress wants you to bring up lunch, my dear.” | | | “Yes, sir,” and the girl was about to retire. ‘Stop one moment,” exclaimed Mr. Shadbolt. ‘ Bring up everything cold there is in the larder, so that I can take my choice, and some bottled stout, — port and sherry, of course, — and I don’t mind having a glass or two of that fine old Madeira.” ‘Bring up the tray, Jane, as usual,’’ said Madame An- gelique, thus addressing herself to the servant and cutting short her visitor’s multifarious orders. ‘‘ Mr. Shadbolt,” she continued, when the maid servant had withdrawn, “ I must beg of you to let me be the mistress of my own house. You are very welcome to visit me, and if we enter into that business of which we were just now talking, it will be necessary that you should call frequently. But you must not usurp an authority within these walls; you would compro- ‘Mise me seriously. Pray bear in mind that I have got an entirely new set of servants, — none of those that I had at the other establishment. All they know of me is that I am Madame Angelique, the fashionable milliner, who has retired from business on a fortune.” “And quite enough for them to know. Depend upon it, my dear madam, you shall never be compromised by honest Ike Shadbolt.” | “I hope not,’ responded the Frenchwoman, emphatic- ally. ‘“‘ There is not a soul in the neighbourhood who suspects that there was anything wrong in that establish- ment of mine. The clergyman has already left his card, two or three good families have likewise called —’”’ “Then you will be giving a party soon,” exclaimed Mr. Shadbolt, ‘‘and I shall be master of the ceremonies. By the bye, that is an uncommon pretty girl, the parlour- maid, I mean.”’ ““T hope you will not speak to her familiarly, nor look at her insolently,’’ said Madame Angelique, with grave and serious demeanour. : “No, no, my dear madam,” responded Shadbolt. ‘I do not forget that. you have grown respectable. Ah! it’s EOMIGIOOKS (CO)