The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 292: what you’re looking at

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

RESPECTABILITY 269 either English or French, whereas with the Duke of March- mont he was now in discourse. And then, too, could it be possible that the duke was merely inspired by charitable motives to stop and talk to the man? Was he, after all, riding about that neighbourhood for his pleasure, without any settled purpose, and was the meeting with this Lascar as purely accidental, as casual, and as aimless, as it might have been with any other beggar? No, Madame Angelique was perfectly convinced that such was not the case. What, then, could it all mean? She was bewildered, she was lost in con- jecture; her curiosity was excited, but she had no means of eratifying it. It was verging toward five o’clock when this little incident took place; the drive was nearly at an end, and the villa was at no great distance. The equipage was nearing the point where the lane turned into the main road, when the sounds of a galloping horse were heard, and in a few moments a riderless steed swept past. It came from behind, therefore from the same direction where the duke and the Lascar had been seen together, and, what was more, Madame Angelique felt convinced that it was his Grace’s horse which she had just. beheld. The carriage stopped, the footman leaped down from his seat next to the coachman, and coming up to the window, he said, ‘“‘ 1 fear, ma’am, there’s been some accident. It strikes me it was the horse of that gentleman whom we saw in the lane.” ‘“‘'The very same idea struck me,” said the ex-milliner. “Let us go back as quick as possible. The unfortunate sentleman may have been thrown.” Madame Angelique, being impressed with the conviction that the Duke of Marchmont was engaged in some private business, most probably of a character which he would rather not have pried and penetrated into, had forborne from men- tioning his rank and her own knowledge of who he was. The equipage had to pass out into the road before it could turn to retrace its way along the lane, and this caused some little delay. But presently it was returning in the direction whence it had previously come, while Madame Angelique from the windows, and the servants from the box, were looking out in expectation of beholding the thrown horse- man. On went the equipage, until at length ejaculations ECORNICLOOOKS (CO)