The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 295: what you’re looking at

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

268 REYNOLDS’ WORKS and by the time the carriage reached the villa he was sitting up, endeavouring to gather his recollections, and endeavour- ing also to comprehend what was being said to him by Madame Angelique, whom as yet, however, he did not com- pletely recognize. Though the ex-milliner had now regained her perfect self- possession, yet if the duke were completely sensible he could not have failed to perceive that there was a sense of appalling wonderment in her soul, visible even beneath the gloss of composure which she now wore. She had learned a tremen- dous secret, and she was studying to have the appearance of one whose mind had not been disturbed beyond the excite- ment which might naturally be supposed to have arisen from the adventure itsclf. Just as the carriage drove up to the front door of the villa, the duke recognized who his compan- ion was, and this recognition seemed to give a sudden im- pulse to his intellect generally. He was assisted from the equipage, and leaning on the footman’s arm, he walked into the parlour. The man who had caught his horse was dismissed by Madame Angelique with a liberal gratuity, and the animal itself was consigned to the stable. The duke was deposited upon a sofa; some refreshing beverage was administered, and as he was now completely sensible, Madame Angelique gave him to under- stand — without being observed by the domestics present — that his name and rank need not be revealed unless he thought fit. He made a sign to the effect that it would be better to observe caution on the point, and Madame Angelique soon found an opportunity of dismissing the footman and Jane from the apartment, on the plea that the gentleman was rapidly recovering. The ex-milliner and the duke were now alone together. The former explained how she herself had relieved the Lascar, who most unaccountably affected to be unable to comprehend her, how she had seen that man and the duke in conversation together, and how the spectacle of the riderless horse had induced her to turn back toward the spot where Marchmont had been discovered in a senseless condition. But Madame Angelique made not the slightest allusion to the words which the duke had so unconsciously spoken in the carriage, when gradually arousing from a state of insensibility. ECORNICLIOOKS (E(0)