The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 343: what you’re looking at

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

312 REYNOLDS’ WORKS Anastatia, rising from her seat, hastened to introduce Christian to a partner, while some young scion of the aristoc- racy engaged Christina’s hand for that quadrille. Lord Rushbrook was now at liberty to act according to the evil promptings of his own unprincipled mind. He felt tolerably well assured that he possessed the key of the safe. In the first place, he thought that he recollected it, as it was a key of peculiar construction; and in the second place, the words which he had overheard his sister hastily whisper to her husband strengthened the belief that he held in his possession the means of supplying his necessities. As for compunction, he had none; his only thought now was how to achieve his object without being observed or interrupted. | He sauntered through the rooms with a fashionable lounging air; he passed out upon the landing, and watch- ing a favourable opportunity, he glided down the stairs. On reaching the hall, accident again served his disreputable purpose, for it happened that none of the domestics were within view at the moment. In less than a minute the viscount was in his brother-in-law’s study, where the light had been left burning after Anastatia’s brief interview with her husband there. To open the safe and take out the cash-box was now the work of an instant. A hasty glance at the contents of the box showed the viscount that they must consist of at least fifteen or sixteen hundred pounds, and he secured every golden coin and every bank- note about his own person. On closing the safe, — to which he of course returned the cash-box,— he happened to glance toward the window, the blind of which was not pulled down, and at that very same moment it struck the nobleman that a human counte- nance was withdrawn. Yes, a human countenance which had evidently been looking upon him, and which had observed this act of robbery, — unless indeed it were a delusion, a phantom conjured up by his own guilty conscience at the instant Rushbrook felt the blood congeal into ice in his veins. He could not have been more dismayed if his brother-in-law had suddenly made his appearance, or if a police constable had that moment placed a hand upon his shoulder. For several instants he stood completely transfixed, and then he rushed to the window. It was a ECORNIClIOO KS (E()