The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 374: what you’re looking at

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

CHAPTER XXVII THE DESK Ir was the second morning after the brilliant entertain- ment at Tudor House, breakfast was over, Anastatia had retired to her boudoir for awhile, and the great merchant had sought his study to look over his letters, it not being his purpose to visit the City on this particular day. Not another syllable had been spoken by Sir Frederick Latham relative to that incident of the ball night which had led him to en- trust the key of the safe to his wife, and she on her own side had felt no inclination to revive the topic. The merchant fancied that Anastatia had been extravagant in some respect, and had therefore contracted a debt which she chose not to mention to him; he congratulated himself on the policy he had pursued; instead of chiding and reproaching, he had acted with magnanimity, and he naturally concluded that the effect of such conduct would be more salutary and would be all the better appreciated than if he had displayed anger and irritation. On the other hand Anastatia — though having been scandalously plundered by Madame Angelique, and therefore really innocent of any extrava- gance involving her in debt — was fully conscious that she laboured under a suspicion of an opposite character, and she was compelled to bear the imputation of extrav- agance because she dared not enter upon explanations which would reveal the whole truth. She was not happy in her mind; she deeply felt the generosity of Sir Frederick’s conduct, and more than once since the occurrence of the incident had she said to herself, ‘‘ Oh, that I could tell him everything! ” Sir Frederick, as we have said, had retired to his own private room, and there for a while did he busy himself 343 EOMINIGIOOKS (CO)