The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 105: what you’re looking at

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

88 REYNOLDS’ WORKS confession now, to detail everything in connection with the past, to describe the workings of my morbid, maddened mind during the various stages of my iniquity, — suffer me to do all this, and my conscience will be eased. Then breathe from your lips a single word of pardon, and you will be con- ferring a mercy upon a fellow creature who is truly penitent.” ““ What have you to confess that is not already known to me, vile woman? ”’ demanded the queen. ‘‘ Oh, if you knew how your presence is loathsome to me! ”’ “It must be, for my iniquity is immense,” responded Sagoonah, with despair still in her accents and ineffable misery in her looks. ‘‘ But is there to be no pardon on earth for the sinner, however great that sinner’s crime, and when the contrition 1s commensurate? ”’ ‘“Speak. What have you to confess? ” asked Indora. ‘You know not, lady, the temptation which led me on,” proceeded the ayah. ‘1 will not speak of the love which was potent even to madness, but I will speak of the manner in which it prompted me to lend a too willing ear to the words of a fiend in female shape who was sent to tempt me. That woman was Madame Angelique.” Sagoonah then proceeded to relate everything which had at any time occurred between herself and the infamous Frenchwoman, but which we need not recapitulate to the reader, though it may be as well to remind him how Madame Angelique had instigated the ayah to make attempts upon the life of her royal mistress, and how through Sagoonah’s intervention she had attained access to Indora on that occa- sion when she proposed to the Eastern lady the visit to the Duke of Marchmont’s seat of Oaklands. The queen was by no means astonished at what she now heard, for Sagoonah’s ravings had prepared her for intelligence of this kind; but to Christian and Christina everything was as novel as it was astounding and horrifying. They listened as if it were to some hideous tale of murder avowed in a condemned cell, and as they sat together, the sister clung to her twin brother as if to be by him shielded and protected from some danger that might befall her. As for Indora herself, she listened with a settled cold sternness of look, — a look such as that splendidly handsome countenance had never worn before. It was at first in the deepest mournfulness that Sagoonah had begun her confessions, but as she proceeded, she grew Gomiuicbdoc <S (E(0)