The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 125: what you’re looking at

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

CHAPTER VIII A VISIT TO HEADCORN It was now a period of renewed bustle and excitement for Christian Ashton, but all the duties he had undertaken, and which either arose from his own sense of what was expedient in existing circumstances, or from the suggestion of the friends with whom he was co6éperating, were most cheerfully performed. Cheerfully, yes, because it was in behalf of his generous benefactor that he was thus deeply, deeply interesting himself, — that benefactor who had siven him a home, who had bidden him entertain no care for the future, and who had assured him that a fortune should be his own. All these things had Lord Clandon done for Christian Ashton, and gratitude was amongst the most eminent qualities of our youthful hero. The reader has seen how he first became acquainted with the tragic history which so memorably attached itself to Oaklands, — how he had read the newspaper account in the library of Marchmont House in Belgrave Square, and how he had subsequently learned many minuter particulars from the old steward Purvis. He had all along believed in the scuilt of Bertram Vivian, alias Lord Clandon; circumstan- tial evidence had seemed so forcibly to substantiate that guilt. But he had believed in it only so long as he was in utter ignorance of the identity of Lord Clandon with Mr. Redcliffe, and then, the instant the intelligence of this identity was conveyed to him, the speediest revulsion took place in his mind, and he became as firmly convinced of Lord Clandon’s innocence. Away went all circumstantial evidence, scattered to the winds were all the facts which had hitherto combined to establish that individual’s guilt, for oh, it was impossible that Christian could associate 104 Gomiuicdoc <S (E()