The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 143: what you’re looking at

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

122 REYNOLDS’ WORKS set forth by the captain’s valet, and Mr. Oliver exhibited his intention to enjoy himself to the utmost of his power. Half an hour afterward Captain Stanley, affecting to be entirely overcome by liquor, reeled off to his bedroom, Oliver and Christian Ashton thus being purposely left alone to- gether. There was no need for our young hero to mention the name of Mrs. Oxenden in order to revive the topic. Alexis himself speedily returned to a subject which he was particularly prone to harp upon when in his cups, and within the next half-hour he had revealed to Christian the whole particulars of the secret which he himself had elicited from his mistress. The source of the hold which she had obtained upon the Duke of Marchmont was thus completely fathomed by our hero, but it cost him an infinite amount of-dissimula- tion, as well as the necessity to drink an inordinate quantity of liquor in order to keep Alexis company, so that he might thus worm the details out of him. It was about one o’clock in the morning when Christian and the valet conveyed Mr. Oliver to a cab and sent him home to his own lodgings. Our hero then sought Captain Stanley, who had not retired to rest, but was awaiting in his chamber the issue of the ¢éte-d-téte, and infinite was his joy when he learned how completely Christian had succeeded in his object. Infinite likewise was the gratitude of our hero for the succour which had been so ably lent him by his friend Stanley, and which had in a few hours brought to a conclu- sion an undertaking that otherwise might have lasted several days. . It was about ten o’clock on the following morning — or rather, we might say, on the same morning — that Mrs. Oxenden had just finished her breakfast, when a servant entered the elegant parlour in which she was seated and pre- sented her a note. She read it; the colour went and came in rapid transitions upon her cheeks, she looked frightened and enraged by turns. She hesitated what instructions to give the servant, who was waiting near the door, and at length she said, ‘‘ You may show the gentleman up.” The domestic obeyed the order, and the visitor was ushered into Mrs. Oxenden’s presence. She had risen from her seat, and without either resuming it or requesting him to take a chair, she said, with an effort to assume a dignified and haughty composure, ‘‘ You, sir, are the writer of this letter? ”’ Gomicdoc “S (E(0)