The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 148: what you’re looking at

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

ALEXIS. OLIVER 127 moments you can have betrayed me? Yes, yes, I see that itis so! But at least tell me, Alexis, to whom you have so incautiously spoken, for I will not accuse you of having acted wilfully.” ‘Fool, idiot that I have been!” cried the young man, dashing his open palm violently against his forehead. “I would not for worlds have done this! It was last night, — Heaven only knows how I could have been so mad — ”’ ‘But who — who?” demanded Mrs. Oxenden, quickly, ‘‘ who were the people that you were with? ”’ ‘“‘ A Captain Stanley and a Mr. Craven.”’ ‘“ T know neither of them,” said Mrs. Oxenden, deliberating over the names which she had thus heard. ‘“‘ Captain Stanley,” continued Alexis, ‘is about four and twenty, very good looking, he wears a moustache, his man- ners are elegant. As for Craven, he is a tall, slender, elegant young man, with a profusion of dark glossy hair, large dark eyes, about nineteen I should think. Ah, by the bye, I recollect! Captain Stanley once called him by his Christian name, and that name itself is Christian.”’ ‘“‘ Christian? ”’ almost shrieked forth Mrs. Oxenden. “ Tall, slender, elegant, you say, about nineteen? With a beautiful set of teeth, and lips like those of a woman? ”’ ‘‘ The same! ”’ cried Alexis. ‘‘ Do you know him? ”’ ‘““ Yes, it must be he! His name is not Craven, it is Ashton, Christian Ashton, and he is a bitter enemy of mine.” ‘“‘ Heavens! what have I done?” exclaimed Alexis, now more frightened than ever. ‘‘ Oh, I see it all!” “And this Mr. Coleman, the lawyer who has come to me — 3 ‘Coleman? ” echoed Alexis, with a start. ‘‘ Why it is he who caused me to be arrested last night! And this Craven, or Ashton, or whatever his name is, paid the whole money with an appearance of the most off-hand generosity.”’ ‘“‘ Wretched boy!” cried Mrs. Oxenden, ‘‘ what is all this that I hear? You have suffered yourself to be made a dupe, in order that those designing fiends might extract from your lips whatsoever it suited them to learn.’’ ‘“‘ Forgive me,” said Alexis, entreatingly. ‘‘ You tell me that no harm will happen to yourself if you obey Mr. Coleman - in all things. Is it not so? ”’ COnnICLOOKS (C(0)