The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 177: what you’re looking at

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

156 REYNOLDS’ WORKS they pointed. If you doubt me, ask that witness herself. She will tell the truth.” Thus speaking, Queen Indora made a sign for the woman whom she indicated to throw back her veil, but the guilty Duke of Marchmont had already more than suspected who she was, and therefore he was not surprised when he beheld the countenance of Madame Angelique. But if he were not surprised, he was nevertheless stricken another blow, and this was far the severest of all, for Queen Indora’s language had pointed toward that other crime which was the most terrible of the many that blackened his conscience, as it was the one likewise concerning which he had hoped that there would be the greatest difficulty in putting forward any substantial proof. He now appeared to be utterly unmanned; the bold hardihood that he had assumed forsook him, every remnant of the air of defiance adopted at the outset vanished away, and he was on the very point of sinking on his knees and imploring mercy. But again did a thought strike him, again did the very desperation of his circumstances nerve him with a preter- natural courage. Therefore quick as lightning was the bold effrontery assumed again, and the air of defiance was adopted. It was still neck-or-nothing with this man who felt that he stood upon a mine, for the explosion of which there were a thousand chances against only one that he might possibly escape. ‘Queen Indora,’”’ he said, now breaking silence for the first time, and endeavouring to throw a tincture of scorn into his accents, ‘‘ you have marshalled against me an array of witnesses which constitute a goodly company to sit by the side of your Majesty. Commencing on the right hand, there is a notorious debauchee, an unprincipled profligate, whose relations have long cast him off, and whom society has repudiated, a man who, even according to his own account, has ever been willing to sell himself for gold. You are rich, Queen Indora, the wealth of the wealthiest portion of the Indies is at your disposal, and perhaps, therefore, you have well paid that man for his present services, and in proportion to the reward given him is his zeal to bear false testimony against me.”’ ‘Tf ever I told the truth in my life, my Lord Duke of Marchmont,”’ exclaimed Wilson Stanhope, ‘‘ it shall be told CORNIELIOOLKKS (E(©)