The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 181: what you’re looking at

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

160 REYNOLDS’ WORKS queen, “‘ but it is unnecessary for me to offer the slightest comment upon your speech. Follow me.”’ She descended from her throne, grace and dignity in her movements, but a deep solemnity investing her as with a garment. Slowly she proceeded toward that half-open door, the Duke of Marchmont mechanically following. The Hindu guards did not now accompany him, the wit- nesses remained stationary in their seats upon the dais. The queen entered first into the room to which we have so often alluded, and the moment the Duke of Marchmont reached the threshold he beheld a spectacle which suddenly transfixed him with mingled awe, wonderment, and horror. It was a much smaller room than that which had been fitted up for the tribunal, but the walls were likewise hung with black draperies. Upon a couch the corpse of Sagoonah was laid out. She seemed as if she were only sleeping, so serene was her aspect, and so completely was the freshness of the body preserved. There was in the atmosphere a perfume of drugs, which at once indicated the embalming process that had been adopted to ensure that preservation. A cap of snowy whiteness completely concealed the dead ayah’s coal-black hair; her naked arms, stretched at her sides, — not stiffly, but in a lifelike manner, — had rich bracelets upon them. Very beautiful appeared that corpse, seeming as if the breath of life had only just passed out of it, and as if it had been surrendered up without a struggle, for immediately after the cold hand of death had touched Sagoonah, her features had settled down into that serenity which they now wore. Indeed, she looked not as if she were dead, but only sleeping after a severe indisposition which had spread a uniform pallor upon the natural duski- ness of her complexion. Four wax candles, as tall as those tapers which are seen on Catholic altars, shed their light upon the corpse, and produced that effulgence which streamed forth from the half-open door into the room fitted up as the tribunal. Powerful was the lustre, and solemnly grand was the effect thereof upon the body. It brought out the form of the dead Sagoonah into the strongest relief; it gave the animation of life to the skin, and it played upon her features as if they themselves were slightly moving with the presence of existence. GoOmicdooks (E()