The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 238: what you’re looking at

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

MORE EXPLANATIONS 213 eight guineas a week, and one might add another twenty guineas for the letting of the upper rooms! Only conceive such a lodging-house, — it would be a fortune in a single year! And the quantities of cold victuals that would be left and never asked for! Why, if every lodger only left the leg of a fowl, and a single glass of wine in his decanter, it would keep a regiment! And then, too, people living in such a house would never think of locking their tea-caddies, and marking the cheese and the bread to see that the servants didn’t touch them! Oh, what a lodging-house! ”’ Mrs. Macaulay was lost in mingled awe and wonderment at the vast field which she had thus opened for her own con- templation, and the probability is that she would have gone on wondering as long as there were any more stairs to ascend, if the domestic had been conducting her to the top of the house. But as he halted on the first landing, and threw open a door to announce in a very loud voice, ‘‘ Mrs. Ma- caulay,’ the worthy woman suddenly regained her self- possession, and gathered herself together, as it were, for her appearance before the twins. Although she had mustered the courage to pay this visit, she felt by no means certain with regard to the nature of the reception she should experience. She knew that she might reckon upon being received with civility, but judging the world according to her own somewhat circumscribed notions, she fancied that the young duke would prove coldly dignified and Lady Christina politely distant. Great was her surprise, therefore, and infinite her joy, when the young duke and his sister, hastening forward, caught each a hand and gave her the kindest welcome. They had not seen her since their change of circumstances, for immediately after the events at Oaklands Christian had taken up his abode at Marchmont House, and Lord Clandon, after his release from Newgate, had repaired to the same destination, so that there had been no occasion for our young hero to call at the lodging-house in Mortimer Street. When she found that she thus experienced so friendly a reception, Mrs. Macaulay could not keep back her tears, and she whimpered out her thanks, as well as her congratulations, on the change of circumstances which had overtaken the twins. _ “ Dear me,” she said, sinking down upon a sofa, ‘ to think that I should live to see you, Master Christian, a duke, GomiilGyaooks (©)