The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 29: what you’re looking at

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

12 | REYNOLDS’ WORKS basket, and slinging this to her arm she again went forth from the house. Proceeding straight to a tavern, she pur- chased a bottle of wine, which she placed in her basket. She thence repaired to a chemist’s, at whose establishment she bought some fluid drug, and having also consigned the phial to her basket, she continued her way. On emerging from the town, she stopped in a sheltered place, a scrt of open shed, and there she remained for a few minutes, while she poured forth a portion of the wine and filled up the bottle with the contents of the phial procurred at the chem- ist’s. She then sped to the grove, and plunging into its depths, found De Margaux anxiously expecting her arrival. ‘You are come, dearest Finette! ’’ he exclaimed, spring- ing forward to receive her, “ and all your preparations are complete,” he added, glancing at the basket. “Yes,” she replied. ‘‘ I have not kept you long in sus- pense. But whither are we to go, in which direction are we to bend our way, and how are we to travel?” ‘“Tt depends, dear girl,’ said De Margaux, “ on the ex- tent of our resources. To speak frankly, I am utterly de- nuded of funds until we reach Switzerland, and there — But methought you spoke of a few hundred francs? ”’ “Yes,” rejoined Finette; and then, with an air of in- genuousness, she asked, ‘‘ Will such a sum suffice to take us into Switzerland? ”’ ‘To be sure!” exclaimed De Margaux; and, greedily anxious to ascertain the amount which, through the medium of Finette, he thought himself able to command, he added, ‘“ But let us ascertain precisely the state of our finances. Come, let us sit down for a few minutes, and we will delib- erate on our plans.” The damsel sat down accordingly, and De Margaux placed himself by her side. Holding the basket in her lap, she opened it, as if about to produce her money and jewels; and lest the mention of jewels in respect to a French turnkey’s daughter should appear strange to the Eng- lish reader, we may as well observe that there are few females of the humbler class in France who do not possess their trinkets of this description. ‘‘ Ah, what have you there?” exclaimed De Margaux, who, the instant the basket was opened, caught sight of the bottle which was lying on the top of all the other arti- CORNIELYOOLKS (E(©)