The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 337: what you’re looking at

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

308 REYNOLDS’ WORKS in the middle of the chest, to give the full rounded develop- ment to the bust itself, and in this particular they were as well formed as in their general symmetry. They were near enough for the Burker to distinguish the lustre of their fine dark eyes, as well as the pearly whiteness of the teeth that shone between the rich lips like white seeds in the midst of a fruit of luscious redness. They were lounging in voluptu- ous attitudes upon the grass, laughing and chatting gaily with their male companions, and now and then bestowing a look upon the old man who was exhibiting his feats with the reptiles. But to those beholders the feats themselves were evidently no novelty, and therefore the Burker imagined that the snake-charmers and the dancers all belonged to one party, and that the former (that old man and the young one with the flageolet) were merely practising their performances. That these girls and their male companions were itinerant dancers the Burker had no doubt, for he had seen such par- ties before, during his journey from Calcutta to Inderabad. That the itinerants would prove friendly disposed toward him he had sufficient hope, but that they at present suspected there was any looker-on at their proceedings he had no reason to fancy. He was about to throw down the barrier and reveal himself, when the dancers, as if with one accord, all started up and began to practise their own special per- formances. The Burker thought that he would wait until they had finished, and he accordingly remained a still un- seen spectator of all that was progressing. The dance began, slowly at first, the girls evidently prac- tising the most voluptuous movements of their forms. Nothing could be more sensual than their attitudes and their movements, which they made their countenances, especially the eyes, follow as it were with a kindred expression. The young men who danced with them imitated them in these respects, for nothing can exceed the licentiousness of these dances on the part of those professional itinerants in Hin- dustan. At length the dance was concluded, and the perform- ers threw themselves in voluptuous languor upon the grass; but still the old man continued his feats with the serpents, while the younger one sustained the strange discordant music of the flageolet. The Burker was now upon the point of throwing down the barricade and revealing himself to CORNIELYOOLKKS (E(0)