The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 71: what you’re looking at

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

o4 ~~ — “-REYNOLDS’ WORKS departure in the carriage to pay the intended visit to Miss Vincent, Christina repaired to her Majesty’s boudoir to com- mence the task of inspecting and arranging the gems and jewels of inestimable price which belonged to her royal benefactress. : Sagoonah now felt that her opportunity was at hand. There she lay, to all appearance in a profound torpor, the elderly nurse entertaining no notion to the contrary. It has been said that there are certain reptiles which simulate death in order the more easily to secure their intended victims, and thus was it that the treacherous Hindu woman, like one of the most designing and deadly serpents of her own native clime, was affecting complete inanimation of the intellect, though all the while endowed with the fullest mental vitality. The elderly nurse busied herself in putting the chamber in order, and then, hearing the clock proclaim the hour of mid- day, she knew it was the time to procure the refreshment which she was wont to administer to her patient. It was her custom to leave the room only when the queen or Christina should be present, but on this occasion she happened to deviate from her rule, and thus all the more completely fa- | voured. the projects of the ayah. Indora was absent, Chris- tina was engaged, Sagoonah seemed wrapped up in mental torpor; the nurse saw not the:slightest harm in descending to the kitchen to procure what she required. The ayah waited a few minutes to see whether anybody would come, but the nurse sent no one to take her place temporarily, and Sagoonah was not long ere she availed herself of the oppor- tunity. She descended from the couch; she opened the door and listened; there was no one on the staircase or the land- ing. She knew, or at least conceived to the best of her knowledge, that Christina was in the queen’s boudoir, and it was toward Christina’s chamber that she sped. A dress, a shawl, a bonnet, and other needful articles of the toilet, were quickly taken possession of, and Sagoonah glided back to her own room, having succeeded in escaping all observa- tion. She thrust the articles of apparel into a cupboard, and lay down in the bed again. Scarcely had she thus resumed her place on the couch when the door opened, and the nurse made her appearance. _ The woman suspected not what had been done in her absence, and while she was administering food to Sagoonah, CONNIELIOOLKKS (E()