Sentence:  "I mean to inform you," answered the "Oxonian", with a grin on his face, "that those three nymphs, who have so much dazzled your optics, are three nuns, and the plump female is "Mother" .... of great notoriety, but generally designated the <WSD>Abbess</WSD> of .... Her residence is at no great distance from one of the royal palaces; and she is distinguished for her bold ingenuous line of conduct in the profession which she has chosen to adopt; so much so, indeed, that she eclipses all her competitors in infamy." 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  A woman who runs a brothel; a woman employed by a prostitute to find clients.<ref>(page=3)</ref><ref>(pages=3–4)</ref>