Penny Blood Serial Cover — page 162: what you’re looking at

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

154 ALFRED DE ROSANN. _ fetch a couple of mattresses, sheets, and blankets, to place upon them.”’ “This will turn out an adventure, my dear fellow,” cried Belle-Rose, addressing himself to Alfred. “A chamber not occupied for the third of a century—a haunted room, perhaps, such as you read of in the works of an English authoress of repute, Ann Rad- cliffe, I think. Oh! assuredly this is an adventure!’’ —and Belle-Rose laughed heartily at his conceit. “You do not believe in ghosts, then?’’? inquired the farmer with a singular expression of countenance, which involved a degree of mystery unintelligible to our hero and his fellow-traveller. “Certainly not; nor does any rational being,’ returned Belle-Rose, without a moment’s hesitation. ‘“ Nor I,”’ added the farmer; ‘‘and since you treat superstitious tales with the same ridicule as I do, I will explain wherefore the chamber in question has been locked up during a period of thirty-three years. Had you been afraid of spirits, I should have remained silent.’’ , ‘“ But you would have suffered us to sleep in your haunted room all the same,’ interrupted De Rosann with a smile. “ Yes,”’ said the peasant, ‘ because I have no other apartment to give you, and because I know that you may sleep in that one with-impunity, as the story of its being haunted is a silly fable handed down to me by. my deceased father. It is as follows:—About thirty-three years ago my father was sitting one even- ing in this very room, when a violent knock at the . gate aroused him from his supper, and drew hinr to the door. A traveller demanded a night’s lodging, as you, gentlemen, have done ere now, and as hundreds do in the course of the year. My father instantly Invited the stranger to enter——-sate him down to as good a supper as the house afforded—and, when his meal was concluded, showed him to the identical chamber which gave rise to this tale. Early on the following morning the house was surrounded by COPMNICLOOKS.(€@)