Alfred de Rosann by G.W.M. Reynolds — page 54: what you’re looking at

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

Alfred de Rosann. 4} ‘¢ How unfortunate!” returned Belle-Rose, assuming a melan- choly air. ‘¢ Why ?” asked the girl, wondering what could be the meaning of these multifarious interrogations. ‘¢ Why! my love—why! Do you actually enquire why ?—Have you never heard of a relative on your mother’s side—?’ ‘¢ Him, who was a night-man, do you mean?” ‘¢ No—no,” said Belle-Rose, with difficulty suppressing a smile. ‘¢ My mother’s brother, then—to be sure.” ‘You have never yet seen him?” whispered Belle-Rose, fearful of proceeding too precipitately. ‘© Not since I was five years old; he went as a soldier in 1819, I have been told,” returned the girl. ‘¢ Embrace me, Felicite—embrace me, dear child! But no— I do not wish that those men should know who I am.” ‘¢ And who are you?” enquired Felicité in astonishment. ‘‘ Thine uncle!” answered Belle- Rose solemnly. ‘¢ My uncle! I always heard he was a fine tall man.” ‘¢ Oh! yes—and so I was; until misery, my child, reduced me to the condition in which you now see me.”’ *¢ Does misfortune make people grow shorter, then?” asked the girl, with the most deplorable ignorance depicted on her countenance. ‘‘ Certainly, niece! I became a foot and a half shorter in one ‘night through excess of woe.” ‘¢ Ah! that’s what makes the hump-backed barber, who’s dying for love of mother, so little.” ‘¢ To be sure it 1s. And do you not pity me?” ‘¢ Faith, do I! But how came you with those naughty men, my dear uncle?” enquired Felicite, casting a fearful glance upon the convicts. ‘¢ For doing a good action, my love.” ‘ I thought only bad people were chained together?” ‘¢Q no—the good are often condemned unjustly, as I was,” continued Belle-Rose. ‘* I saw two men fighting in Paris—I ran up to separate them—they swore I was a thief, and that I intended to take advantage of their situation to steal their watches; I was accordingly arrested and carried off to gaol. I was tried and condemned !”’ ‘¢ Poor uncle! and what is that handsome young man, who is chained to you, to be punished for?” asked the girl in as low a whisper as possible, pointing towards De Rosann. : ‘¢ For poisoning a gentleman and his wife, together with their seventeen children,’’ was the answer. ‘‘ And that fat old fellow?” continued Felicite, alluding to Champignon. | « For ARID pies of dead bodies.”’ ‘¢ Good God! with what a set of villains you are obliged to asso- ciate, dear uncle.-—But what can I do for you? I’m sure if mother were here, she’d endeavour to make you comfortable ; and. those nasty beans, and that cold water and sour bread, are not good for a person condemned to walk all day long in chains.” COnicbooolks (GO)