Angelina: Or, The Mystery of St. Mark's Abbey — page 88: what you’re looking at

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

YHE MYSTERY OF ST. MARK’S ABBEY. 15 ef dust was blown around her, and it was a second or two before Angelina could perceive anything, but when she did, she found herself in a small closet, which did not contain any futnitare, and seemed as if it had not been used for some time. | A door on one side of this closet, which was standing open, shewed to our heroine a dark staircase; to the bottom of which the light from the lamp could not penetrate. She had to step with caution, for the stairs were very rotten, and several of them had crumbled away altogether. At length she reached the bottom, and a rush of unwholesome air curled around her, and made her tremble with cold. She shielded the lamp as well ag she could until it had passed away, and then foand herself in a long subterraneous passage, the walls of which were of stone, bat green with age and damp, and it was evidently older than the other part of the building. The termination of the passage she could not see, for there were many wind- ings. While she thus stood, suddenly, she heard a loud and confused noise from above, followed by the opering and closing of doors. Alarmed beyond description (for she did not doubt but that her flight was discovered, and that the ruffians were in pursuit of her), the agitated maiden fled along the passage with more speed than could have been expected in such a moment of terror, until, having proceeded for some distance, she was compelled to pause to take breath, ‘Nosooner had she done so than the voices of men vibrated in her earss and they bad evidently entered the closet, and were about to descend the stairs. ‘“ Good God?’? she mentally uttered, “ protect me! All hope of escape is mow atanend; and should they find me, what may not their rage tempt the wretches to do 2” ‘6 It is very evident, from the hall.doos being closed, that she has fled this way,” at that moment ejaculated a gruff voice, which Angelina, with herror, vecognized directly to be that of Rufus. ‘* The jade cannot escape us unless she reaches the iron door which stands open. Two of you take the passage to the right, and twe to the left, and she will be in our power again—that’s certain. What a fool I must be to leave the room-door open !"” We need not attempt to describe the terror of our heroine when she found herself in the grasp of the ruffians; her blood seemed to be frozen in her veins, and her heart to lose its pulsation. In that dreadful moment, despair seized upon her mind, and took possession of all ber faculties, and she gave herself up for lost;—she could not doubt but that her life was sought, and that the villains would not miss so excellent an opportunity, and: such a con venient spot as that gloomy place, to perpetrate their sanguinary deed, Oh, how terrible was her anguish as these thoughts. rose in a moment to her mind —to die so young—and by such cruel means—to be plunged into eternity in the midst of all her youth and vigour, with the blossoms of hope springing in her path, was awful indeed to think upon. She would have implored the mercy of the ruffians who held her, flinty-hcarted and callous to humanity and pily, as she had no doubt they were, but, although her lips moved, her tongue re- fused to perform its office. The men, hewever, seemed to read her thoughts, for one of them said— ‘¢ Oh, no, young lady, no running away again ;—you have given us a pretly good hunt this time, all through the stupidity and carelessness of Rufus, but COL @ OO SS (CO)