Rose Mortimer; Or, The Ballet-Girl's Revenge — page 81: what you’re looking at

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

THE BALLET-GIRL’S REVENGE, 75 Scclitieautte ee eeeeeeete—eroerrer =n cess senianetanalassagnenomeaineeaimmmmanaes ameemememnnmemaanmenenmnatneeinnne tn SS SSS sss once Then Penryth the miner struck out his arms wildly. He was just returning to consciousness, and he imagined that he was still in the river, which had so near proved his winding-sheet. His legs jerked out spasmodically, until, overcome by the exertion, he sank into a light fitful slumber. From this he presently awakened. Opening his eyes, he gazed about him in silent wonder. His thoughts roved wildly upon many things— things which he would fain have forgotten. But, alas ! one dread thing was impressed upon his memory, never to be effaced whilst life and reason held their sway. The brand of Cain was upon his brow. He thought upon Miles Trunnion—thought upon him and shuddered. However much he shuddered, he could not now re- call him to life. Then the bold miner who had risked his life in rescuing Rose Mortimer so shortly before turned upon his face and wept. Wept like a child. Still the fatal picture could not be blotted from his memory. When he grew somewhat calmer his thoughts veered round of a sudden to the object of his suffer- ing and fears, Rose. What had become of her ? ** Hullo !’* he cried, in an agony of alarm. gone. Where? Has she fallen into the water? No. Where then? Oh! oh! oh! This would be too awful, after what I’ve done for her. I—I-—I’ve killed a man, and well-nigh killed myself into the bargain. Oh! Where can she be gone to?”’’ He staggered to his feet. His legs and arms were most painfully cramped, from the great exertion he had undergone and the cold and damp he had lain in so long. Ah!” he cried of a sudden, his eyes fixed upon the ground by the river’s bank. ‘‘ There’s been some- one here whilst I was fainting. Here’s the foot- mark. And a man’s, too. Her dress has been dragged along the ground, too. And—Hullo! Why, as sure as fate, he’s taken her in his arms and carried her off. Here they’ve gone.” And now fora while he lost the trail. Patiently he went on, searching closely in every direction. At length he came toa large patch of moist clay soil, which he examinefl eagerly. “Huzzah! huzzah!’’ he cried. ‘‘ I have them now. There’s his big footmarks. And, then, now for it.” Like a bloodhound Penryth followed the faint track, until he came to another halt, apparently more fatal than the first. Here he was, in the mining plain, surrounded .by the implements of some pit now out of use. ‘‘ What can he have crossed here for? ’’ muttered Penryth. After a long search he came in front of the wooden door of the hut into which Rose Mortimer was borne by the miner. ib A piece of her dress was yet clinging to the splin- tered wood which had caught it upon entering. At sight of this Penryth turned ghastly pale. ‘* He’s taken her down the Danger Mine!” he muttered. ‘‘ Then by ! she’s lost to me.” He turned away, but for an instant only. Then he turned sharply back again, and advanced to the door. He Entered with a fixed determination, muttering aloud as he went— “Ill go. Ill follow them to the bottom of the Danger Mine, though it fall in and be the grave of us all,” ‘¢ She’s CHAPTER XXXIII. ROSE RECOVERS—DARKNESS—“‘ WHERE AM 1 ?°— DEATH—A FEARFUL POSITION—BLIND—THE LAMP—THE MINER—THE DANGER MINE AND THE PIT—GLOOM AGAIN—‘f COME BACK !”’—THE FATAL PIT. By slow and painful degrees Rose Mortimer re« turned to consciousness. A sensation of stifling closeness was the first the poor girl experienced upon regaining her senses. A kind of oppression, as in a place imperfectly ventilated. All was dark and silent as the grave. Thus went her thoughts to the latter, and she turned faint. ‘Ts it possible that this can be death ?”’ she asked herself, This idea, too, was but natural; The last thing she remembered in her varied career wis an action which must surely have terminated her ife. _ She had been thrown bound and helpless into the river. Cast into certain death. In the long trance which had followed her immer- sion the spirit had fled. This was a preliminary stage in the after-life which is so enshrouded in mystery. ~ And yet, while these strange thoughts flitted through her mind, she was cons-ious that she still retained her earthly form. While these painful cogitations occupied her atten- tion she moved about and discovered that the surface of the ground was rough and uneven. Shortly she stumbled, knocking her knees against a stone. This caused her some momentary pain, and not a little wonder, The sensation was decidedly mundane and uns; pleasant. The close black darkness of the place was a great puzzle to her. She was not in the open air. Two great reasons she had for arriving at this con clusion—most positively, too. The impenetrable gloom by which ske was sur- rounded. Had she been beneath the sky, with nothing to intercept the view, she could have distinguished some objects around. Upon the blackest nights, the moments preceding eclipses or violent storms, the skies at least are visible. And yet where was she ? The oppression of the atmosphere, the stifling sensation which she experienced, convinced her that she was in some kind of building. She continued her walk, still more rough and un- even than ever, for some time. But what could it mean? She came to no wall—no obstacle to her progress. Then the idea occurred to her that she might have been proceeding straight through some wide passage. Even then it must have been of an interminable length. * However, to be more sure, she veered round and continued her walk in the grim dark silence at right angles with her previous route. Five minutes did she progress, heedlesa of all obstacles, bumps, or stumbties. And yet she could find no wall of any kind. Wonder was now giving way to sensations of some= thing approaching fear. All was so silent, so fearfully silent. After looking about her, and straining her eyes 4 [email protected]