Beautiful Rienzi; or, The Secret Vendetta — page 138: what you’re looking at

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

BEAUTIFUL RIENZI. 131 ‘No, indeed,” I answered, in a tremulous voice; “but there is perhaps truth in your surmise for all that. Papa, a very strange thing happened last night. May I tell it to you and these gentlemen just now?” My father came near and sat beside me, and supported me with his arm. “Go on, my daughter,” he said, not a little anxiously. I related the whole of last night's experiences as faith- fully and minutely as my stammering tongue and burning thirst would allow me. ‘The three gentlemen listened in blank amazement. ‘‘What—what in Heaven’s name would you call that?” exclaimed my father, when I had finished. ‘ An attempt to poison a young girl in her own room?” The lawyer seized a pen, and proceeded to commit my story to paper, with many interspersed questions, The doctor seized the tumbler and retired to the window with it. ‘“Now,” said Mr. Speingle, throwing down his pen, *‘ my Opinion is that you’ve got some wretched enemy or con- spirator, and he or she is at the bottom of all your troubles. The attempt at——” Ge ‘‘Poison!” interposed Dr. Graves, turning round. ‘© At poison,” repeated Mr.’Speingle, ‘‘ which was made last night on the person of your daughter, proves that the animus is not directed against one member of your family, but against both. My advice to you, sir, is to send your family out of the city, to some safe place and put the whole of this affair into the hands of the authorities. Your lives are not safe at this rate.” « Safe!” responded the doctor, ‘‘safe*”—they’re not worth an hour’s purchase! That girl has been nearly stifled with chloroform, and plied with poison to boot—rank poison! This tumbler is lined with it—the very smell is deadly. Get them out of this, sir, away to the country with them, where nobody’ll know anything about them; the other one will die on your hands if you don’t.” While thus my unhappy father was being conjured on either side, my mother, with somewhat of an anxious face, entered the room. The instant’ her eyes lit on me, she clasped her hands With an involuntary gasp of alarm. ‘«¢ How ill you look!” she cried. ‘‘Indeed Sophie was right. Good-morning, Mr. Speingle. Ah, doctor, [ am cS (<(0) Comichboo