The Curse Upon Mitre Square — page 45: what you’re looking at

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

THE TRAGEDIES AT THE HIGH ALTAR. 37 the woman by the throat ; a dozen times he gashed the face ; the knife descended with hghtning rapidity —pools of blood deluged the altar steps. With a demon’s fury the monk then threw down the corpse and trod it out of very recognition. He spat upon the mutilated face, and, with his remaining strength, he ripped the body open and cast the entrails round about. The man who had watched this scene of carnage now feared to approach, for the murderer held up his blood-stained knife in triumph, and, in his madness, called upon his patron saint and claimed a benedic- tion for his deed. Exhausted, the monk now threw himself upon his knees, and mumbled a confused medley of prayer and imprecation. ‘Then he got up and faced the villain whose scheme had been his ruin. His thirst for blood now whetted, the monk would have killed the man, but the latterstepped aside and, pointing to the corpse, bade Martin look more closely at his victim. The woman’s mouth was open, the moonlight streamed through the window, and Martin looked intently at the corpse. Maniac as he was, he saw that the roof of the mouth was gone. The striking resemblance of the woman to himself he remembered; an inspiration suddenly dawned upon him; he looked inquiringly at the ruffian opposite, and read in his countenance a confirmation of the awful thought. An agonising cry escaped his lips, he seized thé knife, and plunged it deep into his heart, and fell a corpse upon his murdered sister. GOmilicooo <S (E(@) m