The Dugdale Millions — page 287: what you’re looking at

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

CHAPTER XXVIII. THE COURSE OF TRUE LOVE, THE excursion upon the river was abandoned, Lord Merrimount led Dick away, as soon as he was permitted to escape from the crowd, anxious to know the cause of the excitement, followed by Bessie and Wallis, still greatly agitated by the ordeal through which they had passed. Though much bruised and cut Dick recovered quickly from the dazed condition which immediately followed his rescue, and was soon enabled, as they walked toward Springhill, to tell how he had been attacked. He told them that as he reached the roof of the tunnel, hurrying rapidly with Bessie’s wrap thrown over his shoulder, two men sprang out from behind a clump of low trees, and without word or threat seized him upon eitherside and rushed him toward the edge of the precipice. His surprise at this attack had been go great that it was not until he was on its very brink that he made effort to resist them. He thought he would have succeeded in his struggle, had it not been for the aid given his assailants by a third man, who approached from behind and whose added strength forced him over. Notwithstanding the nervous condition he was naturally in, he did not fail to note with secret joy in his heart that Bessie made no effort to conceal her air of proprietorship of him, though apparently it was unnoticed by either Lord Merrimount or Wallis, preter- gaturally sharp as the latter always was. It is doubt. ful whether Dick at that time reasoned upon the matter, and iy oe had it is probable he wouid have ascribed 877 Comicboclk C@ 3