A Gentleman from Gascony: A Romance of the Huguenots — page 180: what you’re looking at

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

CHAPTER XIX. BENEATH THE SHADOW OF THE AXE, Tue reflections of Raoul de Puycadére were anything but agreeable, as he lay immured in one of the dun- geons of the Grand Chatelet. But a short week ago, he had been possessed of all the dearest wishes of his heart—an honorable post with the master he most wished to serve, and the accepted lover of the sweetest and fairest girl in France. And now—with no power to fulfil the commands’ of his king, alienated from the lady of his heart, a prisoner with no possibility of escape, and condemned to die by the axe of the headsman. The chevalier was no coward, but he was young and life was sweet to him. He cursed the foolhardy actions which had led him to this point of disaster. Had he but followed the good physician’s advice, he would have remained concealed at the Green Dragon until it had been time for him to start on his mission. Then the encounter with the duke would have been avoided, the young man would still be alive, there would be no cloud of blood between him- self and Gabrielle, and all would be well. With a muttered exclamation of mingled disgust at himself and despair at his situation, he rose from the pallet of straw on which he had flung himself, and, pushing a wooden stool beneath the window, mounted it and looked out between the iron bars. Gomicbooks (E(0)