A Gentleman from Gascony: A Romance of the Huguenots — page 191: what you’re looking at

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

BENEATH THE SHADOW OF THE AXE, 187 to be executed to-morrow at daybreak. To-morrow! Arouse yourself! Arouse!” with another vigorous shake.. “Awake, I say! It is I, Annibal Goujon, the terror of——” But just here a strange transformation took place. The gypsy, flinging off the blanket, started up into a sitting posture, and confronted the terrible sergeant with a cocked pistol, held not two inches from his fiery nose. 7 With a howl of fear, Goujon fell heavily to his knees, and held up his hands in an attitude of supplication. At the same instant Raoul sprang forward, and using the bent back of the trembling coward as a step, leaped on to the window-sill, and from there dropped lightly to the floor of the platform. With a thrill of excitement, Mirza saw the action. “Look! look!” she cried to Griffo. ‘“ What is that light on the opposite bank!” The soldier turned, and at the same instant the Tzigana snatched up the half-empty flask, and poured the remainder of the contents over the lock of the arquebuse, which rested against the parapet. Meanwhile the chevalier had stolen like a ghost across the platform and was mounting the iron ladder which led to the roof of the other tower. “T see no light,” said Griffo, shading his eyes with his hand. “You are not looking in the right direction,” ex- claimed Mirza, seizing his arm and twisting him about. “Over there! near the Pont des Arts.” The fugitive had reached the top of the tower. To unwind the rope from his waist and attach it to the flagstaff was the work of but a moment. Then grasp- ing the rope, he commenced the descent, hand over Eomicboo S (©)