Mezzoni the Brigand — page 123: what you’re looking at

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

, . MEZZONI THE BRIGAND. | 115 ‘“‘Frightful thought,’’ she replied, but did as he had directed her. Even at that critical moment they could not fail to observe the beauty of the night. The moon was at its full, and blazed down on the blackened and vol- canic ground in marvelous contrast. Broad day could hardly have been lighter, and to start with, while Walter knew that he was unpursued, this bril- hant accompaniment of the heavens was a favorable escort for their purpose. By the secret paths and cut-offs, known only to the robbers, they could pass over the mountain in one quarter of the time that would be required by strangers to accomplish the same distance. Walter knew this very well, but he also knew that their ig- norance of these paths might in one sense prove to be their means of safety, as the pursuers who should start out for them would not know what route to take. If they followed the shortest route to which they were accustomed, they would miss them of course. : The portion of narcotic which had been introduced into the brandy, he felt satisfied would chain the brains of those at the cave until morning, when he expected that the two men would undoubtedly start after them. But by that time he hoped to put a long distance between them and his fair charge. “We must travel all night, Marion.’’ ‘“T feel that I can do so,”’ she replied. “And then if we are notin a safe neighborhood, - we must keep hidden during the day.’’ “That certainly seems to be wise.”’ “T hope by the middle of the second night, at all events, to place you in safety.” “Oh! Walter,’’ for she had come to call him that, GComicbooks.co