Ruby's Reward — page 308: what you’re looking at

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

She wondered now that she had not suspected something of the kind. She might have known, she thought, that, desperate as he was, he would uot have left her so peaceably at Forestvale except to adopt stronger measures for the accomplishment of hia purpose. = Doubtless he belicved that she had the will coi- cealed upon her person, and intended to keep her there, a priaoner, until she would give it up, or pledge herself:to secrecy regarding it. She could but acknowledge that the whole thing had been very cleverly planned, and she felt a good deal relieved, and at the same time a little tri- umphant, that she had not the will with her after all. She believed it would be safe where it wus, and sbe could thus defy Edmund Carpenter to the end, He would not find hera very submissive prisoner, and she would at least have the satisfaction of try- ing his patience to the ntmost. still her position was anything but agreeable, and she sat down and tried to think calmly what she could do to ameliorate it. : 8he knew that Mr. Ruggles would be very munch troubled by her mysterious disappearance. Still she reasoned that he would be likely to suspect Edmund Carpenter, and would leave no stone unturned to dis- cover her whereabouts. Yet everything had been conducted so skillfully she doubted if he would know where to look for her; she believed it would be difficult for even a detective to tind her. Mr. Ruggles had promised to send a carriage for her; one had come according to his word, and she had entered and been driven away, while it was doubtful if, in the rain and confusion, any of the ser- vants had noticed the number of it; she had not thought to look herself, while her driver could never be identitied, for he had been so disguised by his waterproot and havelock, Perhaps, after all, it had not been a public carriage, butu private ve ile ire for the special purpose of decoying her. SoG MEE