Thrice Wedded, but Only Once a Wife — page 86: what you’re looking at

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

THRICE WEDDED. an Two hours passed, and again donning ne disguise, Ronald again made his way through the closets into the adjoining room. He left his candle just within the closet, partly closing the door, so that the light should not disturb the sleepers. He smiled triumphantly as he heard their deep, regular breathing, while he coolly set himself about investigating their luggage.” He found nothing there that seemed satisfactory, and so turned his attention to their clothing. He found two wallets filled with money and drafts; but these he put back again, after a careful examination of their contents, and without taking anything from them. It was evident that money was not the object of his mid- night visit. At length he found another smaller wallet in the breast- pocket of the squire’s coat. ‘I'his he took to the light and opened. It contained a number of papers, which he carefully eX- amined, and then laid aside with evident disappointment. The last one was in his hand, and he hesitated a moment before opening it, as if he dreaded to have his hopes blasted by not finding it to be the one he sought. At length, with a halt-desperate, half-resigned air, he nn- folded it. The instant his eyes caught sight of its contents his whole face lighted up with sudden joy. It was the long-lost and long-searched-for paper! “Ah!” he whispered to himself, with a deep sigh of relief. ‘“Now I begin to feel like a man once more!” Hastily unfolding it and concealing it about his person, he replaced the other papers, and laid the clothing back as he had found it. Then picking up the candle, he returned as noiselesslv to his room as he had come, where after care- fully replacing the board he had removed, he had retired to bed and slept soundly until morning. CHAPTER XII. TRAPPED. The day following broke clear, bright and beautiful, and at an early hour a vast crowd was assembled in the great : - hall of Institute. EComicbooks.co