The Twin Detectives; or, The Robbers of the Tomb — page 17: what you’re looking at

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

8 Ws THE TWIN DETECTIVES. a small, nervous man, very tenacious about his dignity, and rather inclined to be severe. One of the late earl’s favorites on the estate was Malcolm McLean, his steward. He was intrusted with matters of great importance, arfd during the earl’s long absence from Montrose Hall, he was really master of the estate. He was a middle-aged man in comfortable circumstances, and his family consisted of a son, Donald, and a daughter, Jean. The earl had built an elegant cottage for McLean, and loaded him with benefits. He had the utmost confidence in him, and felt as if the faithful steward was his dearest friend. He had been most assiduous in his attentions to the dying nobleman, and was the last person he spoke to. He addressed his parting words to McLean; they were: “Be faithful to Lord Nugent!’ The steward bowed his head on his hands, too much over- come by his emotions to reply. Three days after the disappearance of the earl’s body a man presented himself at McLean’s cottage. The steward was in want of another gamekeeper, and the stranger ap- _ plied for the situation. He furnished excellent credentials, and was engaged. He appeared a frank, pleasant young man, with a rosy, open countenance, thick, curly black hair, a heavy black mustache and eyebrows, and. bright, blue eyes. ‘He said he was an Englishman, and his name was George Hayden. ‘‘’m a stranger in Scotland, Mr. McLean,” he said; very respectfully; ‘‘and I will be dependent on you for advice. Can you recommend me a boarding-house?” McLean considered for a few moments. His cottage was too large for his own use, and he was fond of money. (E(0) m Eomicbooks