The Twin Detectives; or, The Robbers of the Tomb — page 73: what you’re looking at

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

64 THE TWIN DETECTIVES. ‘Well, I’ll try and find out all I can, Mclean,” he said, after a rather long silence. “Do so; but, Archy, if I thought you could for one mo- ment cherish the thought that I fancied I read in your eyes a minute ago, | would turn against you as bitterly as your mother has done.” ‘“What thought? McLean, what are you driving at?” ‘© The thought of murder !” replied McLean, slowly. Archy’s dark countenance once more turned ghastly pale. He walked away without a word, and went below. McLean remained lost in thought, leaning over the rail. Mrs. Hall sat in her state-room next morning; she looked as gloomy and ill-tempered as usual. ‘*Good-morning, mother!” said her son, coming into the narrow state-room and taking a seat beside her on the little settee. ‘‘ I want to say a few words to you.” “What do you want to say?” “Well, I was thinking, mother, about all kinds of things last night, and it came into my head that perhaps you did not understand Scotch law.” “Yes,” she said, looking up with apparent interest. “Yes. You are an Englishwoman, and you were very young when I was born. When was I born, mother ?” A bitter smile curled her lip, and she looked at him scorntully. ‘“So McLean has been fooling you with some of his stories,” she said. ‘‘ He sees where your fancy turns—your tastes were always low—and he thinks there is a slim chance that his beautiful milkmaid would make a very good countess. Ha! ha!” ‘‘ Mother, you are mad! I believe you have been wrong- ing yourself and me all your life.” ‘‘Do you, indeed? You are mistaken; you will never be Earl of Cuthbert.” | _‘‘ Mother, I know you do not love me; but, surely, you m => Eomicbooks.co