The Twin Detectives; or, The Robbers of the Tomb — page 93: what you’re looking at

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

84 THE TWIN DETECTIVES. ‘Ring the bell; I want the boy to bring me up some hot water.” Hall occupied the next room. He heard the bell-boy an- swer his mother’s call. The boy left the room, and he’ listened. She moved about for a little while, then he heard her get into bed. She had not locked or bolted the door! Hall listened br eathlessly. | In a quarter of an hour he stole softly to the door and tried. it. The door opened at the first effort. «Mother, how are you?” he asked, in a whisper. There was no answer from the bed. She seemed to be sleeping heavily. | By the dim light of the gas, which was turned down, he saw that a considerable portion of the medicine was gone. Stealing softly to the trunk he tried it. The key of the trunk remained in the lock, but it had not been turned. ‘The other keys were on the ring. He opened the trunk, and took the bunch of keys in his hand. There lay the casket containing the papers. He lifted it out, and, fitting a small brass key in the lock, opened it without difficulty. He glanced at the bed. All was quiet. The sleeping draught had done its work ; she was sleeping soundly. Right on top of the articles in the casket lay the large blue envelope he had seen in his mother’s hand. It con- tained the proots of his mother’s marriage with the earl. His birth and baptism !—also the fatal paper that rated his hopes of gaining a title and fortune. _ He seized the envelope and thrust it in his pocket. Then he locked the casket, returned it to the trunk, and put the _keys where he had found them. - He now hastened away. As soon as he was back in his m ‘COMmICcbDOOKsS ((0) — =