Penny Blood Serial Fiction — page 145: what you’re looking at

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

128 THE ‘COURT OF LONDON dead of night; and he feared that if an alarm were raised in that dwelling, it would spread throughout the neighbour- hood, so that their recapture would certainly ensue. On the other hand, he conjectured that if he were te open the door and issue forth himself, the baronet, in his anxiety to escape, would not have the prudence or forethought to remain a little while behind; and, in this perplexity, Page resolved upon a course which was in reality motived only by a precautionary sense, whereas it subsequently appeared in Sir Richard Stamford’s estimation to be a deed of mag- nanimous generosity. | In a word, then, the commercial traveller opened the door as noiselessly as he could, and, seizing the baronet’s arm, pushed him gently forth. Sir Richard was only too glad to obey the impulse, and the moment he had crossed the threshold into the open air, the door was closed behind him. It was at this instant that a groan, apparently coming from an upper story, but sounding with a sepulchral hollow- ness, as if it were in an empty house, fell upon the startled ears of the commercial traveller. Still he listened, instead of rushing precipitately from the place, for the moan he had heard was rather an indication of great agony, either mental or physical, than of alarm arising from any disturb- ance in the house. | The groaning was repeated and continued; and the com- mercial traveller, ever prying and inquisitive, began to experience an inclination to satisfy his curiosity in respect to these doleful sounds. Creeping to the bottom of the stairs, he again listened with breathless attention; and now the moaning, which every instant became more intense, was mingled with ejaculations of pain and broken sentences conveying some idea of the forlorn position of the wretch who uttered them. “Oh, this is dreadful — dreadful! To be deserted — left to die alone — alone — alone — all alone —in this desolate place! Waull no one come? — a single drop of water —only a single drop — my God! my God! ”’ The commercial traveller had gathered sufficient to con- vince him that he incurred not the slightest risk by ascend- ing to the succour of the unhappy man whose lamentations thus reached his ears; and he accordingly groped his way u> a narrow stairease, until a faint hight, glimmering through COMMIEOOOKS (E(@)