Penny Blood Serial Fiction — page 240: what you’re looking at

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

CHAPTER XXIII MR. PAGE’S RESEARCHES Our readers will remember that we left Mr. Page in his bed at the George and Blue Boar, at the time when awaking in the morning after his night’s adventures in the eastern district of London, he found himself attacked by a violent fit of rheumatism. It will likewise be recollected that he sent for medical assistance; and the doctor immediately recommended him to take a warm bath. This the com- mercial traveller did; and, on returning to his bed, he fell into a sound sleep. | It was four o’clock in the afternoon when he awoke; and he found himself so much better that he got up and sat by the fire. A basin of mock-turtle soup, which he then dis- cussed, appeared to improve him still more; and he was able to walk about his room with comparative ease, the rheumatism having subsided into a mere sensation of stiffness in the limbs. On making inquiries of the waiter, he ascertained that his employer, Mr. Hodson, had called in the course of the day; but on being informed that Page was asleep, the mer- chant had taken his departure, as he was unwilling to dis- turb him. Our readers have seen quite enough of the commercial traveller to be well aware that his disposition was of the most restless, bustling, and excitable nature; and they will not therefore be surprised when we inform them that he was most anxious to make certain researches suggested by one oi the papers contained in the pocketbook. This document was the scrap whereon the following lines were scrawled with a pencil, and in a tremulous hand: ““ Look under the stone in the farthest corner of the room, 223 eonnicbools (F©@)