The Works of George W. M. Reynolds — page 257: what you’re looking at

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

240 REYNOLDS’ WORKS ‘““Now, my dear fellow,’ said Lord Charles Meredith, when they were out of the alley, and therefore out of view of the house which they had recently left, “‘ pray explain your- self, for to tell you the truth, I cannot for the life of me understand this last proceeding on your part.” ‘Tt is easily explained,’ responded Stanley, “‘ but we have yet much to do, and the most difficult as well as the most perilous part of our enterprise is still to be performed.” ‘Proceed; I am all attention,” rejoined the nobleman. ‘“ But unless we get back our purses and our watches, it will be rather an expensive night’s entertainment,” he added, with a laugh. ‘Those we may give up for lost,” answered Stanley, ‘ but - I think we may hold that loss cheap enough, 1f we succeed in surrendering a murderer into the hands of justice.” “But your project? ’’ said Lord Charles, inquirinely. ‘Do you mean to go and fetch the police? ”’ “No. As we have commenced the business by ourselves,’’ answered Stanley, “‘ we will have the satisfaction of carrying itout. Listen, Meredith. We have excellent reasen to believe that the villain Barney is in that house, and what is more, that he is in the room precisely above that where we were seated, for I was attentive to the sounds of Mother Bam- bridge’s footsteps when she went up with the wine. ‘These are great points gained, and far more than we could have expected as the result of the first night’s search. But the first night’s search shall be the last, or | am very much mis- taken. I see that you do not understand me. Let us turn into this street; it 1s the one behind the alley from which we have emerged.’’ ‘And your reason for letting us be robbed so quietly? ”’ inquired Lord Charles. ‘Those bullies were evidently brought in to pounce upon us suddenly when Mother Bambridge hoped to persuade us to go up-stairs to bed. If, an attack being made, we had resisted them, we should have shown ourselves to be sober, and whether conquerors or conquered, the suspicion which our behaviour had already excited would have been econ- firmed. The wretches would have felt convinced that we had an ulterior object; perhaps they would have supposed that we were looking for Barney, but at all events for se- curity’s sake they would quickly have got him off to some CONNIE OO KS (EO) m