The Works of George W. M. Reynolds — page 29: what you’re looking at

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

12 REYNOLDS’ WORKS = and ascended to her own, and then was it that he stole down the private staircase to await the three raps at the door which were to signalize Lettice Rodney’s arrival. He was not kept long waiting, as the reader has seen. Now that we have given these requisite explanations, we resume the thread of our narrative. Having introduced Lettice into Mr. Stanhope’s chamber, the Duke of March- mont stole up-stairs to the floor above, and knocked at Amy Sutton’s door. The maid hastened to open it, for she had not as yet begun to undress herself, and on hearing the sum- mons, it immediately struck her that one of her fellow domestics must be taken ill. She was surprised at beholding the duke, — surprised only, but not startled, for it was in her nature to take things very coolly. For a moment the thought struck her that his Grace was now visiting her for a par- ticular purpose, which she would have resented in no meas- ured terms, but this idea was immediately dissipated when a glance showed her how troubled appeared his countenance. Indeed, Marchmont had studiously put on an excited and agitated look, while perhaps a certain sense of the deep villainy in which he was engaged rendered his features pale, and gave an air of reality to the troubled look which he thus assumed. | Placing his finger upon his lip to enjoin silence, he beck- oned the maid to follow him. This she unhesitatingly did, for she saw — or at least fancied she saw — that there was something wrong, and she had no fear of any improper treatment on the duke’s part, — in the first place, because he seemed to meditate nothing of the sort, and in the second place, because she had the fullest confidence in her own power to repulse and resent it, if he did. He had come without a light; she was at first about to follow with her own, but he made a sign for her to leave it, and she accom- panied him down the staircase. , There was a sitting-room on the same floor as the principal bedchambers of the establishment, and into this Marchmont led Amy. ‘“ Young woman,” he said, rendering his voice hoarse and thick, and speaking too in a low tone, as if he were in- deed profoundly agitated, ‘J do not for a minute imag- ine —I cannot suppose, indeed, that you are an accom- plice — ” CONNIE IOOKS (E(0)