The Works of George W. M. Reynolds — page 304: what you’re looking at

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

THE DEED OF A NIGHT 287 not your parting words to me, on the day preceding the night of that crime, that sooner than marry Isabella you would do the very worst? ”’ “Ah! but you, Ethel, echoed those words,’’ retorted Adolphus; “‘ and you declared that sooner than see me lead Isabella to the altar, you would do the very worst. Me- thought at the time you alluded to suicide —’’ ‘And I did,” ejaculated Ethel, vehemently. “ But I, on my part, thought at the time that you meant to dare my husband’s anger and vengeance even to the uttermost —’’ “And I did mean all that,’’ exclaimed Adolphus. “‘I meant that sooner than wed Isabella after all you had said, I would flee away to the Continent and let the earl expose, repudiate, discard me if he thought fit. Yes, that was my meaning. But yours, Ethel, was very, very different.’’ ‘“No, Adolphus, as God is my judge,” cried the countess, passionately, ‘‘ I swear —”’ ‘For Heaven’s sake add not perjury and blasphemy,”’ interrupted Adolphus, with an air of horror and _aftfright, “+o the other stupendous crime! For it is I who swear — I who take God to witness —”’ “No, no,” almost shrieked forth Ethel, “become not a perjurer; become not a blasphemer.”’ It was now the Earl of Lascelles who stamped his foot with rage, and he began pacing the room lke a lion chafing in his den, while Ethel took shorter but not less agitated walks to and fro on the hearth-rug. ‘“ Adolphus,’ she at length said, abruptly stopping him, and looking fixedly upon his countenance, “‘ you seem to have forgotten that you told me the tale of that interview with the earl, when he revealed to you that you were not his son. Oh, be not thus obstinate. Remain silent, if you will, but do not — do not persevere in a course as dreadful as it is dastard. Do not, by attributing the crime to me, for an instant entertain the hope that you can make me think it was not your hand which really perpetrated it. Had you not every motive? Were you not trembling at the idea of losing rank, position, fortune? Did you not therefore say to yourself that you would for ever silence the lips that alone could tell the tale, for you knew that mine were already sealed by that guilty love which had subsisted between us.”’ “Tf I have listened to you in silence,’ responded Adolphus, CORnNIEOOOKS (SO)