The Works of George W. M. Reynolds — page 203: what you’re looking at

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

186 THE COURT OF LONDON and the power to range and rove amidst nature’s sweetest spots at will with the monotony and the suffocating sensa- tion experienced in the tomblike walls of a prison. While he was thus standing upon the bank of Lake Leman, with the shades of evening closing in around him, he sud- denly heard the tones of a female voice at a little distance. Listening more attentively, he could perceive that they were the accents of anguish, the wail of bitter repinings and of despair. Suddenly they ceased, and Jocelyn, straining his eyes in the direction whence they came, thought he could distinguish a female figure higher up the bank toward Geneva. Hesitating whether he should advance and ascer- tain if 1t were any distress that admitted of his power to alleviate, or whether such a proceeding might not be an intrusion upon the sanctity of a sorrow that had perhaps sought the solitude of the place and hour to give itself vent and indulge in the luxury of unseen tears, he remained standing where he was. But in a few moments he heard a heavy plunge, as of a human being falling into the water, followed by a gurgling sound. Not another instant did he hesitate, but speeding toward the spot, he at the moment beheld a female, clad in a dark dress, rise to the surface of the lake. Plunging in, Jocelyn grasped her garments, and with some difficulty drew her to land. She was not altogether senseless, but panted and gasped fearfully, so that he thought hfe must pass away in the midst of those strong spasms. He scarcely knew how to assist her, for delicacy prevented him from tearing open her garments so as to allow free scope for the expansion of her chest and the full play of the air in her lungs, but he was about to sacrifice this sentiment to the emergency of the ‘ease, when the lady appeared to revive all in a moment. We say lady, because such she seemed to be, as well as Jocelyn could make any observation concerning her in the uncertain light which dimly shone upon the scene. “Oh, what have you done?’’ she exclaimed, in accents penetrated with despair, as she glanced wildly around and then fixed her eyes upon Jocelyn; but the next moment springing from his arms as he was supporting her, she rushed down the bank and plunged again into the water. Fortunate was it for her that the moon now suddenly broke forth in all its splendour, bathing the surrounding EORNIELIOO KS, (EC)