The Works of George W. M. Reynolds — page 253: what you’re looking at

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

236 THE COURT OF LONDON On reaching his temporary place of abode, he was ad- mitted by the physician himself, who generally answered the | bell at late hours, and when the front door was closed, Loftus said, ‘‘ Let me at once enter your private room, and take care that no one intrudes.”’ ‘“ Hivery one in the house has retired to rest save you and me,’ said the doctor. “‘ But what, in Heaven’s name, have you there? ’”’ he asked. ‘’ You shall see,’’ returned our hero, and he hastened into the httle sombre-looking parlour, followed by Maravelli. “Ah! I can now guess what you have been about,” said the latter, with a frightened look. ‘“‘ You have found the fishers of men; they have fished for you to some purpose. But what on earth is the meaning of all this? What mis- chief is brewing? Speak, let me know the worst,” and the doctor trembled all over, as if shaking with the palsy, while the pallor of death overspread his countenance. . “I have already told you,” said Jocelyn, in an earnest voice, “ that you have nothing to fear on my account. No harm shall befall you, provided you do everything that I require at your hands. I am not warring against you; I have no personal enmity toward you. On the contrary, I have already given you a guarantee of my ability and desire to recompense you.”’ “With these assurances I am tranquillized,”’ said the physician. While this colloquy was going on, Jocelyn had placed his burden upon the table, and had loosened the canvas wrapper. It now appeared that a large stone was tied in a white cam- bric handkerchief around the neck of the dead infant. This Jocelyn removed, and then unrolled the flannel that had enveloped the corpse. Its face was horribly disfigured, and was not distinguishable as the countenance of a human being. But upon this we will not dwell. Loathsome indeed was the object, and Jocelyn’s repugnance to meddle with it, or to think of keeping it for any time instead of at once consigning it to the earth, was only overruled by a conviction that the proceeding was one of imperious necessity and vitally important to the success of the great enterprise which he had in view. But to continue. In order to proceed with his investiga- tion it was necessary to procure a basin of water wherein to ————— OO ee EO SL) eee EORMICE NOVO KS (E(0)