The Works of George W. M. Reynolds — page 283: what you’re looking at

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

266 THI: COURT OF LONDON peated, addressing their words in the most piteous accents to Mrs. Ranger, and it was as if three despairing beauties were adjuring some withered witch to work her spells on their behalt. “What is to be done?” said Mrs. Ranger. ‘‘ What is to be done?” she repeated, slowly and deliberately. Then suddenly fixing her eyes upon the three young ladies with a look which had a horrible fascination in it, she said, in a deep tone but with accents that trembled not, “ Murder must be done, if we would save ourselves.”’ The three girls, who had been leaning forward, hanging, as it were, upon the slightest syllable to which the hag was to give utterance, started suddenly back as if she had changed all in a moment into a hideous reptile from which they recoiled loathingly, and though ejaculations of horror seemed to waver upon their lips, yet were they stifled ere sent forth. 3 ‘Yes, I mean what I say,’’ continued Mrs. Ranger. “ But I am not going to ask you to do the murderous deed. No, this Loftus and that Lady Prescott must be removed from our path; but itis Maravelli upon whose fears I will work — yes, ‘tis Maravelli,” she added, emphatically, ‘“ who shall become the executioner for us.” With these words Mrs. Ranger rose from her seat, her eyes remaining fixed with a cold, glistening, reptile-like gaze upon the three girls, who, horror-stricken and dismayed, were huddling together as if in the presence of some spectral shape. Then, having thus gazed as if to convince them that she was inspired with ali the energy now needed for the work- ing out of her desperate plans, Mrs. Ranger hurried from the room with a step as light and swift as that of youthfulness itself, and as the door closed behind her, the three sisters slowly turned their eyes upon each other with looks expres- sive of a horror beyond all power of description. EORMICLIOO KS (E(0) a)