The Works of George W. M. Reynolds — page 289: what you’re looking at

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

272 THE COURT OF LONDON the morning, so full of misgivings and apprehensions after that fearful incident of last night, —I mean the bringing home of that child’s corpse, —that my brain has been clouded and my recollections all thrown into disorder. Yes, now [ remember, I have seen that handsome man at a distance on one occasion, following the princess’s retinue. But what, in Heaven’s name, does he seek with Loftus? ” “Lady Prescott, that is, your Mrs. Roberts,’ resumed Mrs. Ranger, ‘‘ has been to the villa this morning.”’ ‘““ And all is discovered, all is exposed? ’’ exclaimed Mara- velli, trembling from head to foot. ‘Yes — no — that is, 1t will be, and ruin must overtake us all —”’ | “Then what is to be done? ” interrupted Maravelli. “ Hush! not so loud, we shall be overheard.’’ ‘“ But let us fly, let us fly!” hastily resumed the frightened physician. ‘‘ We will depart together. I will help you to escape, for escape we must. Do you know the penalties which we have incurred? I, branding, yes, branding with a red-hot iron — O God! searing deep down into the flesh, besides imprisonment, and you imprisonment also, and those three girls — oh, it 1s too horrible to contemplate. Let us fly.”’ “Fly! Coward, fool!’ said Mrs. Ranger, again making use of those epithets of scorn, and again speaking in a voice that was thick and husky. ‘‘ Whither can we fly? Must we not go with passports? Should we not be traced, pursued, overtaken? ”’ “True — my God! too true,’ groaned Maravelli, now wringing his hands in despair. “ Will you be calm?” asked Mrs. Ranger, once more eriping him by the wrist, but now shaking him violently. “Look you, I am not cast down, I am not yielding to despair. And why? Because I know that, desperate as are the perils which menace us, they may be averted, counteracted. The game is not altogether in the hands of our enemies. We can yet play it out for ourselves, ay, and win it, too,” she added, with a malignant leer. “Oh, if this be really true? ’’ said Maravelli, clasping in hopefulness the hands which he had a few moments back wrung in despair. ‘‘ But what makes you think that the dangers can be averted? ”’ EORMIECLIOO KS (E(0)