The Works of George W. M. Reynolds — page 340: what you’re looking at

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

THE LISTENERS 1392 “ Oh, cease these details,” interrupted Agatha. ‘‘ Do what you will, take any step you consider necessary, no matter how desperate, to save us all from this gulf of ruin which yawns at our feet. But, my God! spare me the details, spare me the details! Would to Heaven that the next week, or even the next four and twenty hours, were over! ”’ “Now, do not give way to this puling language,” said Mrs. Ranger, harshly. ‘“‘ Be a woman of courage; take a lesson from me. Have I not told you, on former occasions, that when circumstances require energetic action, I shake off the nervousness and the affectation of the woman, and buckle on an armour of strength and effrontery such as men themselves might be proud to wear? Come, you must not remain too long away from the drawing-room. Go back, sustain your own spirits, and do all you can to cheer your sisters. And mind,’ added Mrs. Ranger, impressively, ‘‘ not a syllable, not a single syllable to either of them, least of all to Emma, relative to the decision to which I have come in respect to Bergami. I now go forth to find Kobolt and his gang, who, from what Maravelli told me this morning, are sure to be found dragging the lake at the jetty.”’ Having thus spoken, Mrs. Ranger hastened away from the apartment where the preceding colloquy had taken place, while Agatha, after remaining for a few minutes to compose her looks and settle her thoughts, went back to the drawing-room. It was now nine o’clock, and Bergami had returned. When Agatha entered the room, she found him seated on a soia, apparently engaged with a book, but he was in reality watching Emma’s looks and manner, in order to see whether from any little circumstance he could possibly judge if she had betrayed to her sisters the scene which had taken place in the shade of the knot of trees. Presently the young lady, catching his look and perceiving in it a kind of inquiring expression, seized an opportunity to approach him under pretence of showing him a print at which she had been look- ing at the table, and as she bent down, she said, in the lowest possible whisper, “‘ I see that you are observing me, but I have not broken my word.” “It is well,” was the responsive whisper that came from the equerry’s lips, accompanied by a look of deep meaning. GOmMmiicdoo! <S) (C(O) im