The Works of George W. M. Reynolds — page 373: what you’re looking at

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

306 © THE COURT OF LONDON overtook the three assassins, upon whom they seized and who turned to defend themselves. Here it was pitch-dark and the struggle took place in the dense obscurity. Loftus and Bergami, having each grappled with his man, held them fast with desperate tenacity, and a third remained to attempt the rescue of friends, but dared not use his dagger to stab at random in the dark lest he should wound them instead of — their assailants. As for the two men themselves who were thus seized upon, so firmly were they pinioned by our hero and the royal equerry that though violent were their strug- gles, yet were their arms held fast and they could not use their weapons. in less than a minute the villa was all alive, doors were opening, female voices were heard giving vent to deafening shrieks, and the men-servants came rushing down from the uppermost stories. Lights were brought to the scene of action, and there Hernani and Walden were found safe pinioned in the grasp of Bergami and Loftus, while Kobolt, the moment the gleam of: the first light flashed upon the figure of the royal equerry, was seized with so mortal a terror that he staggered against the wall, his hmbs becoming as heavy as lead and disabling him from flight. For it naturally struck him that this was the same person whom but a minute or two back he had felt assured that he had leit dead at the end of the passage below. The capture of the three men was now effected without much difficulty by the aid of the domestics who appeared upon the scene, and from something which Kobolt in his terror and bewilderment let fall from his lips, Loftus and Bergami at once proceeded to Mrs. Ranger’s room. ‘They knocked at the door, and in a voice of alarm from within she asked, ‘‘ Who is there? ”’ ‘“ Open, madam, open! ”’ exclaimed Loftus, in a command- ing tone. ‘No, no, I cannot, I am undressed,’’ half-screamed the wretched woman, all her courage breaking down in a moment, for it struck her that the murderers had been arrested and that everything was discovered. Without another word did Bergami and Jocelyn burst open the door, and instead of finding Mrs. Ranger dis- apparelled, they at once perceived that she had not laid aside a single article of raiment, nor made the slightest prepara- EORMICLIOO KS (E(0) im