The Works of George W. M. Reynolds — page 38: what you’re looking at

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

CHAPTER III THE HEIR RETURN we now to Saxondale Castle, the inmates of which were thrown into the utmost grief, consternation, and dismay by the daring theft of the child. The nurse-maid from whom the infant Edmund had been stolen gave an account of the transaction similar to that which Chiffn the Cannibal gave to Ralph Farefield. She said that while walking on, a little in front of the other servant, and while following the cir- cuitous bend of the pathway which wound around a knot of trees standing on the river’s bank about a quarter of a mile from the castle, a man with a black mask on his face suddenly rushed forth from amidst those trees, and, tearing the child forcibly from her arms, sped away. She shrieked out and fell down senseless. It further appeared that the other nurse-maid, hearing the cry, hastened to the spot, and was horror-stricken on finding her fellow servant lying, as she thought, dead, and the infant gone. She caught sight of the rufhan just as he was springing over a hedge at some distance, and then he disappeared from her view. When recovering her presence of mind, she ascertained that her companion was not dead, but only in a swoon, and dipping her handkerchief into the river, she applied it to her counte- nance, and by those means brought her back to conscious- ness. Both the servant-maids, with the two remaining children, then hastened back as quickly as they could to the castle, and gave the alarm. As we above stated, and as may easily be supposed, the consternation and grief caused by the astounding intelli- gence were immense. Lady Saxondale was at first abso- lutely petrified, but the old lord gave way to the most frenzied anguish. Her ladyship soon recovered her presence of mind, 21 GomiGaooks (SO)