The Works of George W. M. Reynolds — page 393: what you’re looking at

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

376 REYNOLDS’ WORKS toward Florina. What was she to do in respect to her whom she thus regarded as her rival? Even apart from that hatred which the spirit of jealousy had suddenly made her experi- ence for Florina, how could she possibly permit the engage- ment to continue between her son and that young lady? And yet, on the other hand, upon what pretext could she break off the engagement? Altogether, Lady Saxondale’s position was one of apprehension, bewilderment, torture, and perplexity, and in addition to the circumstanees con- nected with Deveril and Florina which had thus combined to make her wretched, there were others which struck their viper stings into her heart. This is not, however, the time nor place to analyze at any great length the feelings and thoughts of Lady Saxondale. The little which we have just said upon the subject was merely for the purpose of accounting for why she had not as yet sought her couch, and wherefore we find her seated alone in that abstracted mood and at so late an hour of the night, or, rather, at so early a period of the morning. In the depth of her disagreeable meditations it was no wonder that she observed not the presence of Chiffin the Cannibal; and as he, by making a short circuit in the room, was enabled to steal as it were close up behind her before she was aware of the intrusion, it was with a sudden start and a horrible access of terror that she felt a hand suddenly laid upon her shoulder. Wildly she sprang up, and on beholding herself confronted by that hideous-looking wretch, a scream was about to burst from her lips; but it was stifled, ere it broke forth, by the suddenness with which the Cannibal exclaimed, ‘“‘ Silence, or you are a dead woman,” and a pistol, gleaming in his hand, was presented close to her forehead. For an instant Lady Saxondale was paralyzed with terror, but her naturally strong mind almost immediately regained its self-possession, and she said, in a voice that was strangely calm under such circumstances, “‘ Remove that weapon; i will not create an alarm.”’ Tony Wilkins now made his appearance, and Lady Saxondale, perceiving that there were two ruffians, and thinking it quite probable that there might be. even more, felt that anything like resistance would be altogether vain, and that if she attempted to raise the household her life EORMIELOOOKS (E(@) nm