Penny Blood Serial Fiction — page 178: what you’re looking at

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

~ LADY BESS’S HISTORY 161 the time by a black ingratitude. I had not forgotten how she had received me into her family when I was friendless and penniless at Havre after the robbery of the diligence, and I was anxious to reestablish myself in her good opinon, if I had really lost it. “On arriving at the house, which was in a genteel street at the West End of the town, I found all the blinds drawn down, and the aspect of the dwelling denoted the sombre eloom of death. On sending in my name, I was speedily admitted and was ushered into the presence of Mrs. Knight. She was overwhelmed with grief at her son’s death, but she received me most kindly; and believing my visit to be one of condolence and sympathy toward herself, thanked me | with fervid gratitude. I therefore saw at once that she entertained no evil opinion of me. After some little con- versation she began to touch upon the incident which had made me flee from Barcelona so precipitately. She said that at the time she naturally believed I was really guilty of the theft of the jewels, but that when she received the letter which I wrote at Don Christoval’s tower, and which I sent to the post through Frank at Southampton, she at once viewed the matter in quite a different light. She had questioned her son anew, and the confused answers he gave confirmed my tale of his villainy. Then he confessed every- thing, expressing deep contrition for what he had done, and his mother forgave him. She did not make the most distant - allusion to the incident of her son’s subsequent meeting with me on the borders of the Pyrenees, and having to sur- render up a portion of his clothing, or, rather, to make an exchange, and therefore I presumed that he had felt too much ashamed of his pusillanimity on the occasion to mention the event to his mother. With respect to her own affairs, she informed me that she had at length, and after a great deal of trouble, settled them satisfactorily, and that her fortune proved to be greater than she had at first an- ticipated. I condoled with her on the loss she had sustained in respect to her son, describing how I had witnessed the occurrence, and I took my leave of her, well pleased to find that I had not suffered in her good opinion.” 4 CONNIE DOOKS (FO)