Penny Blood Serial Fiction — page 52: what you’re looking at

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

CHAPTER V THE PHYSICIAN AND THE LADY For some few weeks past, misfortunes and threatening calamities had seemed to strike Lady Saxondale blow after blow, but as each fresh source of inquietude manifested itself, she had assumed new courage to encounter it. Before any of these menacing casualties first transpired, had it been suddenly foretold to her that so many perils were to rise up in rapid succession before her throughout a coming period of but a few weeks, she would have shrunk appalled from the idea of meeting them, — she would have felt that they must prove overwhelming. But she had encountered them nevertheless; she had seen gulf after gulf yawn at her feet, and in the endeavour to stop up one she had with her own hands digged others around about her. All these sources of terror and apprehension had been great, but even as they had multiplied in her path, she had still boldly and resolutely pursued her way, quailing sometimes for a moment it is true, but plucking up her spirit again, and nerving her- self with fresh resolution to encounter all obstacles and grapple with all dangers. Such, up to this point, had been the history of the past few weeks with Lady Saxondale. But now a peril which she had least anticipated, which she had flattered herself to be most remote of all dangers that she stood even the shadow of a chance of encountering, — this one had suddenly presented itself before her. For she trembled to the very nethermost confines of her being at the bare thought of being known as Lady Saxondale to Doctor Ferney, — he who hitherto, for long, long years, had only known her as plain and simple Mrs. Smith. Was it any wonder, therefore, if the card dropped from 36 GOMIIGDOOKS (S(O)