The Works of George W. M. Reynolds — page 239: what you’re looking at

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

222 REYNOLDS’ WORKS / arose from the horrors of the preceding night, as the ocean retains the trouble of its waves for some time after the storm has swept by; they arose too from remorse, as well as from apprehension of the coming night; they arose also from a vague dread of the inquest, for though he saw not how the real truth could be suspected, yet conscience made him a coward; and they arose likewise from the idea of having to meet his mother, because that she would very probably, for appearance’ sake, hasten back into Lincolnshire on receiving the letter, he now began to surmise. _At about three o’clock in the afternoon, the coroner ar- rived at Saxondale Castle, and was speedily followed by the persons who had been summoned to serve as the jury, and who consisted chiefly of gentlemen or tenant-farmers dwell- ing in the neighbourhood. It was in the dining-rocom that the conclave assembled, and after the usual preliminaries, the coroner and the jury proceeded to view the body. ‘This was merely a formal matter,— those persons -contenting themselves with looking into the room where the corpse lay, and then retiring. All this while Edmund remained with Mr. Hawkshaw in the drawing-room. He had not as yet seen the body since it was taken forth from the water; and when once, for the sake of appearances, in the earlier part oi the day, he had cried out, in a suddenly feigned paroxysm of despair, ‘‘ that he would speed to embrace the remains of his beloved Adelaide,’ the well-meaning squire had held him back. The proceedings of the inquest occupied no great length of time. The physician who attended upon Edmund proved that death in respect to Adelaide had arisen from drowning; and when asked, as a mere matter of form, whether there were indications of violence having been used, he emphat- ically, and indeed most truthfully, responded in the negative. Hdmund was compelled to attend, and give an explanation of how the tragedy had occurred. The mortal terror which seized upon him when he found himself in the presence of the coroner and the jury took the semblance of an over- powering grief, and thus was all suspicion of foul play still effectually warded off. The account that he rendered was the same as that which he had given to Mr. Hawkshaw, though a little more detailed ; but he was soon suifered to quit the room, the coroner feeling deeply for him, Mr, Gomichbooks (E(0)