The Works of George W. M. Reynolds — page 242: what you’re looking at

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

: THE INQUEST 225 expression quickly vanished from her features, she recollected the necessity of fortifying Hdmund’s mind as much as pos- sible, so that he should not be led into a betrayal of his guilt. She forced herself to speak kindly to him, and this perhaps she was the better enabled to do inasmuch as since he had become criminal she could hate him a trifle less than she had done before. Jor if virtue has its affections, so has crime; affinities of positions sometimes engender affinities of feelings. Besides, Lady Saxondale had resolved on pursuing a different course from that which she had heretofore adopted toward Edmund. Sternly resolved to wield the iron sceptre of domestic domination, she nevertheless purposed to treat him with a sufficient amount of kindness and indulgence, alter a certain fashion, as would make him insensible of the tyranny of her rule. He was to be her slave without pre- cisely knowing it. Through him would she continue the head of the house of Saxondale, even after his majority should be attained. Nominally he would be the owner of the wide domains and the lordly revenues, but she would virtually exercise supreme control over both. Such was the policy she intended to adopt; such were the prospects which were spread out before her. Edmund was in that frame of mind when the soothing words of kindness could not be lost upon him, ill-conditioned mortal though he were. Besides, it was a relief for him to reflect that his mother, after all, did not mean to make a reproach of the black guilt which he had perpetrated, and into which she had persuaded him. He accordingly looked up, and he acquired courage from her own firm and resolute demeanour. In less than half an hour from the moment of her arrival, she got him to talk upon the incidents of the tragedy. He described the details, stated how generously Hawkshaw had behaved to him, how accident had positively and literally helped him in his tale by sending the squire at the moment to the scene of the crime, and how the inquest had passed off favourably. ‘Tnis intelligence, which her ladyship had not previously heard, was most welcome to her, and she was also rejoiced that circumstances should thus have partially smitten down the barriers which had lately existed between Hawkshaw and the Saxondale family. Not that it was to be supposed the squire would repeat his visits, now that she was once more at the castle; but, at all events, GoOmichdoo <S (E(0)