The Works of George W. M. Reynolds — page 270: what you’re looking at

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

THE VILLA 203 reader will have seen, the marquis entertained the suspicion that his nephew Lord Harold had some connection with the impending treachery, for he thought he could discover traces of the young nobleman’s writing in the imitation of his own hand in the forged letter. Judging from antecedent circumstances, he had come to the conclusion that if his nephew were really so connected with the plot, whatever it might be, Lady Saxondale was also sure to be init. It was therefore necessary to fathom the whole proceeding to the very bottom; and, still anxious to save his nephew from the ignominy of figuring in a criminal tribunal, the Marquis of Eagledean had decided upon adopting the measure of watch- ing inside the villa, so as to not merely frustrate the intended treachery, but also capture whomsoever might be found entering the premises. That there would not be many per- sons whose arrival might be thus expected, was naturally judged from the circumstance that means had been taken to get William Deveril out of the way, so that only a few women would have to be dealt with. The nature of the arrangement devised by the marquis had been duly com- municated to Angela by her brother, when he returned from Edenbridge. Indeed, he came up to London from the Park with the marquis, Lord Everton, Francis Paton, and Count Christoval, this last-mentioned personage being on a visit there at the time. Nothing, however, was said to the female servants at the villa, for fear lest at the very first alarm they should be led to call out for succour notwith- standing any injunctions to the contrary, and thus prompt the expected intruders to take to a precipitate flight, thereby frustrating the hope of the marquis to make them prisoners and fathom the entire proceeding to the bottom. It was regarded as a matter of certainty that blood would not be shed uselessly by the agents of the dark and mysterious treachery which was impending, and that whosoever came would be contented with binding the female servants and intimidating them by threats into silence. Such were the calculations, the motives, and the plans of the Marquis of Eagledean. We should further observe that, at about ten o’clock, Angela, who was on the watch, de- scended gently from the sick woman’s room, while the servants were in the kitchen, and noiselessly opening the front door, she gave admittance to her brother, the marquis, (C(O) COnNIEDOOKS