The Works of George W. M. Reynolds — page 344: what you’re looking at

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

THE BANDITTI’S TOWER 327 honourably. Of course I pledged myself to anything, for I was resolved to hide the startling truth from your knowl- edge as long as possible. We had a little more conversation, and I hurried up to see you; for though it was during the interval of our separation that I had obtained an insight into your antecedents, and my suspicions of your past wanton- ness had been fully confirmed by the Durands, yet I loved you as much as ever, and longed to embrace you. I pre- tended exhaustion, —in the first place, because the mar- quis had stipulated I should not appear before his wife, and in the second place, because I had no inclination to appear again before him while you were present. Doubtless the marquis went and informed your sister who your husband really was.”’ “ Yes, yes, he did. I understand it all now,” exclaimed Juliana, wringing her hands. ‘‘ Good heavens! what must have been the agony of poor Constance? What must she have thought? No wonder that she wept so bitterly, that she sobbed so convulsively, and that she embraced me so fervidly! Ah, and how delicately did the marquis himself behave, —not betraying you, nor yet on his own side having recourse to falsehoods to save you from exposure.”’ “ The marquis is a diplomatist,’’ rejoined Ramon de Col- lantes, with a smile, “‘ and was not likely to be at a loss how to manage such matters.” “ But those Durands,” exclaimed Juliana, ‘* how fell you in with them? ”’ ‘ Quite in a professional way,’ replied Collantes. ‘‘ They were journeying toward Barcelona. I and my gallant band stopped them, and as they had no great amount of ready money about them, we examined their papers. A letter in the old gentleman’s pocketbook made me aware that he was going to Barcelona to receive an inheritance. ‘Oh! oh!’ thought I to myself, ‘ we must keep you good folks prisoners for awhile, until you furnish a ransom.’ So we bore them both off to the tower here, and old Durand drew a cheque upon a banker at Barcelona, one of my men setting off to get itcashed. ‘This caused a delay of a day or two, during which the Durands were kept close prisoners at the tower. In the course of some conversation between them, you may con- celve my astonishment when I heard them talking of the Countess of Toledo whom they had recently met at a certain ) CONNIE DOOKS (C(©)