The Works of George W. M. Reynolds — page 43: what you’re looking at

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

26 REYNOLDS’ WORKS he felt convinced of being able to do without any noise to alarm me. The remainder of the plan was thus laid down: the muleteers were to get the equipage ready at about two in the morning; the corpse should be placed inside the vehicle, to be borne into the depths of the forest, and there buried; and when I came down at the usual hour in the morning, I was to be told that the traveller had taken her departure, leaving a gratuity for me, which trifling sum the landlord would accordingly place in my hand. Such was the horrible project which I overheard, and for awhile I was utterly bewildered how to act. I was nevertheless deter- mined to do all I could to save the English lady, even though the attempt should fail and my own life should be forfeited to my master’s vengeance. I saw that there were no means of issuing forth unperceived from the house, no means there- fore of getting Miss Marshall off in safety. “The only chance of accomplishing my purpose,” con- tinued Paquetta, “‘ was to induce Miss Marshall to remove stealthily up into my own chamber. I calculated that when my master should penetrate into her room and find she was not there, he would conclude that she had by some means or another suspected his design and made her escape. I also reasoned to myself that if he should come up to my door and ask whether I had seen her, he would be contented with the denial which I should boldly and firmly give; and as he had no reason to suppose that I had been a listener to his plans, there was the greater probability of his putting faith in that denial on my part, and adopting the conclusion that the lady escaped of her own accord and unassisted by any one else. I accordingly entered Miss Marshall’s chamber, expecting to find that she had at least laid herself down, even if she were not disapparelled. I was therefore surprised to find her sitting up. It was however all the more suitable to my pur- pose, inasmuch as there was no need for delay; and as I saw at once that some suspicion was agitating in her own mind, I had not the slightest trouble in making her comprehend the necessity of following me. I extinguished the light in her room, so as to create as much confusion as possible on the part of my master when he should proceed thither, and by bewildering him to the utmost of my power, render him all the more accessible to the belief that Miss Marshall had fled. For a moment I entertained the idea of putting open CONNIE OO KS (E(0)