The Works of George W. M. Reynolds — page 85: what you’re looking at

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

CHAPTER VII THE GAOL Ir was soon after eleven o’clock on the eventful night of which we are speaking, that Kate Marshall’s chamber at the hotel was suddenly invaded by the minister’s valet, followed by three officers of the secret police in plain clothes. Kate had not retired to rest, nor indeed had she even begun to dis- apparel herself. Her mind was too much agitated with sus- pense as to the issue of the stratagem to permit her to seek her pillow. She was therefore sitting up, endeavouring to con- —centrate her attention upon one of the books which she had brought with her from Dover; but she constantly lost the thread of what she attempted to read, and found her thoughts wandering to far different subjects. Although in respect to the written promise received from the Minister of the Interior she had adopted a particular course, yet she could not satisfy herself that even this precaution would guard against the effects of his anger or the insidiousness of his treachery, should he discover that instead of the victim whom he ex- pected, it was his own wife whom he was clasping in his arms. Thus, when the chamber was abruptly invaded by the valet and the policemen, Kate comprehended but too well that the stratagem was detected, and she was naturally smitten with the fear that all was lost. No, not quite all, for still there — was the chance that some good might result from the manner in which she had disposed of the acknowledgment, and this idea was faintly — but only faintly — cheering for Miss Marshall. | The reader has seen enough of her to be aware that she was by no means deficient in courage, and though the shock pro- duced by the sudden entry of those four men at this time of the night was naturally great, she speedily recovered her Xe) CONNIE IOO KS GO