The Works of George W. M. Reynolds — page 86: what you’re looking at

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

THE GAOL 69 presence of mind. She was however subjected to the grossest and most indelicate treatment on the part of the ruffians who now held her captive. They insisted upon searching with their own hands the pockets of her garments, and while two of the officers forcibly held her arms, the valet actually plunged his hand into her bosom, to ascertain if she had any papers concealed there. Crimson with indignation, and her eyes flashing fire, Kate Marshall with an almost preter- human effort disengaged herself from the gripe of those ruffans, and snatching up one of the candlesticks, hurled it with such force at the insolent valet that if it had struck him on the head he never would perhaps have had another chance of practising such dastard conduct in this world; but he stepped nimbly aside, and it fell at the farther extremity of the room. Her trunk was then minutely searched, her garments were tossed out upon the floor. The inspection was most minute, but all that the rufhans could discover con- sisted of a few of Ned Russell’s letters which he had written to her at different times, and which she had brought with her for reperusal; because what young woman who loves 1s ever unaccompanied hy the tender epistles of him to whom her heart is devoted? The search was extended to the bed in the chamber, to the drawers, indeed to every nook where anything might be concealed, but nothing more was dis- covered, beyond the letters referred to. ‘These were duly sealed up, and taken possession of by the valet, in accordance with the positive instructions he had received from his master. While the search was being prosecuted, Kate Marshall stood looking on with indignation still depicted upon her countenance; but she spoke not a word, because she was unable to make herself understood by the Spaniards, and even if it were otherwise, she was too full of wrathful pride and a sense of outraged modesty to deign even a syllable of remonstrance or rebuke in respect to such brutal ruffians. When the search was over, they made her a sign to put on her bonnet and shawl, and this being done, she was hurried down- stairs to a vehicle waiting at the entrance of the hotel. She encountered not a soul belonging to the establishment; not even the kind-hearted landlady was nigh to bestow upon her a look of compassion, and therefore Kate full well under- stood that the seclusion of the inmates of the hotel in their COnNIEDOOKS (CO)