The Works of George W. M. Reynolds — page 96: what you’re looking at

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

NED RUSSELL 79 by the state of public feeling and by the opinions of the authorities in his district, so that, at the expiration of a fortnight, he sent for Don Diego Christoval, and assured him that he dared no longer delay issuing the warrant for the execution. This was on the very same day that Kate Mar- shall paid her second visit to the minister, to make the appointment for the night, which appointment, as the reader has seen, was in reality to be kept by the minister’s lady. Count Christoval besought and implored that the captain- general would suffer the dictates of mercy to ride dominant above the pressure of vindictive sentiments. He assured his Excellency that most strenuous measures were being adopted at Madrid to obtain Russell’s pardon, that no doubt this pardon would be vouchsa:ed, and that he (the captain- general) would therefore be much afflicted if by precipitating the execution he should so fatally render abortive the results of the good offices that were actively making their way in the capital. It was upon a Wednesday that these representations were made; that day week the full period of three weeks, to which the captain-general’s discretionary power was limited, would expire. Don Christoval urged that it was but for this one poor week he sought the delay, and if nothing favourable transpired in the meantime, the sentence must then as a matter of course be carried into execution. Still the captain- general shook his head, refusing to comply. Don Diego would not leave him; he plied him with all possible argu- ments and intercessions, and ultimately he succeeded in gaining a portion of what he asked. To be brief, the captain- general consented to a compromise between his own inclina- tions on the one hand, and the clamour of the public on the other. He accorded a further delay of three days, adding emphatically that at eleven in the forenoon on the Saturday ensuing the culprit must be executed, if no counter-instruc- tions of any sort should arrive from Madrid. More than this Count Christoval could not obtain, and therewith he was forced to content himself. Finding it now, therefore, useless to remain any longer in Barcelona, — and not even tarrying to obtain another inter- view with Ned Russell, whom, we should observe, he had seen almost daily during the fortnight which had elapsed since his arrival at Barcelona, — he mounted his horse and set out on the highway toward Madrid. The distance be- CONNIE DOOKS (C@)