The Works of George W. M. Reynolds — page 399: what you’re looking at

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

382 REYNOLDS’ WORKS my suspicions were aroused, how they were strengthened, how they were fostered.” Sir Frederick accordingly narrated all those incidents which have been described to the reader, — how he had first missed the contents of his cash-box, how he had ex- amined the papers in the desk, how he had visited Madame Angelique, how he had traced some of his lost bank-notes to Lord Rushbrook’s possession, and how he had dis- covered the final secret from the false Lascar. ‘“ It is I who have now to ask your pardon, my Anastatia,”’ added the merchant, ‘‘for having violated the sanctity of your writing-desk.”’ “You were justified,’ answered the lady; “ and more- over this is not merely the day of revelations, but also the day of forgiveness.”’ “And to a certain extent,’ rejoined Sir Frederick, “ for your sake — at least so far as forgiveness in such circum- stances can extend — shall it be accorded to that guilty one who has been the cause of so much mischief.’’ Meanwhile Lord Rushbrook had remained sitting in the window recess, but he had not caught a single syllable ot ° all that was thus taking place between his sister and his brother-in-law. The merchant approached him, and spoke in the following terms: ‘It were a mere waste of words to endeavour to reason with your lordship upon the profligacies and _ villainies of the career which you have been pursuing. ‘The perils and difficulties of the past operate not with you as a salu- tary warning for the present or the future. What conduct could have been more abominable than yours when you would even have sacrificed the reputation of your own sister to the selfishness of your personal safety? Because you could not stir abroad at the time, you induced her to meet you in a place of infamy, where, if you had the ordi- nary feelings of a man, your blood would boil with indig-— nation at the idea of your pure-minded sister ever having set her foot. I fear that you are incorrigible, my lord; for this last act of yours, the robbery of your own sister’s husband, a felon’s foulest crime, proves you to be so thor- oughly black-hearted and unprincipled that there is no hope fOr yous: Anastatia had remained in the window recess, where Gomicbooks (E(@)