The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 174: what you’re looking at

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

THE LAWYER 151 negress followed Mrs. Oxenden into the room, some of the servants, likewise, from the landing, the butler and the other domestic who had been called as witnesses, sprang up from their seats, the lawyer seemed stricken with dismay, and Sir John Steward gave vent to a terrible imprecation. But Edgar Beverley, bounding forward, received Laura in his arms. ‘“Save me! save me!” she wildly shrieked forth. ‘ For Heaven’s sake, save me!” and as she clung in frantic terror with her arms thrown around her lover’s neck, she flung frightened glances over her shoulders at her sister and the negress. ‘Give her up, Mr. Beverley,” cried Mrs. Oxenden, seizing upon her sister. “No, never, never to you, vile profligate wretch that you are,” thundered forth the leutenant, snatching the maiden violently from Mrs. Oxenden’s grasp, and holding the former as it were on one side, with his upraised right arm he protected her from another attack. ‘“‘ Dare not to lay a finger upon her,” he cried, “‘ for I will strike indiscriminately. Yes, by Heaven! I will strike you down, woman though you be.” ‘‘ Seize upon her! seize upon that obstinate girl! ”’ vocif- erated Sir John Steward, thus addressing himself to his dependents and stamping his feet with rage. ‘“‘ A hundred guineas to be divided amongst you if you do my bid- ding.”’ “No, no!” wildly shrieked forth Laura, as there was a general rush toward the spot where she clung so tenaciously to Edgar. “ Really, my dear Sir John,” interposed Mr. Andrews, “Tam afraid — ” ‘Silence, sir,’ thundered the baronet; “it is my will that rules here.”’ And so it did indeed too fatally seem, for what was Beverley’s strength, encumbered as he was too by the very being he sought to defend, against the overwhelming power of numbers? Besides, he was constrained to limit his resist- ance within certain bounds for fear of injuring the now almost fainting girl, so that in less than a couple of minutes after the order had gone forth from the infuriate Sir John’s lips, the lovers were separated, — Beverley was again in the COnnicloookKks (CO)