The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 257: what you’re looking at

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

CHAPTER XX — THE SELF - SACRIFICE DEMANDED WE must now return to the Countess of Lascelles. She had retired to her own chamber shortly after Adolphus conducted the lawyer from the library to the room in which the old earl had met his death, and where his murderer was un- masked in the manner already described. It was understood that if Mr. Slater was successful in the aim which had induced. him to take up his quarters in that chamber, he was to ring the bell continuously and violently, not merely as a summons for the household, but likewise as a signal that he had succeeded. On retiring to her chamber, the Countess of Lascelles did not begin to disapparel herself. She had not the slightest inclination for slumber; her mind was agitated with a variety of conflicting feelings. Great was her suspense in respect to the issue of Mr. Slater’s experiment, for it was ab- solutely necessary to combine all possible evidences in order to bring the foul deed completely home to the assassin. She endeavoured to compose herself as much as she was able, and to steady the beatings of her fluttering heart as well as the throbbings of her brain, but these were indeed no easy tasks; and instead of sitting down tranquilly to await the signal so earnestly hoped for, she paced the chamber with quick, uneven steps. Nevertheless, very different indeed was Ethel’s present state of mind from what it had recently been when she had so confidently but loathingly regarded Adol- phus as a murderer, and when day after day she was plunged into utter bewilderment or excited to the liveliest indignation on hearing herself denounced as a murderess. Yes, now that the horrible mystery had been so far cleared up, a tre- mendous weight was lifted from her mind; but still there 230 ECORMICLIOOKS m