The Argosy, Volume XXIV — page 30: what you’re looking at

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

26 Gabriel’s Appointment. with it while he was still so weak, and she was wearing it at that moment. An utterance of rage, almost like the snarl of a wild beast, burst from the robber’s lips; and at the same instant came a shriek from outside—such as sent the blood surging in Bruce’s veins, and almost gave him strength to break his bonds. It was Edith’s voice, and in the agony of believing her to be in danger close by, he writhed himself from under the grasp of his enemy, and fell heavily on the floor. The second man had come to his comrade’s assistance, but of what happened then Gabriel knew little. Some one burst in upon them all, and the whole room seemed filled with confusion. Miss Leicester’s evidence supplied the gap. She had been startled, while writing letters, by the sudden glare of light and smell of burn- ing, and, of course, her first thought was of her invalid over the way. When she opened her window the ladder was standing at his, opposite, and at first the disguise of the men deceived her also, especially as, when Joel rushed up the street, the man on the look-out hailed him, and bade him hold the ladder, for they must bring the gentleman down. But fortunately her sight was remarkably keen, and she detected the struggle within the room, and her scream of warning to Joel quickly changed the aspect of affairs. ‘The Cornishman charged up the ladder as if he had been leading a forlorn hope, and his right- and-left sledge-hammer blows sent one adversary out of the window he had just entered, and the other, after a short, but fierce struggle, flying down the stairs. For pursuit of either he had no time, as Gabriel’s condition required all his care; the costume of the Fire Brigade proved their safeguard, and they escaped, with no severer punishment than his onset had inflicted—and the defeat of their manifest design. Joel believed that he must have done them , some little damage; he remembered a crash or so, and giving one fellows wrist a wrench that nearly twisted his hand off; but he could only conjecture who they were, and could not have sworn to either. The fire was got under in an hour or two, and its origin was a mystery still) What was of most immediate importance was the state of Mr. Bruce’s health, which had compelled the party in Greville Gardens to take up their quarters with him at the Lord Warden; where the quiet and the sea air were reviving his strength. Further details were reserved for another opportunity, which, as Edith intimated, would not be long in occurring. ‘They were quietly arranging their plans, and no scheme, however happy, would be perfect in which Alice was not included. ‘There was a deep tone of happiness in the latter part of the letter, the thankfulness for the escape overpowering all the indignation at the attempt. Those who read of it at a distance, however, did not quite share the feeling— and Martin scanned every line to see if a word was said to point out the perpetrators of the deed. When he took his leave, he found his servitor outside the lodge, coolly smoking a cigar. comicbooks.com