The Argosy — page 284: what you’re looking at

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

The Story of Charles Strange. 261 The house went to rest. Silence, probably sleep, had reigned within it for some two hours, and the clock had struck one, when wild calls of alarm, coupled with the ringing of his bell, issued from Lord Level’s chamber. ‘The servants rose hastily, in terror. ‘Those cries of fear came not from their lord, but from Lady Level. Sanders, partly attired, hastened thither; Timms, in a huge shawl, opened her door and stopped him; Deborah came flying down the long corridor. Mrs. Edwards was already in Lord Level’s chamber. Lady Level, in a blue silk wrapping-gown, her cries of alarm over, lay panting in a chair, extremely agitated ; and Lord Level was ina fainting-fit on his bed, with a stab in his arm, and another in his side, from which blood was flowing. Some hours later, Mr. and Mrs. Arnold Ravensworth were at breakfast in Portland Place, when Major Carlen entered without ceremony. His purple-and-scarlet cloak, without which he rarely stirred out, had come unfastened and trailed behind him; his face looked scared and crestfallen. ‘*T must see you, I must see you,” cried the Major, throwing up his hands, as if apologising for the intrusion. ‘It’s on a matter of life and death.” ‘We have finished breakfast,” said Mrs. Ravensworth; and she rose and left them together. The Major strode up to Arnold, his teeth actually chattering. © T told you what it would be,” he muttered. ‘I warned you of the consequences, if you helped Blanche to go down there. She has attempted his life.” Mr. Ravensworth gazed at him inquiringly. ‘ By George, she has! They had a blow-up last night, it seems, and she has stabbed him. Itcan be no one else who has done it. When these delicate girls are put up; made jealous, and that sort of thing; they are as bad as their more furious sisters. Witness that character of Scott’s—what’s her name ?—Lucy, in the Bride of Lam (4 ‘* For pity’s sake, Major Carlen, what are you saying ?” interrupted Mr. Ravensworth, scarcely knowing whether the Major was mad or sane, or had been taking dinner in place of breakfast. ‘* Don’t introduce trashy romance into the woes of real life! Has anything happened at Lord Level’s, or has it not?” “He is stabbed, I tell you. One of Lord Level’s servants, Sanders, arrived before I was up, with a note from Blanche. Here, read it!” But the Major’s hand and the note shook together as he held it out. ‘ Do, dear papa, hasten down! A shocking event has happened to Lord Level. He has been stabbed in bed. I am terrified out of my senses. ‘* BLANCHE LEVEL,” Conmicooolks (S(O) mn