Penny Blood Serial Cover — page 120: what you’re looking at

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

112 ALFRED DE ROSANN. wretch advances towards the scaffold: in five minutes all will be over.’’ ‘ Silence!’? exclaimed the Governor, who had re- covered his usual presence of mind, and had prepared to terminate the melancholy ceremony with as much despatch as possible. In a few moments Edouard was seen upon the plat- form. of the guillotine, awaiting the arrival of his victim. The countenance of the vile youth had not lost one atom of its usual colour; nor-did his hands appear to tremble as he touched the strings that re- strained the fatal knife in its position between. the summits of the two poles. Old Francois was led up the steps—for he could not walk alone. He appeared already more dead than alive: this last blow had struck him dumb. He had endeavoured to support the knowledge of the damning fact of Kdouard’s having sworn away his life; but now that the same individual was the one who had volunteered—freely volunteered to snap the last thread of a feeble exist- ence—an existence he himself had been the accursed means of abridging—the idea was too much for mor- tal man to sustain with reason. Once, and once only, did Francois essay to speak, when upon the platform of the scaffold, but his tongue clave to the roof of his mouth, and refused utterance toa syllable. He suf- fered himself to be bound to the narrow plank: it was Edouard who adjusted the harsh cords with a blood- thirsty coolness and a skilful precision that would have astonished even the absent executioner. A breathless silence again pervaded all around—every eye was fixed upon the awful scene—every heart felt oppressed—every bosom throbbed—the priests whis- pered their last consolation.in the ears of the depart- ing man—the plank was lowered—Edouard’s hand grasped the string—the knife fell with a whizzing sound—and the ecriminal’s head rolled into the basket prepared to receive it. The silence that had reigned immediately before the execution, was not broken by a soul, till a few COMMICLOCKS sO S|