Penny Blood Serial Cover — page 56: what you’re looking at

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

48 ALFRED DE ROSANN. hundred thousand francs, and place the frontier be- tween you and the police? and in the second place, I cannot conceive how condemnation for twenty years, which is the punishment for a forgery like your’s, could be changed to a paltry five?’’ “Tn the first place, then,’’ replied De Rosann, wil- ling to conciliate Pierre Belle-Rose, “as regards the decamping, I must inform you that I was arrested for the forgery only ten minutes after I knew it had been committed; and in the second place, my youth, and the eventual intercession of an old nobleman, obtained a commutation of the severity of my sentence.” At this moment the chain entered Versailles, and the Gendarmes endeavoured to enforce a strict silence amongst the prisoners. «¢ Are you not very much ashamed, De Rosann, for all the people are at their windows to gaze upon us?”’ inquired Belle-Rose in a whisper that was scarcely audible. “ God knows I am,’’ returned the youth in agony. ‘¢ Silence, thieves!’’ thundered a Gendarme. ‘There, my dear boy,’’? muttered Helle-Rose, as he threw a handkerchief over Alfred’s head, so as completely to cover his face. * A thousand thanks,’’? whispered the youth, feel- ing really grateful for this unexpected act of kind- ness. In about five minutes he felt a trembling hand touch his -pocket, and drop something heavy into it. A voice, almost choked with sobs, at the same time said, “God bless thee, my poor dear—dear nephew; and recollect that at thy return, thine uncle will be glad to give thee an asylum!”’ De Rosann would have turned round to convinee the compassionate personage of his mistake; but a word from Belle-Rose checked him, and he continued his weary march without altering his position in the rank. «¢ Now we are outside the town,”’ cried Belle-Rose, Gomichbooksrco -_— rv fan) ‘