Angelina: Or, The Mystery of St. Mark's Abbey — page 44: what you’re looking at

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

THE MYSTERY OF ST. MARK'S ABBEY. 3l seldom left home, and particularly cautioned his nlece not to go near de Morton Castle any oftener than possible. He also expressed considerable uneasiness whenever the baron’s name happened to be mentioned, and did not appear to wish to converse upon such e subject, or to make any allusion to that nobleman, Mrs. Woodfield was ina perfect fever of excitement at the mystery of the events which had taken place within the last few days, and she racked her brain in vain to endeavour to elucidate thems but that which created her astonishment and anziety moro than all, was the Baron’s visit to their cottage and the secret conference he had had with her husband. The words they had made use of at parting, and the expression of the baron’s features shewed plainly that the interview had been anything bat an amicable one, and the threat which the speech of the latter seemed to convey, raised in the old woman's mind the most serious apprebension ; for she recollected the character which he bore, and she dreaded the effects of his vengeance should her husband act in any way contrary to his wishes. But what could be the nature of the business he wanted Mr. Woodfield to perform, and why should he so particu- . Jarly select him from among al} his many tenants and dependants, for the ac- complishment of a task, which evidently by the secret manner in which it was conducted, was of such vast importance? The old woman continued to ponder over these curious circumetances for some time, and by the period she had become tired of thinking about them, she was more entangled and bewildered in the mazes of conjecture than ever. She woald have questioned her husband upon the subject, but she knew his disposition, and would not ventore to in- quire into that which he did not seem disposed to explain. In the meantime, Angelina’s mind was as busily engaged in ruminating and trying to unravel the mystery of the occurrence sthat bad taken place but with as little success as her aunt. One opinion, however, she could not help coming to, which was, that she was in some way or the other connected with the busi- ness on which the baron had sought an interview ‘with her uncle; but in what way, she could not form even the most remote idea. She recollected the agi- tation de Morton had betrayed on encountering her in St. Mark’s Abbey, and the strange words be had given utterance to; likewise the conversation which she had partly overheard in the vaults beneath the Abbey, between him and Rufus; and the warning which the mysterious woman had given her, together with the crest of the baron which so exactly corresponded with part of it,—and the more she dwelt upon these things, the more was her opinion strengthened. She needed not a second warning from Mr. Woodfield for her to avoid the vicinity of the castle, for there was something so revolting to her in the coun- tenance of its haughty owner, that she involuntarily shuddered whenever she - beheld him, and always avoided him as much as possible, from an unaccoun- table apprehension of danger, whenever she saw him. Thus passed a fortnight, and as nothing more occurred to strengthen the fears of Mrs. Woodfield, and Mr. Woodfield having relapsed into his general mode of behaviour, she began to drive it from her recollection and never even hinted anything upon the subject to the latter. During this interval Angelina had seldom left the cottage for any distance, only wandering occasionally in the meadows adjacent, or reclining with a book under the foliaged canopy of a shady tree in the neighbouring greenwood. JOO Go