Bonny Jean, and A Severe Threat — page 203: what you’re looking at

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

196 A SEVERE THREAT. stood a griarled, oddly shaped oak-tree. Panting and breath- less, he sprang forward, and eagerly examined its massive trunk. There, cut into the bark, was a rude cross, surmounted by the letter ‘‘V.” | ‘Heavens !” he panted, in wild amazement, ‘‘ can it be pos- sible? I shall keep my eyes open, for as surely as I live I be- gin to believe that there has been wrong done !” The dull, hollow clang of the death-bell broke the ‘silence. One, two, three ; he counted the mournful strokes slowly until they had proclaimed /wenfy. He knew that the bell was tolling for his only sister. He turned his steps back to the house, for the solemn cor- tege would besoon ready. ‘The bells had begun to toll dis- mally again, and an hour later the long, almost interminable . “procession wound down the broad avenue which led from Syd- ney House, on to the somber old grave-yard not far away, where, within a magnificent tomb, lay the ashes of the dead and gone Sydneys. And in all the country newspapers, as well as those in London, there appeared notices of the death of the young, and beautiful, and lamented Lady Sydney, mee Geraldine Vernon. Time passed on. Days and weeks rolled by, and the excite- ment and nine-days’ wonder concerning the unexpected death of the beautiful Lady Sydney had died out. Dr. Denzil called regularly at Mrs. Brown's cottage still, for Dot was not yet quite recovered, and no one dreamed that there was another patient within the cottage walls. One night, dark as Erebus, Bob Brown drove his cart and a fast horse over the road which led to a remote town and railway Station, keeping ever in the shadow, and flying along as rapidly as possible. He carried two passengers. One was Lola Gordon, still dis- guised as the nurse, old Martha Winters, and leaning against her, pale and agitated, with a thick vail effectually concealing =) ) Gomicbooks.co