The Curse Upon Mitre Square — page 23: what you’re looking at

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

' THER STOLEN MEETING. 15 engaged, it was matured without interruption from the neighbouring inmates. This prying curiosity, though it stopped short of open enmity, left no stone unturned to discover the reason of the mysterious woman’s secrecy and’ the nature of her scheme. She was watched night and day, but beyond the advent and departure of the page nothing was found out. After awhile, however, their watching was re- warded by an event which, though it increased their curiosity, protected the woman still further from insult. One evening in January, in the year 1530, when the snow lay thick upon the ground, it was noticed that a man, after leaving his horse in a neighbouring hostelry, approached the dwellings by a circuitous route as if to avoid notice, and after a careful search- ing look to see that he was unobserved, let himself into the house where the strange woman lived. Notwithstanding his precautions, every circumstance of the visit was noted by the neighbours, the stealthy appearance, the length of the interview, and the height and general appearance of the man himself. His departure was effected in the same stealthy manner, but on arriving at the hostelry a surprise was in store for him; the trapping and saddle of his horse had been removed, and no particulars of the robbery could be given by anyone. The visit was repeated at irregular intervals, and always in the same stealthy fashion, the only differ- ence being that the man altered his attire to that of GOmMmlicdoo gs) (E(6) ml