Darke Darrell, the Boy Detective — page 90: what you’re looking at

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

DARKE DARRELL. 81 lower the lantern into the opening, by means of the rope, with one hand, while he held the revolver in the other. He was afraid to lean over the opening, for he did not know how soon Darke might lodge a ball in his brain. He also was careful not to lower the lantern too far, for in that case Darke could have seized and extinguished it. ‘‘ How do you like it down there, anyhow?” cried Tim, tauntingly. ‘‘Or did you break your neck when you fell? I reckon, my boy, that your time’s about up.” The light flickered upon the walls and floor of the dun- geon. Tim heard no sounds—saw no object which resembled Darke. Hegrew bolder; he knelt down and peered into the opening; he lowered the lantern stillfarther, and flung the light first into this corner, then into that. He saw that the door was closed; he saw the table, the crated window, the flight of steps. He shifted the light in every direction, and so rapidly that it was not possible for Darke to evade him by dodging from one dusky corner to the other. The fact slowly dawned upon Tim’s mind that Darke was no longer in the dungeon. (E(o)[ nal ice 00\0) qj (E(e)