The Dugdale Millions — page 318: what you’re looking at

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

308 THE DUGDALE MILLIONS. the library. It fitted the lock. With trembling fin- gers she threw the box open. A few papers were in- side. She opened and read the first one at hand. It caused her to exciaim aloud. MHurriedly she ran over the others. As she read her agitation increased. The information she was gathering seemed to over- whelm her. Her breathcame fast, and her heart beat hard. Fora moment she thought she would swoon. She clasped her head with one hand, and tried to stil! the beating of her hedrt with the other. What it all meant suddenly burst upon her, and with it the recognition of the necessity for action. Tumbling the papers back into the box she clasped it in herarms and hurried outin the direction of “ The Larches,” without waiting for bonnet or shawl. Arriving at the entrance of the house she entered out of breath, too much excited to return the saluta- tion of Lord Merrimount, who was returning from the river by another path. In the hall she encountered a servant and inquired for her husband. Being told that he was in the library with Mr. Hetlow, she implored the servant to go to him immediately and tell him that she must see him at once. She seated herself upon a hall chair, exhausted by her agitation and rapid run from Springhill. When her husband came to her he perceived her agita- tion and, alarmed, inquired as to its cause: © Here,” she cried, is the’ Jenkins “box” ** Heavens! where did you find it?” he asked. “Don’t ask me,’ she gasped out; ‘don’t wait te know. Open it—look at it!”’ Wondering at her emotion Mr. Stanton took the box from her, and seating himself beside her, opening it, leisurely began an examination of its contents. His leisurely manner however quickly disappeared. He read the first paper he took out with increasing interest and excitement. As Mrs. Stanton had done Comicbooks.€© 5}