Mezzoni the Brigand — page 78: what you’re looking at

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

70 MEZZONI THE BRIGAND. “Did the gentleman start this story himsett! ge asked the detective. ‘‘T cannot say.”’ This closed the detective’s conversation relative to Alberto Corrello, and he turned and was just about to go out of the shop when the proprietor came to him and asked, in a low voice: “Why these questions about Corrello?”’ ‘Merely for information.”’ ‘Do you suspect anybody ?”’ “TI suspect everybody; that’s my business,”’ re- plied the officer, as he walked out on the broad square fronting the royal palace, known as the Plaza del Plebiscito. Here, sitting on one of the public benches, he seemed to lose himself in a brown study. So anxious was Colonel Bray to be near his child that, after raising about one-half of the necessary sum for her ransom, he left with some trusty friends to make up the balance, with directions for them to forward it as soon as possible to him at Naples. It seemed to be some consolation to the father to know that he was so many miles nearer to Marion, though he could not see her. Colonel Bray’s case was now well known. In- deed, if he had particularly desired to keep his daughter’s abduction secret he would have found it impossible to do so. We know that he was afraid to solicit the services of the government, as one of the conditions of Marion’s safety was that her father should make no attempt to forcibly recover his child, and he had so far kept good faith with the brigands. The English detective called upon the colonel, after his arrival, and asked for a descrip- tion of the brigand chief. The colonel could only describe him as a very dark man, small-featured, comicbooks.co