Mezzoni the Brigand — page 96: what you’re looking at

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

88 MEZZONI THE BRIGAND. the night, she was suddenly startled by hearing her name repeated: ‘“Marion—under the door!’’ | On hearing these words she looked down at her feet, and saw a folded bit of paper, which she seized and instantly concealed with jealous care. What could it mean? There was not sufficient light for her to read whatever might be written upon that scrap of paper. Who could have placed it there? She was completely at a loss to arrive at any plausible con- jecture. At any rate there must be some friend near her, that was plain enough. It did not seem possible for her to wait for daylight to. examine the paper, but she did so, waking up a dozen times in the night, and longing impatiently for the coming of the dawn. It came at last, for there is an end to the longest night, though it hardly seemed so to the over-anx- ious girl. As soon as the daylight was sufficient inside her prison she read: “MARION :—Be of good cheer. Do not be surprised at anything you may see or hear. Be prepared at any and all times for instant flight. Save a little food in your pocket at each meal. I am disguised and carefully watched, so I have to be extremely cautious. Destroy this instantly by chewing it up to a pulp, and secreting it among the crevices in your — apartment. Be cautious. W. H.?’’ Marion’s heart seemed to be in her throat—it beat so rapidly as almost to stop her breath. She trem- bled like a leaf. ‘“Was it possible?” she asked herself. The English girl’s own feelings told her who wag the friend near to her in this critical moment, and yet she was extremely puzzled, for her father had written to her that Walter Hammond had been sud- comicbooks. - A 3° a} at @ at! A of ae eee.