Beautiful Rienzi; or, The secret vendetta — page 129: what you’re looking at

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

124 BEAUTIFUL RIENZI. am I to be thus rudely interrupted? Is this American courtesy?” Cries of ‘‘ No, no!’ and murmurs of applause answered me. ‘‘QOrder!” screamed the clerk. ‘I was alone in the carriage, the coachman outside on the box, when from the window I saw a man standing be- neath the signal-lamp I have before mentioned; a cab passed, throwing a bright light on his face, and I distinctly recognized Mr. Beaumont.” Dead silence followed this announcement, and even Lawyer Bently gazed into my face, speechless with surprise and incredulity. ‘‘T was too much startled at first to accost him,” I con- tinued in the unbroken hush, my voice low and _ even; ‘and while I was shaking the carriage window, to lower it and attract his attention, the coachman, who of course, was not cognizant of my wishes, saw his master and mis- tress at a little distance, and drove down to them, and thus I lost sight of him.” “‘And you,” Mr. Bently laughed satirically, ‘‘ you tell this story on your oath—your irrevocable, sacred oath, be- fore Heaven and on that most Holy Bible?” ““T do.” “So improbable! Why did you not put the person in custody?” “*J did not even think of what I could do. I was too agitated to do anything; I could not raise my voice to speak.” ‘‘As men of common sense,” interposed Mr. Speingle, quietly, lask the gentlemen of the jury if it would be natural for a young lady to descend from her carriage and look about for a constable on a crowded wharf, upon sud- denly beholding the bodily apparition of a man whom she believed to be dead ?” | “*T think not,” said a voice in the crowd. ‘¢ And after you recovered from your agitation did you make no attempt to discover your ghost? Make no in- quiries—no fuss whatever?” pursued the undaunted Bently. At this moment a messenger came in and handed a letter to the judge. He opened it, raised his eyebrows, read it rapidly, looked at the jurors, and handed it to the nearest. It passed from hand to hand, and seemed to occasion un- 3 CORNUCG OOO S (©)