The Works of George W. M. Reynolds — page 399: what you’re looking at

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

382 REYNOLDS’ WORKS gold. It was this same Amy Sutton who now made herself known to Christian in the railway train, as above described. After the exchange of a few observations, he inquired whether she was still in the Duchess of Marchmont’s service. “No,” she answered, and her look became all in an instant strangely gloomy. Christian now observed that she was altered since he had last seen her many months back; she was pale, and her coun- tenance was somewhat thin and careworn. He did not like to continue questioning her, for he found that his first query had somehow or another given her pain. There was a silence of a few minutes, during which he felt awkward, and she looked down in sinister, moody pensiveness. At length that silence was broken by herself, for suddenly raising her eyes, and glancing toward the tipsy individual to assure herself that he was still slumbering, she leaned forward, and said, in a deep voice, ‘‘ The Duke of Marchmont is the ereatest villain upon earth.” “You and I saw enough of him, Amy,” responded Chris- tian, ‘‘ to be enabled to arrive at no very favourable conclu- sion with respect to his character.”’ “You know full well, Mr. Ashton,” she rejoined, ‘ that I was completely innocent of any wilful complicity in that scandalous plot — ” “T know it, Amy,’’ answered our hero. ‘‘ You were de- ceived by appearances; those dresses which were worn by another — ”’ “Yes, I was indeed deceived,’ resumed Amy Sutton. ‘“ Never was deception more gross, more abominable.”’ ‘“T hope that the duchess did not believe you guilty, and visit you with her displeasure? ”’ said Christian. “Oh, no, the Duchess of Marchmont treated me most kindly. Indeed, I have remained in her service until about a fortnight ago.’’ Then, after another brief pause, she added, in a low, deep voice, “‘ That miscreant Marchmont has been my — my — ruin.” Christian gazed upon her in astonishment. Such words coming from female lips naturally conveyed the impression of seduction’s triumph, and our hero was surprised for more reasons than one. He had always heard Amy Sutton spoken of aS a young woman of unimpeachable virtue, and who indeed would fiercely resent the slightest liberty that was , CONNICLICO_ KS (EO) m