The Works of George W. M. Reynolds — page 109: what you’re looking at

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

92 THE COURT OF LONDON Heavens! could Lady Sackville have prompted you to do it? ’’ exclaimed the miserable man. “How dare you, then, molest her? ’’ demanded Tash. “ Gibbets and daggers! thunder and wounds! didn’t you have enough of it that night when I thrashed you in your own hall? ” “For Heaven’s sake, name your conditions and let me go,’ said the colonel, in a voice of anguished entreaty. “ What can I do? What guarantee can I offer you? What security can I give that I will fulfil your terms? ” “Ah! that’s the difficulty,” observed Tash. “ If I let you go now, you will only renew your tricks again another time. But ah! here is a tinder-box,”’ he suddenly exclaimed, ‘and we will throw a light upon the matter.”’ Thus speaking, the gallant officer, by the aid of the flint | and steel, soon lighted a candle which was standing on the mantel, where his hand had accidentally come in contact with the materials for thus procuring that light, and as his eyes now swept around, he perceived, as he had already sus- pected, that the scene of the present episode was a bed- chamber. But it was a small one, and by no means hand- somely though still very neatly furnished, while several articles of feminine apparel, such as cotton gowns, caps, and so forth, showed that it was a chamber belonging to some female dependent, most likely one of Lady Sackville’s maids. On the floor the colonel was still kneeling, his countenance ghastly pale, his lips ashy white and quivering, his hands joined, and his whole appearance denoting the most ex- cruciating terror. But as the light shone upon the scene, and the colonel observed that the place into which he had been borne was only a bedchamber and had not the slightest appearance of a human slaughter-house, and, moreover, as Captain Tash did not appear to be brandishing the sharp butcher’s knife whereof he had spoken, the colonel recovered somewhat of his presence of mind, and, slowly rising from his knees, he said, ‘‘ I did not think that you would carry your dreadful threats into execution, after all.”’ ‘Don’t be too sure,’ exclaimed the captain, fixing upon him his fiercest look. Then, putting his hand underneath his coat-tails, he said, ‘‘ It was through merciful considerations that I put away the knife before I lit the candle, but if you think that I am not capable of inflicting a ghastly punish- (E(@) , EORMIECLIOO KS