The Works of George W. M. Reynolds — page 171: what you’re looking at

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

154 REYNOLDS’ WORKS bewilderment. ‘The spiteful elements of his character being aroused, he gnashed his teeth with impotent rage, and then he actually shed tears of vexation and annoyance. There he was, at a considerable distance from London, penniless, at an advanced hour of the night, or, rather, an early one of the morning, and so exhausted with fatigue that he trembled at the idea of the long walk which seemed before him. The whole night’s adventures had been but too well calculated to terrify, harass, weary, and humiliate him. First startled up from a very short sleep, compelled to dress in haste and go forth to look for a bed elsewhere, then taken at least another mile out of his way, to be plundered and put to shame by a female in masculine attire, and now left to man- age as best he could for the remainder of the night, — these were the unpleasant topics of Lord Saxondale’s reflections. However, he must not only put the best face on the matter, but also the best foot foremost. Full truly indeed had the female highwayman observed, with a mocking laugh, that he would only be too anxious to keep the adventure as close as possible within his own breast, for were it to transpire that he had suffered himself to be thus despoiled of his purse, his watch, and his rings, by a woman, he would be so unmerci- fully laughed at as to be ashamed ever to show his face in society again. Therefore, as to keeping his own counsel relative to the robbery, his mind was made up in a moment, and with regard to his present predicament, the only alter- native was to get back into London as best he could. So he walked on toward the Seven Sisters Road again, which he soon reached. In a little while he paused at the corner of the narrow lane leading up to Hornsey Wood Tavern, but recollecting that he had not a farthing in his pocket, he dared not bend his steps thither to knock the people up. He accordingly walked on, and in another quarter of an hour arrived opposite Evergreen Villa, which he could not help regarding as the origin, so to speak, of all his mani- fold adventures and misfortunes of this night. Indeed, so thoroughly sickened, dispirited, depressed, and humiliated did he feel — so thoroughly wretched too in every sense of the word — that as he stood gazing upon Evergreen Villa for a few moments, he was almost inclined to make a vow that he would abandon his previously enthusiastic designs in that quarter. Gomicbooks co