The Works of George W. M. Reynolds — page 221: what you’re looking at

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

204 REYNOLDS’ WORKS ‘“A message, I suppose?”’ he at once said, as she entered the room. ‘From Lady Bess,’”’ responded Kate. ‘‘ Here it is. The key is the letter L. The pigeon was sent off at twenty minutes to two, and arrived here at ten minutes to three, one hour and ten minutes in all.” -“ And what’s the distance, Kate? ’’ asked Mrs. Marshall. ‘Why, mother, by the road, Dover is seventy-two miles from London, you know,’ responded the daughter, ‘ and then allowing that Lady Bess’s cottage is five miles from London, the whole distance would be seventy-seven. But then, as the bird flies, it would not be much more than seventy, making a mile a minute, inclusive of the short stoppages at the two stations on the road.” While Miss Kate was thus speaking, her father had de- ciphered the scrap of paper, and had then burned it by the flame of the candle. “Well, there is plenty of time to tutor your sisters and the servants what to say,” the old man immediately ob- served. ‘‘ Some hours must elapse before she will be here; although with the relays she has ordered she will no doubt gallop like the wind. ‘The little bird has performed its message well, for the two marks were made in the corner of the paper, were they not?” ‘Yes, in the usual way,’ responded Kate, ‘‘ and there- fore there is no doubt that the pigeon stopped both at Gravesend and Boughton.”’ “ Well, you can go up to bed again, Kate,” said her father. ‘“ But be up by six o’clock, and then we will arrange what is to be said.” . ‘Yes, but did you not observe,’’ asked the young woman, ‘that something is to be done at once, to prove — ”’ “To be sure! I have it,’’ exclaimed the astute Marshall. ‘T know what I will do. Leave it all to me, and you go up to bed, Kate.” His daughter accordingly left the room, and Mr. Marshall at once proceeded to dress himself with the utmost despatch/ He then quitted the chamber, telling his wife that he should not be many minutes absent. Descending the stairs, he opened the front door of the tavern, taking the key in his pocket, so as to be able to let himself in again, and hurrying along the street, at length stopped at a house where the CONNIE OO KS m