Penny Blood Serial Fiction — page 147: what you’re looking at

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

130 REYNOLDS’ WORKS my alfections. Most women, when the term of girlhood is past, form in their own minds the beau ideal that they hope to encounter in the course of time, and whom they feel that they can love, but I never indulged in such a dream, I had never thought upon the subject, I had never felt the slightest want to love or to be loved. Therefore the Spanish bandit fulfilled no preconceived ideal on my part, nor did his hand- some person, his elegant manners, or his witching conver- sation produce a tender impression upon me. ‘“We proceeded about twenty-five miles that day, and the journey terminated at a half-ruined tower, which stood concealed in the midst of a dense grove of cork-trees. It had been an immense wood, but hostile encounters between the Carlsts and Christinos had taken place in that neighbour- hood, and large quantities of the trees had been cut down to aid in throwing up defences and to be burned as firewood. The land roundabout indicated the scene of battles, being ploughed up in many directions by artillery and wagons. The blackened remnants of trees, half-burned, lay scattered about, and the horses’ feet stumbled over cannon-halls and pieces of broken weapons. The tower itself was situated half-way up an eminence, which was of so peculiar a form as to be inaccessible behind, and thus it served as a back- ground defence for the building. The cork-trees stretched up to within a few yards of the tower, which they well-nigh completely embowered in their verdure. There had been fighting at the tower, and the artillery had played upon the massive edifice, destroying at least half, but leaving the other portion comparatively uninjured. “There was some furniture in the tower, but the place having been pillaged, everything of value had disappeared. Nevertheless, there were sufficient means of rendering several rooms comfortable enough, and here did the band take up its quarters. One apartment served as a general room where the meals were taken in common, the same as at the encampment, and the others served as bedchambers. Of these the best within the tower was allotted to me. On our arrival I was both surprised and apprehensive at finding such pains taken to render the place habitable, for 1t struck me that so much trouble would scarcely be incurred if it were intended to pursue the journey on the following day, or even within two or three days. And two or three days did Gomicbooks Elo)