Penny Blood Serial Fiction — page 32: what you’re looking at

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

A TRAGEDY 15 her heart, for that side of her dress was saturated with blood. It was a sad, a ghastly, a shocking spectacle, and both Mr. Gunthorpe and our hero shuddered from head to foot, as if stricken with an ice-chill. “ Well, I’m blowed,’’ said Chiffin the Cannibal, “ if it isn’t a deuced lucky thing for me that I was with you gentle- men at the time, or else you would have been sure to say it was me as did it.” ‘“ What, in the name of Heaven, is to be done? ”’ exclaimed Deveril.. addressing himself to Mr. Gunthorpe, but glancing toward Chiffin. Then, in the Italian language, he said, quickly and whisperingly, ‘“ If this man is seen with us, we shall be accused of the deed.”’ “True,” replied Mr. Gunthorpe, now recovering his presence of mind, but still trembling from head to foot with feelings of indescribable horror. Then thrusting his hand into his pocket, he drew forth a quantity of notes and gold, and giving them to Chiffin, said, “‘ Begone! Stay not here for another moment, or no power on earth could make the authorities of justice believe that you are innocent of this! ”’ “Right enough! ”’ ejaculated the Cannibal, clutching the money with avidity. “‘ But what about the business yon- der?’ and he jerked his thumb over his shoulder toward the castle. “ Ts it possible that you think of staying in this neighbour- hood? ” demanded Mr. Gunthorpe. ‘No, I should rather think not,’’ was the Cannibal’s quick response. “Then away with you!” cried both Mr. Gunthorpe and William Deveril in a breath. Chiffin sped off across the fields, away from the vicinage of the river, and was speedily lost to the view. The colloquy just recorded had scarcely occupied a minute, during which Deveril looked about in every direction to see if he could discover the slightest trace of the path which the murderer or murderers had pursued, but there was no indication to lead him to any such discovery. Indeed, it was evident enough that the flight of the author or authors of the terrible deed must have been exceedingly precipitate, for at the moment when Gunthorpe, Deveril, and Chiffin had first come up to the spot, no sound of retreating foot- steps had met their ears, no form vanishing in the distance ee —_—--- _— “ — ee —<—— — te - GOmicdoo ‘Ss (C(O)