Penny Blood Serial Fiction — page 348: what you’re looking at

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

HAWKSHAW HALL 30 1 at my feet, and it is difficult to banish that bright and beautiful image — too bright and too beautiful — from my mind.”’ While thus meditating, the youth reached the cottage, which stood in a narrow lane intersecting a wide expanse of verdant meadows. A peasant couple, evidently husband and wife, with three or four little children, were sitting at their evening meal. Frank asked for a cup of milk; it was immediately supplied him, and not choosing to remunerate the woman in a direct manner for her hospitality, he put some silver into the eldest child’s hand, bidding him “ pur- chase a toy with it the next time his father took him to Gainsborough.” He then inquired how far he was from that town. He was told eight miles. How far was he from Saxondale Castle? For he wished to ascertain what distance he had walked since parting from Juliana. He was told seven miles. Could he obtain any conveyance in the neighbourhood to take him to Gainsborough, for he had lost his way and was much wearied? But at the very moment that he had put this last question — and before it was answered — a gentleman on horseback rode up to the front of the cottage. ‘““ Here’s the squire,’ exclaimed the peasant, rushing out to see what Mr. Hawkshaw wanted. It was a glass of ale or cider, whichever might happen to be in the place, for Mr. Hawkshaw was thirsty. Frank’s first impulse was to stand aside from the vicinage of the open door, so as to avoid being seen by the squire, for he did not wish to undergo the process of another interrogatory at that gentleman’s hands, nor to have the pain of declining a renewed invitation which might possibly be put in respect to a visit to the Hall. But Mr. Hawkshaw had caught sight of him, and in a hurried whisper he asked the peasant whether a youth of such-and-such a description was not in the cottage. On receiving a reply in the affirmative, together with an account of the various inquiries Frank had been making, the good-hearted squire sprang from his horse, rushed into the cottage, and seizing the youth by the hand, exclaimed, ““ Now that you are on my territory, I take you prisoner. You have lost your way, you have been wandering about, you want a conveyance to take you back to Gainsborough, and you shall have one from the Hall, »] CONNIE DOOKS (FO)