Penny Blood Serial Fiction — page 37: what you’re looking at

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

20 | REYNOLDS’ WORKS mission was of course accorded, and the squire’s horse having been gotten in readiness, he left the castle. Immediately after he had thus taken his leave, the ladies withdrew to their respective chambers. It was now eleven o’clock, and Lady Saxondale, on reach- ing her own room, dismissed her maids for the night, with the intimation that she intended to sit up reading ‘a little while ere she sought her couch. In about a quarter of an hour — when she thought the household was quiet — she stole forth from that chamber, and proceeded to Lord Harold’s. There she remained only a few minutes, in con- versation with the young nobleman, and on issuing forth again —instead of returning at once to her own room — she proceeded along the galleries leading to the western side of the castle. She extinguished the candle which she carried in her hand, and felt he# way through the gloom of those corridors to the chapel, on entering which, she closed the door and then relighted the candle, having brought matches with her for the purpose. This precaution she adopted to prevent any of the inmates of the castle perceiving, from the opposite side of the courtyard, a light moving along the galleries of the uninhabited portion of the build- ing. Secarcely had she thus obtained a light again, when the sounds of footsteps reached her ears, and forth from the } place of tombs emerged the unmistakable form of Chiffin the Cannibal. ‘“ Ah, you have come at last?” said Lady Saxondale. ‘Yes,’ was his growling response, “ but I had a deuced sereat mind not to venture here at all to-night, for there’s a precious rum thing took place at a little distance, about two or three mile away toward Gainsborough.” ‘And what is that? ’’ demanded Lady SaconAnie fixing her eyes upon the rufhan in a penetrating manner. “Why, nothing more nor less than a double murder,’ responded Chiffin. ‘A double murder? ’”’ echoed her ladyship. “ What do you mean? Have you —”’ ‘“ No, not I, and it’s a precious lucky thing for me that I had witnesses to the contrary, or else, if I had been seen lurking about in these parts — ”’ ‘“ Witnesses? ’’ ejaculated her ladyship. ‘‘ Do you mean Gomiecbooks (E(0)