Penny Blood Serial Fiction — page 50: what you’re looking at

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

THE INQUEST do the dinner hour when he reached the baronial mansion, and he was of course invited to stay, — an invitation which he did not refuse, as the reader scarcely requires to be informed. ‘It would appear,’ he said, when reciting the particulars of the inquest to the ladies assembled in the drawing-room, “that Mr. Gunthorpe and Mr. Deveril were on their way last night to the castle, when they discovered the murder.”’ “It may be so,’ observed Lady Saxondale, drawing herself up haughtily, ‘“ but they assuredly would not have been received by me.”’ Florina, who had started at Mr. Hawkshaw’s announce- ment, now flung a quick glance of indignation at Lady Saxondale as she thus spoke, — a glance which her ladyship, however, affected not to perceive. ‘“{ must confess,’ proceeded Mr. Hawkshaw, who could not understand why Lady Saxondale had spoken in such a manner of Mr. Gunthorpe and our hero, for the rumours and scandals of London life had not reached his ears in Lincolnshire, ‘‘ that I was exceedingly prepossessed in favour of that Mr. Deveril. He gave his evidence in such a plain, straightforward, manly style. He is such a handsome youth, too, and the coroner paid him the highest compliments.” Had Mr. Hawkshaw been looking at Florina at the time he thus spoke, he would have observed that her looks were fixed upon him with an expression of gratitude which she herself could not at the moment possibly subdue. Oh, how she longed to start up and accuse Lady Saxondale of all the vile perfidy of which she had been guilty, but she dared not. Deveril’s earnest injunctions to the contrary restrained her. At this crisis a footman entered to announce that dinner was served up, and the party accordingly descended to the dining-room. After the banquet, Mr. Hawkshaw and Juliana walked out together as usual in the garden, and the moment they were alone, the squire said, ‘‘ Pray tell me, Miss Farefield, was I indiscreet in mentioning the name of Mr. Deveril before your mother? I think that I was — I fear so.”’ “ To tell you the truth,” replied Juliana, ‘‘ that same Mr. Deveril has fallen into sad disgrace with my mother, inasmuch as, presuming on certain kindness which she showed him, he fancied that she was enamoured of him, and COnNIEOOOKS (C(O)