Book Description

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. COLONEL BLOOD. Pardon, my lord, this somewhat abrupt entrance into your honourable presence, was the new visiter's address, delivered with a bold scrutinizing glance on all present, and concluding with one of threatening inquiry at the earl. Colonel Blood's presence always brings its own excuse?apparently, replied the earl, with a deep flush. But methinks 'tis somewhat surperfluous courtesy to ask a prisoner's pardon for entering his dungeon, sithence he hath neither means nor right to resist such authorized intrusion. I shall not trouble your lordship long; but, forthe brief space which I needs must, I will anticipate your courtesy so far as to seat myself, said the colonel, throwing himself with perfect nonchalance into a chair, and kicking a stool towards him, on which he leisurely crossed his legs. Claude felt his first emotion of alarm and curiosity at the appearance of a man so renowned for almost every species of daring villany, rapidly changing into indignation at his insolence, but he was obliged to suppress all exterior signs, and to content himself with returning the colonel's deliberate inspection. He beheld a figure remarkable at first glance for its prodigious strength and muscular symmetry, the bull-like massiveness of the neck and shoulders, and the somewhat peculiar largeness of the head. His lace, howcver, was what chiefly caught the eye, and fixed it in indistinct fear and suspicion. The features, considered without their expression, though perfectly Irish in their conformation, were not unhandsome; the.lips though thin and too wide, had a determined curve, and the forehead although low, with its massive overhanging eyebrows, gave the idea of a rode power and energy of intellect, able to second, but too well, the volit...