The Scarlet Pimpernel

Chapter 13 The weariest nights, the longest days, sooner or later must perforce come to an end.Marguerite had spent over fifteen hours in such acute mental torture as well-nigh drove her crazy. After a sleepless night, she rose early, wild with excitement, dying to start on her journey, terrified lest further obstacles lay in her […]

Chapter 12 It was late into the night when she at last reached ‘The Fisherman’s Rest.’ She had done the whole journey in less than eight hours, thanks to innumerable changes of horses at the various coaching stations, for which she always paid lavishly, thus obtaining the very best and swiftest that could be had.Her

Chapter 11 At what particular moment the strange doubt first crept into Marguerite’s mind, she could not herself have said. With the ring tightly clutched in her hand, she had run out of the room, down the stairs, and out into the garden, where, in complete seclusion, alone with the flowers, and the river and

Chapter 10 When Marguerite reached her room, she found her maid terribly anxious about her.“Your ladyship will be so tired,” said the poor woman, whose own eyes were half closed with sleep. “It is past five o’clock.”“Ah, yes, Louise, I daresay I shall be tired presently,” said Marguerite, kindly; “but you are very tired now,

Chapter 9 The few words which Marguerite Blakeney had managed to read on the half-scorched piece of paper, seemed literally to be the words of Fate. “Start myself tomorrow.” This she had read quite distinctly; then came a blur caused by the smoke of the candle, which obliterated the next few words; but, right at

Chapter 8 The historic ball given by the then Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs—Lord Grenville—was the most brilliant function of the year. Though the autumn season had only just begun, everybody who was anybody had contrived to be in London in time to be present there, and to shine at this ball, to the

Chapter 7 It was one of the gala nights at Covent Garden Theatre, the first of the autumn season in this memorable year of grace 1792.The house was packed, both in the smart orchestra boxes and in the pit, as well as in the more plebeian balconies and galleries above. Gluck’s Orpheus made a strong

Chapter 6 A beautiful starlit night had followed on the day of incessant rain: a cool, balmy, late summer’s night, essentially English in its suggestion of moisture and scent of wet earth and dripping leaves.The magnificent coach, drawn by four of the finest thoroughbreds in England, had driven off along the London road, with Sir

Chapter 5 The afternoon was rapidly drawing to a close; and a long, chilly English summer’s evening was throwing a misty pall over the green Kentish landscape.The Day Dream had set sail, and Marguerite Blakeney stood alone on the edge of the cliff over an hour, watching those white sails, which bore so swiftly away

Chapter 4 Once outside the noisy coffee-room, along in the dimly-lighted passage, Marguerite Blakeney seemed to breathe more freely. She heaved a deep sigh, like one who had long been oppressed with the heavy weight of constant self-control, and she allowed a few tears to fall unheeded down her cheeks.In the distance two figures were

Chapter 3 In a moment the pleasant oak-raftered coffee-room of the inn became the scene of hopeless confusion and discomfort. At the first announcement made by the stable boy, Lord Antony, with a fashionable oath, had jumped up from his seat and was now giving many and confused directions to poor bewildered Jellyband, who seemed

Chapter 2 Feeling in every part of England certainly ran very high at this time against the French and their doings. Smugglers and legitimate traders between the French and the English coasts brought snatches of news from over the water, which made every honest Englishman’s blood boil, and made him long to have “a good

Chapter 1 The aristocrats were traitors to the people of France, all of them, men, women, and children, who happened to be the descendants of the great men who since the Crusades had made the glory of France: her old noblesse. Their ancestors had oppressed the people, had crushed them under the scarlet heels of