Godfrey's name, immediately conducted him into an empty
apartment at the back, on the drawing-room floor. He noticed two unusual
things on entering the room. One of them was a faint odour of musk
and camphor. The other was an ancient Oriental manuscript, richly
illuminated with Indian figures and devices, that lay open to inspection
on a table.
He was looking at the book, the position of which caused him to stand
with his back turned towards the closed folding doors communicating with
the front room, when, without the slightest previous noise to warn him,
he felt himself suddenly seized round the neck from behind. He had
just time to notice that the arm round his neck was naked and of a
tawny-brown colour, before his eyes were bandaged, his mouth was gagged,
and he was thrown helpless on the floor by (as he judged) two men. A
third rifled his pockets, and--if, as a lady, I may venture to use such
an expression--searched him, without ceremony, through and through to
his skin.
Here I should greatly enjoy saying a few cheering words on the devout
confidence which could alone have sustained Mr. Godfrey in an emergency
so terrible as this.
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