a little penny dreadful reading

[incandescens]

And tomorrow I do lots of stuff.

But tonight I sleep.

---

"Grace de Dieu! It is l'Anglais!" was the unanimous exclamation of a score of deep voices, in accents of surprise and joy, as he advanced into the hall, and dropped his cloak from before his face. His features could now be seen to advantage, and truly noble they were, so far as physical outline could stamp them so. But it was the noble and grand beauty of a fallen angel. His fine dark eye was full of evil light, as if from it blazed forth the fires of a lost soul. His lofty brow was the throne of pride, and hatred and defiance of his kind curled his chiselled lip. His person was tall and commanding, and the perfection of manly elegance.

He was dressed in black, and beneath the cloak glittered the hilt of a sword. As he advanced towards the group about the table, they all fell back. He stepped before a large book that lay upon it, and placing his right hand upon the open page and the left hand upon his heart, he read aloud what he saw written:

"I, Pierre Robert, do swear to obey all the laws of this Society of Thirty, on the pain of suffering the penalties hereto annexed."

"Accursed be he who shrinks from his oath" responded every man in the hall, in a startling bass tone, as it were one voice.

-- The League of "The Thirty", J.H. Ingraham

Comments

[copperbird.livejournal.com]

OK, why are they addressing him as L'Anglais if his name is Pierre Robert?

[incandescens]

Je n'ai rien idee, madame, but it's a penny dreadful and I only have one chapter of it in my book compiled by Peter Haining discussing penny dreadfuls.

Of which rpgs are clearly the spiritual heirs. ;)