The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Midnight Queen, by May Agnes Fleming

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Title: The Midnight Queen

Author: May Agnes Fleming

Release Date: December 25, 2008 [EBook #2950]
Last Updated: March 28,2010

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MIDNIGHT QUEEN ***

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THE MIDNIGHT QUEEN By May Agnes Fleming

Contents

THE MIDNIGHT QUEEN

CHAPTER I. THE SORCERESS.
CHAPTER II. THE DEAD BRIDE
CHAPTER III. THE COURT PAGE
CHAPTER IV. THE STRANGER.
CHAPTER V. THE DWARF AND THE RUIN.
CHAPTER VI. LA MASQUE
CHAPTER VII. THE EARL'S BARGE.
CHAPTER VIII. THE MIDNIGHT QUEEN.
CHAPTER IX. LEOLINE.
CHAPTER X. THE PAGE, THE FIRES, AND THE FALL.
CHAPTER XI. THE EXECUTION.
CHAPTER XII. DOOM.
CHAPTER XIII. ESCAPED.
CHAPTER, XIV. IN THE DUNGEON.
CHAPTER XV. LEOLINE'S VISITORS.
CHAPTER XVI. THE THIRD VISION.
CHAPTER XVII. THE HIDDEN FACE
CHAPTER XVIII. THE INTERVIEW.
CHAPTER XIX. HUBERT'S WHISPER.
CHAPTER XX. AT THE PLAGUE-PIT.
CHAPTER, XXI. WHAT WAS BEHIND THE MASK.
CHAPTER XXII. DAY-DAWN.
CHAPTER XXIII. FINIS

THE MIDNIGHT QUEEN,

CHAPTER I. THE SORCERESS

The plague raged in the city of London. The destroying angel had gone
forth, and kindled with its fiery breath the awful pestilence, until all
London became one mighty lazar-house. Thousands were swept away daily;
grass grew in the streets, and the living were scarce able to bury
the dead. Business of all kinds was at an end, except that of the
coffin-makers and drivers of the pest-cart. Whole streets were shut up,
and almost every other house in the city bore the fatal red cross, and
the ominous inscription, "Lord have mercy on us". Few people, save the
watchmen, armed with halberts, keeping guard over the stricken houses,
appeared in the streets; and those who ventured there, shrank from each
other, and passed rapidly on with averted faces. Many even fell dead on
the sidewalk, and lay with their ghastly, discolored faces, upturned to
the mocking sun