Ivan the Terrible; or, Dark Deeds of Night — page 154: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

150 IVAN- THE On the contrary, a comfortable room in. which a fire was lighted was assigned him, together with sundry other indul- sencies, which he would not have had had not the gaolers been bribed to do so by one of Nat’s companions in crime, ‘Mind you treats my blessed old mother in a decent way when she comes,” said he, still half drunk, to a turnkey who *brought a bundle of rugs and blankets for him, The man laughed as he replied, ‘‘When is she coming, then? I didn’t think for a moment that the famed Nat had such tender feelings.” ‘“ Very soon. I expect she’s darning her old stockings at this blessed minute, She’s got a horrid cold, and wouldn't think of coming out with a hole in them,” ‘©Got a cold, has she ?” “Yes: it’s all through using a damp towel to wash her face with,” The man smiled grimly again and again, and then placed gome food before Nat. “ You must manage to eat it with a spoon because we don’t allow any knives or forks here,” said he, “The devil! Well, I call it a regular downright robbery to take away all those beautiful little articles of mine in the way you did,” said Nat, scratching his head. © Don’t you think it very likely that we are going to let you have a couple of files, a centre-bit, and a bunch of skeleton keys in the cell with you, Nat, eh? Why, we should find-you outside by morning.” ; “ And I will be, sure enough,” thought Nat to himself, “We've heard all about you, Master Nat, long ago, and we means to keep ycu bottled up tight.” “Thank ye ; but as the boy said when his master was look- ing for the cane, you needn’t take all that trouble.” * A yum chap he is, and no mistake. Oh! he’s a precious willin’, Good day, Nat.” So saying, the man passed ont of the cell, and locked the door, leaving Nat by the fireside warming his shins. For two or three hours he was alone.” During this time he amused himself by singing comic songs, and reciting bombastic speeches from furious melo-dramas, to the intense delight of*the turnkeys, who listened outside his door, remarking to each other that the prisoner was a “stunner,” and that it was quite an honour to have him in their aol, Towards the dusk of the evening there was a ring at the bell, and when the porter looked through the little grating of the gate, he saw a little old-fashioned woman waiting for ad- mission. “Who do you want ?” asked he, « T am—hem !—mother—eugh ! eugh !—I want to—eugh ! —see him—eugh!” exclaimed the woman, in asthmatical tones. ‘Do you—eugh?” replied the porter. Then step inside, old Jady.” - | ‘His poor—eugh, eugh—father——” ** Oh, bother his father !” ; “ Was a very fine man.” ‘Well, who the deuce cares? ‘Come along, and be quick.” “Tcan’t be quick, when my—eugh, eugh—asthma is troublesome. As~ eugh, eugh—I was saying, his father——’”’ “ Confound his father |” “He. wasn’t a. little-engh—pock-marked chap—engh, eugh—like you. He was a fine man—eugh, eugh !” ‘What a malicious old cat !” muttered the turnkey to him- self, ‘*She’s about the most abusive old witch I ever came across, making such impertinent remarks. I only hope she’ll fall down some of the steps, and break her crooked old back !” . To hasten such a desirable event, the man walked on very rapidly. It was no ‘use, for the old woman stopped at almost every two yards to give vent to her coughing and wheezing, till the turnkey was in such a rage with her that he could ‘have © knocked her down with his bunch of keys. At length they. reached the door of Nat Fath6m’s cell, which the man unlocked and threw open with a furious bang. * Here’s your old cat of a mother, and if you want to do tle TERRIBLE, ? any good to society, the sooner you dash her head against the wall the better.” reign “Oh, you nasty—eugh, eugh—you ugly little man—eugh, eugh !” : “You old spit-fire !” “T'll eat you—eugh |” ‘ The turnkey waited to hear no more, but, banging the door together in a furious rage, double-locked it, and left Nat Fathom alone with his “ mother ” (?). When they were fairly alone the old woman, turning to her gon, said, without the slightest symptom of asthma, ‘Well, Nat, my Roman?” ~— F “Hurrah, Sharkey, my ‘jolly old pal!” exclaimed the prisoner. ' : The visitor was indeed Nick Sharkey, with whom Nat had ~ been associated for years, and who had taken care to arrange this scene long before he was brought inside the gaol. _ Sharkey, he knew, would not rest day nor night until he had discovered the gaol in which he was confined, and haying discovered that it was an easy matter to effect his escape, for there were few gaols indeed which Sharkey had not had the honour of being confined in, and which he could break out of with ease. ae When, therefore, any of Nat’s men got into“ quod,” asthey — called it, their “mother” was always the first visitor, and with what results we will quickly see. The meeting between Nat Fathom and his faithful comrade Sharkey was of the most cordial description imaginable, The prison officials did not for a moment imagine that any foul play was at work, for Sharkey’so well acted the part of an asthmatic old woman that no one would for a moment imagine that it was all fiction. ~ 2 ‘ Notwithstanding their sense of certainty that Nat’s visitor was none other than his mother several of them crept.up to the cell door and listened to all that was passing within. ~ “ A clever rogue is that Nat Fathom,” said one old constable to the other. ‘‘I suppose you’ve hearn afore now of how he managed to escape from the Round-house ?” . “« Aye, true,’ said the other, “and I heard the governor say this very evening that we must keep a sharp look-out after him, or else he might give us the slip, even here.” z ‘No fear of that,’’ said the other, shaking his head, “these walls are too thick and high for any of that nonsense. No, no, Mr. Nat won’t get out of this prison so easily, or I’m very much mista’en,” mg | ‘Hark ye,” said the other, in a whisper,’ “do you under- stand what the old ’un is a saying to her big, ugly son?” “No, not a syllable ; they speaks in some foreign language, I thinks, for I never heard such gibberish in all my life,” “Oh, I understand it all right enough,” whispered the other. In truth, however, he did not understand a single word, but pretended to be very wise. r T6071 | . Nat expected that the officers would attempt to overhear - what he had to say, and for this reason spoke to Sharkey in a peculiar style of dialect used only by thieves and others wed conversing on matters they do not wish every one to <now. ; . ‘“What is they saying, then ?” one of the officers asked. “Why, she’s a telling on him to be a good boy, and behave hisself, and die game when his time comes.” NBN “Oh, that’s it, eh?” . “" Vesi?? : “ And what does he say to that ?” ‘Oh, he’s a talking in a werry good sort o’ style, and the 7 old woman is a crying,” **You don’t mean that ?” “But I do, though; can’t sobbing ?” ‘So I does, Poor old creature, what a wicked son he has been to her to be sure; a ugly, good-for-nothing gallows bird, that’s what he is.” 4 The crying and sobbing and heaving which the officers heard was nothing more nor less than suppressed laughter on the part of Nat and Sharkey, | | Thinking that they could hear nothing that might interest them the officers left the cell door and moved away, | (Tobe continued.) — Comichoo _ ra on — \ <S you hear her a heaving and © - “