Penny Dreadfuls, 1866 · page 173 of 276
Ivan the Terrible; or, Dark Deeds of Night — page 173: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Victorian Penny Dreadful Page Analysis This is a page of **running prose with an illustration** from a penny dreadful titled *Ivan the Terrible; or, Dark Deeds of Night*. The illustration, captioned "The Examination of the Papers," depicts a woman standing over a seated man examining documents in an ornate interior. The text (Chapter LXXXII, continued) describes a scene at a tavern called "The Raven," where the criminal Andy—"deputy king of the Forge" and lieutenant to the villain Ivan—quarrels drunkenly with friends and the landlord over closing hours, boasting he'll pay any fines and threatening violence against authorities. The dialogue emphasizes Andy's brutish character and criminal authority.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
IVAN THE TERRIBLE: ? OR, DARK DEEDS OF NIGHT. 7 7 WL J / 7 / 22 , 47 AP) * \o = = IS = [atts ae rR AY IS —<—— ax= a ar = iJ ar —— PF m7 f a Chl on a”, SE YY LS LLL VLILLTA: ALAA AAA, TIL. G Cf, Cried vn a ! SS Ss NN GMM S/ iy UY Y; Uses Wijiey Wy \ Ly THE EXAMINATION OF THE pAPERS. CHAPTER} LXXXII—(continued). As usual, at the sign of ‘The Raven,” Master Andy, the second great chief of the Forgers, had a large party gathered round him of friends and other of Ivan’s gang who were will- ing to keep his company while his money lasted. His friend, the burly butcher, ‘sat close by his side, and replied to each of Andy’s disgusting oaths by still more hor- rible ones. The clock had passed the hour of midnight, yet the fun—if it can so be called—showed no signs of abating at the famed “Raven,” Pewter pots and glasses were rattled on the tables, while songs, oaths, and obscene jests rang loudly on the smoky close atmosphere. Presently the red-faced Jandlord appeared at the door of the spacious tap-room, and after venting a muttered curse, respectfully reminded Master Andy that it was now past twelve, and, therefore, time for him to close his house. “What the devil have I to do with the clock ?” roared the blood-stained and half-drunken Andy, in furious tones, “‘ Are you king of the ‘ Forge,’ instead of Ivan, or me, I should like to know ?” “Of course you are king when King Ivan is away, good Andrew, nobody doubts that; but, then, you know, the magis- trates are fearfully hard upon anybody for keeping open after hours, even here in the ‘ Forge.’” “They don’t say anything about your opening early, do they ?” said Andy, with a grin. ‘Certainly not, Master Andy.’’ No. 22. “Then keep*your house open, and if they say anything tell them you’ve just opened; but if that won’t do, say we Forgers shall do as we please,” “ But there’s a fine——” “Tf there is I'll pay it then, and break their heads after- wards,” shouted Andy, with a loud laugh ; and, comforted by this assurance as well as by the knowledge that he was rapidly making a fortune from the drunkenness of such persons as Andy and his friends, the good host no longer hesi- tated to supply the liquor so loudly called for on every hand, “Tell them you close at twelve and open at half-past. Can you understand that, thickhead?” said Andy, with a loud, boisterous laugh. “What a wonderful lawyer you would have made, Master Andrew—wonderful !” exclaimed the landlord, adding, in lower tones, - Curse his insolence, I wish that both he and Ivan had their d——d throats cut,”’ ‘““ May I be slaughtered and cut up, if Master Andrew, the deputy king of the ‘ Forge,’ and Ivan’s right hand man, ain’t an out-and-out brick,’ exclaimed the burly butcher. ‘What do you mean by talking about being slaughtered ?” growled the drunkard Andy, P “ Nothing, it’s only——” “Don’t say it again,’’ said Andy, hickupping, wishing to keep up his show of authority in Ivan’s absence, and yet half afraid to come to any open quarrel with his friends or the butcher. is period a strange-lodetoy a1 Ke) Seed KS @ 111