Ivan the Terrible; or, Dark Deeds of Night — page 185: what you’re looking at

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

a IVAN THE _There could be no doubt as to the reality of the horrid sight, though Nat rubbed his eyes in vain endeavours to pur- suade himself that it was a vision. _ But it was too palpable—too life-like to be a creation of the brain ! So astonished was he, that for some moments he could neither think, move, nor speak, and it was only the fear of being found, and perhaps killed by some one connected with the house, that aroused him from the lethargy into which he was rapidly falling. ; If the inmates of that house were’ murderers, would they not assuredly murder him if they could on finding that he had discovered their horrid and criminal secret ? “ What if the house had been used by any of the ‘ Forgers,’ ” _ he thought. The body lay on its face at his feet, and appeared to have been propped up in the cupboard merely by the act of fastening the door, so that the moment that that support was removed it had fallen out ! Tf discovered, Nat now felt certain that his only chance of life would be an assumption of ignorance of the presence of the hideous corpse, and therefore he must put it back into the cupboard again. It was a task of the utmost horror to raise that hideous -inass of mangled flesh and re-place it in its repository, Stooping down, he clasped the neck in his hands, The head hung and drooped about in the loose manner that always indicates a certain amount of decay. Nat, with all his well-known courage, bungled frightfully *over what he had to do. ; His object was to get the body into the cupboard without looking at the ghastly face. He therefore turned his own head away as much as possible, The weight of a corpse is considerable, as Nat Fathom found in avery few moments. After several efforts he found it was impossible to get the body fixed for one instant so as to be able to close the door. _ At one trial he caught the cold fingers of the dead hand between the door and the side post. On another occasion the hideous face fell forward against his body, and not being quick enough, he caught sight of the horribly distorted visage. Words of horror and disgust burst inadvertently from his lips. That face seemed to possess all the fabled powers of the basilisk, and he could not turn away his eyes. He loosed his hold of the door, and again the body fell forward with a heavy thump as at first. “ Horrible ! horrible!” swore Nat, with bated breath. “I shall certainly be put in gaol again, if not hung, if I am dis- covered. At all hazards, I must get away. It would be better by far to risk the uncertainty of a journey over the house-tops with the hooting officers beneath, than face the certainty of death by remaining here.” With such muttered reflections on his lips he once more approached the garret window, but the officers were still in attendance below as he found by their hoots and shouts, He drew back again from the attic window. “T am lost now to all certainty,” he muttered; “ nothing can save me }” He sat down upon the miserable bed for a moment in agony of spirit. | ; ; Suddenly it struck him as being just possible that there might be no one in the house. _ The murderers or grave-yard robbers, or whoever tenanted the house, might be all absent on some dark and wicked ex- pedition. His own fears he thought might have magnified some casual noise into the sound of footsteps on the stairs, This last idea had a slight vestige of hope in it. _ Creeping cautiously to the door, at the stair head he stood listening attentively. He was unable to hear the slightest noise. “T have a great mind to venture downstairs,” he muttered, to himself. ‘It might so chance that no one should be between me and the street door, and I might escape from this TERRIBLE. 181 most dangerous situation without being recognised by the crowd of officers below.” Hesitation had to be overcome, and it was some minutes before he could make up his mind to venture. When at length he did make up his mind sufficiently, he descended step by step with such extreme caution, stealth, and slownesss, that it was several minutes before he reached the bottom of the first flight of stairs. The slightest sound, such as the creaking of a loose plank, or even his own breath, seemed to startle him ; and by the time he reached the floor immediately beneath the attic, he was in a state of nervous agitation that would almost bave made any one else falter and give up all hopes of escape. When he reached the bottom stair he sat down and en- deavoured to ascertain whether any one occupied either of the two rooms opening from that landing. The door of one of them was slightly open, and he felt certain that no one could be init, -~ The other door was closed, and it was only by a tre- mendous effort that he could summon up sufficient strength to crawl past it on his way down. He had placed his foot on the first step, however; and was about to descend the next flight, when he almost fell from the top to the landing below. He then heard the sounds of a man’s voice beneath him say, “ John, I shall want you up in the attic presently.” Then a step sounded on the stairs, and Nat Fathom had only just time to crawl into the room with the partly opened door. He cursed his thoughtlessness, however, as a moment after- wards he reflected that whoever was ascending the stairs might possibly enter that very room. A handsome bed stood there with curtains drawn, and Nat Fathom advancing cautiously peered in betweem them, To his intense surprise he found the couch tenanted by a lady, whose face at once proclaimed her a shrew even in her sleep, while the mountain she made of the bed-clothes showed that her body was almost as large as her temper. The slight noise he made seemed to disturb the lady, fora long and loud snore proclaimed that her slumbers were about to be broken. With her clenched fist she gave several hearty blows upon the bed, at the same time muttering, “‘T’ll teach you to disturb me, you little wretch, I will!” Take that! and that! and that !” Fancying, though but half awake, that she had reduced her disorderly husband to obedience, the worthy lady resigned herself once more to the arms of Morpheus, at the same time making a most discordant kind of music through her olfactory organ. A minute afterwards, just as Nat Fathom had succeeded in crawling beneath the bed, the same man’s voice that he had heard already, said, “Oh, you are asleep yet, are you, my beauty? Well, that is a blessing, for then there is some peace in the house for those who like to get up and-enjoy it. I am thankful that you're too lazy to think of getting up early, or else there would be no living in*the house. If ever a man was cursed— ah, well, I suppose it is no use to complain !” ‘Oh, you horrid little wretch !” exclaimed the fat lady, who had overheard the complimentary remarks of the man at the door, being only in what is called a “dog sleep.” “ You. wretch | you nasty little beast! so that’s the way you talk about me, is it, you ugly little lump of wickedness?’ “ What do you say, my dear?” replied a voice so meek and humble in its tones that Nat could scarcely believe it be- longed to the same individual who, but a few seconds before, had used so different a style of language. E “ What do I say, you abandoned reprobate? Why, I heard you talking about peace in the house, and cursing me, the wife of your bosom,” replied the lady, raising her voice at each word. “ Why, really, my dear, I am sure jf ‘ “ Now don’t attempt to shuffle out of it, you wretch! Only just wait till I get up, and J’/i tell you all about peace in the house.”’ With a heavy sigh the poor husband turned away. Conniiclooolks 9 Conn