Rose Mortimer; Or, The Ballet-Girl's Revenge — page 170: what you’re looking at

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

-he continued, surveying it curiously. EEE 164 — ROSE MORTIMER ; OR, nm en el Or rather we may say that supernatural fears were more excited within him than aught else. He looked about him a bit, but had too recently left the light to be yet enabled to pierce the gloom of this chamber of death. He took a metal box from his pocket, containing lucifers, and with nervous despatch struck one and lit up a tallow candle stuck in a stone bottle. The effect was now even more unpleasant than before. The flickering rays of the candle shone with a ghastly appearance upon the still stiff bodies lying side by side in cold companionship. The light reflected, too, upon the soot-begrimed visage of the sweep who had brought the bodies there. Faint as was the illumination thus afforded, it could be’easily seen by the blackened face of the sweep that he had begun to be sadly ill at ease. There was a nervous twitching about his lips and a furtive glance from time to time towards the bodies which told its own tale. He shook himself together a bit, as if he would drive all unpleasant thoughts from his mind, and then struck up a whistle. It was but a faint effort. Very faint. He broke down lamentably in the first bar, and shivered from head to foot. ‘‘ Bless’d if I can stand it any more!” he said at length, with a burst, still whispered. ‘“I’ll go and wake up the old ’un.’”’ Then, with his eyes averted from the ghastly com- panions of his musings, he left the cellar. As soon as he got outside he felt considerably relieved. ‘¢ They’ll be all safe enough there,’’ he mused ag he ran along the road. ‘‘ And now it’s over I think it’sa good night’s work. That fust one is wuth a trifle, but the old ’un is a downright beauty. J don’t let him go under my own price for nobody. That I’ll take my davy on.’’ He made his way with all speed to the west end of London. On his road he called into a barber’s shop, where he got shaved and cleansed in spite of the lateness of the hour, Then, thus refreshened, he hastened towards his destination. Some ten or fifteen minutes had perhaps elapsed after his departure from the haunted house when a second individual made his appearance there. He appeared to be as well acquainted with the haunted house as its late occupant, for he made his way directly downstairs to the vaults of death. Here he rapped upon the door gently. ‘¢Snatchem !”’ he called. Then, receiving no reply, he pushed open the door and entered. “Out ? Well he ain’t got it, then. what’s this ?”’ This exclamation was caused by his perceiving the second body in the vault. The presence of the first was, already known to him. ‘Hullo! Another stiff ’un, by the holy poker!” ‘‘It is the identical feller too. He’s been before me. Well I thought as there could be no one else at work on the very same ground there. I know. I’ll cart him off. It’s easier work than digging him up after all. The trap’s outside, and jigger me if I don’t do it.” This ruffian, unlike the one who had brought the cadaverous object into the vault, appeared to have no compunctions upon the matter at all. Long habit had blunted all sense of humanity within him. He had no respect, no awe for the presence of the Why, hullo! grim tyrant who calls alike upon the high-born and the humble. He stooped down, and taking the last-brought corpse by the shoulders, proceeded to lift it up. It was very weighty, and caused him a great struggle. However, he stood by his self-imposed task man- fully. He was resolved to uccomplish, and it was not a little that could put him off. “Come up!” he muttered, groaning under the weight. ‘‘ You wouldn’t have let me tumble you about like tiis a week ago, I’d swear. Come up.” As he said this he succeeded in raising the corpse upon his back. Then he marched up the stairs and passed out of the house. He turned down a lane by the side of the house, where a small spring cart stood awaiting him. The man tumbled the corpse into the cart. Then he jumped up, and, whipping his horse, started off. He had not reached the end of the lane when a policeman challenged him. - ‘‘ Hullo, there! What are you up to with that cart ?”’ he cried out. ‘* Nothing, mate.” “¢ Let me gee.” *¢ You be hanged !” But the constable would not be denied. Heran up to the horse’s head, and, seizing the bridle, forced it back. * Let go there,’’ said the driver. ** Let me see what you’ve got there.” “¢T shan’t.” ‘‘Then I shall take you off with me to the green- yard,” said the policeman, ‘Oh, you will?” ** T shall.’? ‘Now, hark ye, my fine feller, there wants two parties to that bargain.” ~ “Come, come, no fooling.”’ _ Precisely ; so drop it. Let me get past, or I’ll settle your hash for you double quick !”’ With this he whipped his horse furiously, and the beast sprang forward. But the constable held the bridle with a firm hand, and forced the bit so sharply back into the horse’s mouth that it could not stir. ‘‘ If you don’t let go that blessed hoss,’”’ said the man, ‘‘I warn you, my fine feller, I’ll give youn such a one for your nob as will make you sing out.” “* Drop that now.” But, instead of heeding what the policeman said, he slashed at him so savagely with the whip that the man jumped away with a cry of pain. ‘“‘Take that !’’ cried the fellow. A Then, taking advantage of the constable’s tem- porary discomfiture, he whipped his horse up sud- denly and sharply. Off they went at a spanking pace. The policeman, with an oath, sprang his rattle. Heads with nightcaps were popped from windows all down the road, but the man in the cart, with its deathly load, got safely away. It was arare scramble and a run for it, but the magnitude of the danger lent the robber of death wings, or, rather, additional stings to his whip. The horse flew madly, snorting with pain. In the meantime the original possessor of the stolen corpse ran post haste to the house of Mermet, the Arab necromancer. Here, by a fortunate chance, he found the Arab yet Stirring. ** What do you wish of me ?”? demanded Mermet, who received his late guest with that stately mystery which so took with his visitors generally. (ElNOOLKS ee