Rose Mortimer; Or, The Ballet-Girl's Revenge — page 177: what you’re looking at

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

THE BALLET-GIRL’S REVENGE. “Oh, Heavens !” murmured the same voice. _ This guided the necromancer to the spot, where he found the hapless libertine, Arthur Brownbill , Stretched upon the ground. ~ Rolling in agony. Writhing with torture. Suffering the very torments of the damned, ** Who’s there ?’”’ said Mermet,. “Oh! help me,” exclaimed the sufferer. ~“ What is it ?”? “T am hurt, oh! beyond all Surgery, I fear.” ** How hurt ?” Ne “Ask me not, but get me assistance, I beseech you,”’ he groaned. . : “Nay, tell me where lies your hurt,” persisted the necromancer, Oil? ‘* Have you any limbs broken 2’? 74 All 199 * All?” “Ay, I fell from the housetop. Oh! for death or relief at once !”’ “Hush !”? said Mermet, as if supremely shocked at these words. _ “The worst tortures of hell can be no worse than these.”’ And the unhappy sufferer writhed painfully in his torments. *‘ Fetch me a surgeon.” 744 Wait.’ ‘Oh! fiend!” Will you have instant relief ?”’ © Yes.” ‘¢ Smell this.” And he produced a phial, which he held beneath the sufferer’s nostrils. _ The poor maimed wretch glanced up at the necro- mancer’s face doubtfully. ** You would not play me false?” he said. “ I 99? “No, no. “‘ There.”’ But whilst he held the phial to the writhing wretch’s face Mermet could not help remarking that there was not the slightest sign of blood. “So much the better,’’ thought the Arab. “It will leave fewer traces.” Then he added aloud to the sufferer— “How is it that, with all your hurts, you have spilt no blood ?”’ “T know not, fear this arm is fractured as well. was a fearful fall.’’. “ What ?” “T fell from the housetop.” “The housetop ?”’ 6 Ay.”’ “Great mercies, how did you escape, then ?” “IT know not.” “You are easier now ?”? t4 Yes.’’ “The draught has relieved you ?”’ “Tt has; but I feel a singular numbed-like sensa- tion starting over me.”’ “ The effects of the narcotic.’’ “There is no danger ?”” (14 None,’? This poor maimed wretch even clung to life in spite of all his injuries. Mermet stood over him, eagerly watching the ones which were taking place so rapidly within im. His face was gradually assuming a stolid setiled expression, Now there were no traces of pain in that counte- Give it to me.”’ I have broken my thighs, and I Oh, Heaven! it 171 nance so lately distorted with agony the most fearful which mortal can endure. Lhe lower members of his body were rigid. H 18 arms were motionless and his hands rapidly be« coming so. A few nervous twitches still. ‘“ How are you now ?” asked Mermet. ** Better.” **1’m glad of that.” 53 red thanks for your mercy, but I am dying fast.” “Yes. Do not trouble yourself. effects of my own brute passions. from all blame. gave myself, it;?? ' ‘““Come, come,”? said Mermet, recover.”’ “* Never.”? ** Hope always.”’ ‘* That is kindly said; but no, my time is spent. It is too much mercy to have such kindness in my last moments, when my last act in life was one of cruelty and outrage to the being who loved me most on earth.”’ ; Mermet looked uncomfortable at the dying man’s thanks. Reproaches would not have affected lim in the east. But scarcely the most callous of us can be unaf- fected in such a position. To have the man you have deceitfully slain— treacherously murdered—when he thinks you aiding him thanking you with his dying breath is rather more than the most unscrupulous could comfortably stand. ‘* Farewell,” said the dying man. 14 Ah 19? <1 die.” ** Nay, you deceive yourself.” “I don’t. Remember that my death ig of my own seeking,’’ ** Yes; yes.” “‘ Sh—she is entirely exonerated from all share in 3+ 99 Se Yes:” “Ask her forgive—’’ Ere the word could be finished he turned over and expired. The Arab necromancer gave a sigh of relief, ‘“‘That’s over,” he said coolly. “And now to business.”’ He then took a knife from beneath his vest and examined it carefully. Then, apparently satisfied with its keenness, he pro- ceeded to try it upon the still warm corpse of Arthur Brownbill. But we cannot dwell at much length upon these horrors. Suffice it therefore for this portion of our narrative to say that the body was mutilated most horribly on the spot. Limbs were lopped off. Then the whole was placed with difficulty in the huge carpet bag. This accomplished, the necromancer looked about him carefully to see that he was not observed. Satisfied in this particular, he took great pains to destroy all traces of the fearful tragedy which had just been enacted there. Then, with a strength of which few would have deemed that pigmy stunted body capable, he raised the carpet bag to his shoulders and boldly trudged off with it. of the fingers, and all was I die from the Exonerate her I have merited the death which I *Tis not her hand which hath wrought ‘““You may yet comicbooks CO