Rose Mortimer; Or, The Ballet-Girl's Revenge — page 38: what you’re looking at

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

found that there was another partition between her and the room—a green baize door. Advancing, the outer portal closed upon her, and she was, for an instant, as it were, imprisoned as though in a sepulehre. But feeling cautiously over the surface before her, she presently found a handle and turned it gently. Searcely had she opened the door the tenth part of an inch when a piercing shriek met her ear coming from the room within ! It was a shriek of mingled pain and terror. A shriek, wrung by fiendish cruelty from some suffering victim. ‘‘Oh mercy! mercy! ’ she heard the young Jewess exclaim. ‘* For Heaven’s sake spare me!” “ Spare you, indeed !”’ cried a hard voice in reply. “ 1’d cut you all to bits if I had my way.” “‘Oh merey! mercy!” “‘T’d cut your lying tongue out, too, that you could’nt tell what I’d done.”’ “‘Oh, no, dear Mrs. Starke, you would notbe so cruel.” “Don’t dear me, yon deceitful minx. There’s no love lost between us, you know that well enough.”’ ‘‘ But what have I done to you 2” ‘‘ What have you done? Well, I like that !”’ ‘¢ T am sure I never meant to harm you.”’ ‘Did’nt you? Well, you harm me by living at all —pby ever having been born.’’ ‘* Oh dear, oh dear, I wish I was dead !” ~©T)o you? You should have your wish, too, if it depended on me, young lady.’’ ‘* But you would not kill me?”’ ‘‘There’s nothing half bad enough for you in my opinion; but I don’t want to commit murder. No, you’re safe enough as far as I am concerned in that respect.” ‘‘ But you are killing me by these cruel] floggings.’’ **Oh, no, I’m not. At least it’s a very slow job. Why don’t you die naturally? That’s what I want to know. Why don’t you die of cold and want? Why don’t you catch something? You shall catch a good whipping this time at any rate.”’ ‘Oh, no, no! Do not beat me this once!’’ **Yes Ishall. You bronght it on yourself.’’ ‘* But I meant no harm.”’ ‘‘You knew you were not to go room.” ‘* You did not tell me.”’ “You knew you were not to go, without being told,” ‘© Oh, no, indeed !’’ ‘© Don’t tell me a lie. Take that.’’ Then followed the sound of a blew. Then there was a scream and a groan. Then another blow. Another scream. | More blows followed with greater rapidity. screams, still shriller and more piercing. Unable to bear the suspense any longer, Rose pushed open the door and looked into the room, A horrible sight met her eyes. She sickened with terror. Naked to her waist, the lovely young Jewess was fastened up against the wall. A hideous old hag was flogging her with savage ferocity. The unhappy victim’s body was covered with the bruises of bygone atrocities. The blood trickled from fresh wounds. Twisting and shrinking, she endeavoured to escape from the uorrible old wretch’s cruel blows. But she struggled in yain. Again and again the blows descended. The poor girl panted for breath. The colour forsook her cheeks. Her eyes glazed, into the next More ————— ——————- -— eer a COMICOOO, ROSE MORTIMER. ‘ Her bosom rose and fell convulsively. Then she © was still as death. The nervesin her body seemed suddenly to relax. Her limbs gave way beneath her. She hung like a corpse, still and motionless. Only then did the fiend abstain from her cruelty. She stood still at last, and allowed her hand to fall by her side. ‘* Have yon had enough ?’’ she asked fiercely. But the young Jewess made noreply, *¢‘ Have you had enough ?”’ screamed the hag. ‘Still no answer. ‘Will you disobey me again? Do youhear? Yon had better speak.”’ ; But it was in vain thatshe thus questioned her victim. Her power of speech was gone. Was she dead? . . This was the question the old woman now asked herself in tremling terror. The ominous silence alarmed her. She had gone too far this time. What was to be done. She approached the young Jewess and regarded her with nervous trepidation. In a flutter of fright she then loosened her hands and let her gently down. She laid her upon the floor, and stood for a moment silently regarding her, The poor girl, however, moved not a muscle. ** Whatis the matter with her, I wonder,’’ the old momen muttered. ‘“I—I hope I haven’t gone too ar7 | She stooped down, as she spoke, by the side of her victim, and laid her hand upon the poor girl’s heart. In this attitude she remained for several moments, a grey shadow creeping the while over her evil face, *‘ [—I’ve done it,’ she said at last, with a gasp. Then rose to her feet with a spring. : “ I’ve killed her !”’ The words were uttered in a hoarse whisper which thrilled through the room. Poor Rose’s blood froze in her veins with terror. She could not, however, have torn herself away from the spot had her life depended upon her so doing. Something stronger than her will seemed to hold her there. She was fascinated with horror. Spell--bound—transfixed, With greedy eyes Rose watched the movements of the old hag. She was gazing eagerly around, as though in search of something. Rising to her feet, she carried a candle in her hand, and by its light made a tour of the room. She closely inspected the floor, missing scarcely an inch in her scrutiny. All at once she paused, and uttered a low exclama- tion. Then with her hands began scratching at the floor. Rose looked on eagerly. The old hag presently got her finger ends down between the boards. She raised a plank slowly, laid it on one side, and after a slight pause lifted out another. She now disclosed to Ro-e’s view an aperture about a foot and a half wide and six feet long. It looked like a grave. Raising the inanimate form of the beautiful young Jewess in her arms, she carried it to the place. Then lowered it noiselessly into the chasm. Rose’s heart beat violently. ** She had killed her, then,’”’ she thought, The body of the girl thus disposed of, the old hag very carefwly replaced the planks,