Rose Mortimer; Or, The Ballet-Girl's Revenge — page 46: what you’re looking at

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

ee ——— - —— eye Their brutal jests and horrible threats scared her out of her wits. The whole house was now in an uproar, and the audience had serambled pell-mell on to the stage. The sound of smashing glass was to be heard every moment, mingled with the shrieks of the women. Loud cries were raised for the police, and against the barricaded doors the constables without were struggling furiously with the mob inside for admit- tance. A more horrible saturnalia than the theatre pre- sented it would scarcely be possible to imagine. The rabble, dancing and shrieking like so many incarnate fiends, were now for the most part intoxi- eated, having broken into the refreshment-rooms and helped themselves gratuitously to all the liquors there to be found. Poor Rose saw that she would be treated roughly indeed did she have the misfortune to fall into their hands. But how to escape ? Ah! there was one chance which hitherto thought of. She was now close to the proscenium. She might descend by one of the curtain ropes, then fly across the stage, and perhaps make her way out by the stage door. No sooner-was this rash project conceived than it was put into execution. Dropping on her hands and knees, she took a firm hold of the rope below her. Then swung herself forward. It was a moment of fearful peril. Had she loosened her hold (and the strain upon her wrists was enormous) she must have dashed her brains out on the floor below. But she was safe, and glided down the rope. Thus, however, did she escape from one danger only to encounter another still more terrible. In gliding down the rope her muslin garments came in contact with the gas jets by the side. In a moment she was in a blaze. ‘Before she reached the ground the flames sur- rounded her. “‘Help! help!” shrieked the terrified ballet-girl, and, with that fatal impulse to which all women in the moment of peril seemed doomed to yield, she rushed wildly about the stage. The rapid passage through the air fanned the ames into terrific fury above her head and entirely enve- lopped her lovely form. She shrieked aloud in an agony of terror. She flung herself upon the floor and rolled over and over, She seized her blazing skirts in her hands and tried one moment to crush out the flames, the next to tear her garments from her body. But, alas! in both efforts she was foiled by her own she had not _ confusion and fright. At the moment, though, when her situation seemed fo be very precarious a cloak was flung around her. She had lost all command over herself now, and struggled furiously with her would-be saviour. But he held her down with a strength against which her efforts were of no avail. He choked her, half smothered her, but held her prisoner in spite of her struggles. At length when he removed the cloak she was half fainting. She was tco much frightened by what she had just passed through to remember the pursuit of the ruf- tians who had been the cause of all. But opening her eyes now, she found that she was surrounded and hemmed in bya jabbering mob, upon whom her sufferings and dangers had no effect, She had, however, found a protector, ROSE MORTIMER, Se ee ee In his arms she was safely carried through the crowd. Several rushes were made at her on the way, but his strong right arm kept her antagonists at a re- spectful distance. Bearing her as easily as though she had been a child, he carried Rose into the street. There another man came up to him, exclaiming— ** Poor girl! is she much hurt ?”’ ‘“No,”’ replied he who had so gallantly rescued her, ‘*T hope I have saved her with scarcely a scar.” *“It would indeed have been a misfortune for so lovely a creature to be sacrificed.”’ Here Rose murmured some words of entreating, though inso low atone as to be inaudible. ‘You are quite safe,’’ said the second man, who was about sixty, with long silvery locks hanging around a mild and pleasant face. ‘‘Do not be alarmed.’’ ‘“ Where are you going to take me?” she asked faintly. “We will take you home, if vou will tell us where that is.’’ Rose looked at him wildly, but made no answer, Home! Unhappy girl, where indeed was she to look for one? “My carriage is waiting here,’’ said the old man. “You had better come into it, and as we drive along you can collect yourself a little and decide where you wish to go.” He spoke so kindly, so gently, that it was almost impossible to believe him to haye any sinister motiye in making this proposition. But she had already fallen into such traps, met with such double-faced hypocrites, that it was not to be wondered at if she was somewhat aistrustful. But she felt so ill. She was so weak and weary. She had not strength to struggle longer. Her brain was confused. She could not reason. She could not make an effort to save herself from any new danger. — Without a murmur she allowed the old gentleman and his younger companion to assist her into the carriage. As they drove along she closed her eyes and for some moments lapsed into a half unconscious state. The two men conversed in a low tone of voice, and she could catch but a faint and confused notion of the subject of their conversation. ** Tt is most extraordinary,”’ one said. “TT could scarcely have believed it.”’ ‘f Yet there are some instances of a like character.” “In plays and tales you mean—such as the Corsican Brothers, for instance.” ‘“ No, I don’t. I mean in real life, such as in the case of the courier of Lyons.” ‘What was that?” ‘* A respectable man accused of robbery and murder, and sworn to by a roomfull of witnesses.”’ “6 Well 2? ‘‘ Well, after he was executed it turned out that they had got hold of the wrong man.”’ ** But they hanged him ?’’ “What, the right man! I forget what they did to him, but it doesn’t much signify. They hanged the wrong one ; that’s the great point we’ve got to look to.’’ “To be sure. And he was so like the other man, eh?” ‘‘Like! As like as two peas. It was most extra- ordinary, it would seem. The man wrongfully accused was spoken up for by a score of respectable people, and he proved a very tolerable alibi, but they hanged him all the same.”’ oO VOOKSIGO