Black Bess; or, The Knight of the Road — A Tale of the Good Old Times — page 314: what you’re looking at

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

i neers ene Sea eet EE 312 BLUESKYEN ; 8 2 el Te A ROMANCE. * Where’s Quilt ?”’ was Jonathan’s first question. ‘** Upstairs, Mr. Wild.” The thief-taker made no reply, but stalked along the hall and ascended the stairs. q He went into the room where he usually sat on the first oor. But, before entering:it, he called out for Quilt Arnold in a voice that shook the house. There was a hurried trampling of heavy fect, and then some one knocked submissively at the door. Jonathan just at that moment was cugaged in drinking from a bottle of braudy which he had taken off the table. Removing it, however, from his lips he called out— * Come in.’ Quilt obeyed. ** What is it Mr. Wild, if you please,” he asked, as he band, on the threshold with the knob of the door in his an “Come in and sit down, Quilt. ou.’ Quilt sat down without a word, and waited in patience to hear what would be said to him. °° T shall want your assistance to-night.” Yes, Mr. Wild.” You remember what I was saying to you?” = About Mary Milliner ?” ‘* Yes.” “What am I to do, sir?” *“* Have you been up in the room to look at her?” ** No, sir. “Then, how do you know she is there ?” ‘é That’s where she was put, Mr. Wild, and she was past moving.’ ** She must be buried. ” ** So you said, sir.’ You and I will do it.” ‘* Me, sir?” said Quilt, not altogether relishing the idea, for since the little affair in the vaults of Tottenham Church, he had a mortal repugnance to dead bodies. . Yes, you. T’ll tell you how it is to be done.” ** Yes, sir.’ “You must get a light cart, and a horse, and a sack.” ‘fA sack.” ** Yes, a sack to put the body in, Quilt.” “On! lor, Mr. Wild.” You had better go and order the horse and cart at once.’ ‘What time must it be at the door ?” Tn half-an-hour.” ” ** Very well, sir.’ ** Then come back to me, and I will give you further wstructions.” Yes, Mr. Wild.” Quilt Arnold left the room by no means well pleased with the night’s work he had in prospective. But it was more than his life was worth to make the slightest demur, so, in spite of his unwillingness, he went. While he was gone, Jonathan seated himself in a chair by the fireside. He drew the table towards him, and took another sip at the brandy. Then he lighted his pipe, and fell into a musing fit. How many. different thoughts swept through the brain of the thief-taker it would be hard indeed to say. He had a great many things on his mind, each of which required his immediate attention. He thought deeply, and while so busily engaged the time passed rapidly. He was aroused by a faint tapping at the door, which announced Quilt Arnold’s return. ** Come in.’ ‘The horse and cart will be at the door in half-an-hour, Mr. Wild.” “Very well. Where’s the sack ?” “On the landing outside.” “Ts it a large one ?” The largest I could get, Mr. Wild.” ‘** Have you gota lantern ?’ ** Yes, sir. “ Then we are provided.” « Shall you require anything more ?” “T think not.” Very well, sir.” I want to speak to pect ae a lg tele nee Oa lg fire Vy cbtlaay tad mete Sita acta ceo a a gas © OP o Oe Pb a8 9 mt ah ee 0 ae have not got a very pleasant job before jou, ul No, Mr. Wild.” “* However, take a drop of brandy. Don’t be afraid, that will put you all right.” Quilt did not need a second bidding to do this. To be sure, while he was out he called at a public- house and had a draw on his own account, but he could do with a little more. Jonathan rose to his feet and put down his pipe. Quilt put down the brandy. ** Now,” said the former, “‘ take your lantern and the sack, and go upstairs. I will follow.” Quilt led the way. He had left hig dark lantern on the broad part of the balustrade, and the sack was lying on the ground close to it, rolled up into a very small compass. These he took i in his hand, and went upstairs to the door of the room in which the mortal remains of the defunct Mary Milliner lay. Steggs was on the landing carefully watching at his post, and Jonathan stopped a moment to question him. But he elicited only the customary reply that all was right, and that he had seen nothing to account for the awful and mysterious death of Wild’s mistress. Jonathan did not think proper to say anything to Steggs respecting the business which had brought him up there at that late hour of the night, and he (Steggs) watched his actions with considerable uneasiness. But he soon found he had nothing whatever to alarm himself about. Quilt Arnold had got the key of the chamber of death, and in spite of the factitious vigour which his recent fiery potations gave him, his hand shook perceptibly when he tried to introduce the key into the lock. With an effort, however, he controlled himself, and turned the key. He threw open the door. The moment he did so both the ssnses of himself and his master, vyho stooc close hehind him, were assailed by that disagreeable and unmistakable odour which decom- posing flesh always emits. So powerful, too, was it, that they had to draw hack a step, to allow the pure air upon the landing (for such, by comparison, it seemed to be) to mingle with the foul atmosphere within the chamber. ‘“‘T am afraid we have let the job go a little too long, Quilt,”’ said Wild. ‘* She smells awful, sir.’ “Pah! Don’t talk Sout it. able job to do, and we must do it. sick. Screw up your courage, Quilt. it over the better.” Although Quilt Arnold could not help seeing the force of this reasoning, still it did not reconcile him any the more to the task he had to do. But he knew it had to be done, so, holding the sack in his left hand, and the lantern in his right, he entered. Jonathan followed him closely. When Mary Milliner had been carried up stairs, and put in the room, the men had shown her very little ceremony. They put her down all in a heap, just as they held her, on the floor inside the room. There she lay still, and had not Quilt Arnold known just where she was, "he would inevitably have tumbled over her. But he cautioned Wild, and stepped aside. The thief-taker cast one glance upon the corpse, and then turned away with a shudder of horror. We shall not attempt in any way to describe the awful and revolting appearance which the dead body presented. We should only disgust the reader. But the worst part of the work had to be done. It was a kind of retribution for Wild to have so much trouble with her dead body—a kind of punishment for his own horrible brutabty. Quilt Arnold put the lantern on the floor, and unrolled the sack. “You will have to rr Wild @ put her in,’ he said. “TI can’t do it all myself, Mr All right, I help you.’ With a good deal of trouble, and by their united exertions, the body was at last got into the sack. We have got a disagrec- It’s no good to turn The sooner we get a hel PR SEE Rm ms msm ai fi Gg a a RSE I GT SS TSCA _ gS I a SR S$ TRG ES A I I TOT I I ED GL ET CN I ES eee seen ae : po Benen COMmicloooe Cc S (SO) > xed Pictures and THREE Splendia : SIX Cotsrwved Pictures ant THRELE Splendi¢ oe MA