Spring-Heel'd Jack, The Terror of London — page 120: what you’re looking at

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

122 —_—S"—— Stance, and sucha picture of misery and filth did he look, that the woman whom he had treated so harshly felt a pang of sorrow for him. — She, however, was about the only one in the crowd who did so. The rough characters which surrounded him conimenced to jeer and laugh at him, and this only added to the rage of the fisherman, who, soaded to desperation, turned upon a ftellow- coster and struck him a blow in the face. “ What did you do that for?” roared the fel- low, doubling his fist. '“ What did you laugh at me for then!” roared the other, amid another shout of mirth from {7:98 around. ‘Because you're a beauty, you are. Why didn’t you hit the fellow that put you into the box ?” ! ““ Because hé’s afraid,” said Jack. “You're a” Smack went the fish across his mouth, and the remainder of the sentence was lost imithe sound of the wet blow. The man whom the fishmonger had struck, smarting from the #blow he had received, called out— “Bravo! governor! Give it him—give him snother smell of his stinking fish !” The punished bully could stand no more. His blood was up. | He dared not turn upon the man who stood forth the champion of the poorpale woman. There was something in Jack’s mien which cowed him, but he dashed at the fellow in his own sphere of life, and together they rolled to the pavement locked in each other’s arms, swearing frightfully all the while. | Jack, flinging his fmmy weapon away into the road, as the attention of the whole mob became centred on the combatants, and seizing. the arm of the woman, said in a-low tone— “We can get away now without difficulty. Follow me. J have something to communicate to you.” : He moved away as he spoke, followed trem- _blingly by the woman. But he had not taken two steps when the cheesemonger, who had been looking in vain for a policeman, sprang forward, and seized him by the collar. ‘“* No, you don’t go,” he said. my eggs, or I'll lock you up.” “Take your hands off, my friend,” said Jack sharply. “I shan’t. Pay me_ for the destruction of my property.” : “At what do you value them ?” asked Jack. “Five pounds.” , ““Tndeed ! ” ‘ “Yes. They were all the best eggs, and I can’t afford to loose them.”’ “Then, sir,’ said Jack, severely, “you are jastly punished for your unmanly words.” “What do you mean, you scamp ?” roared the tradesman. | “T will knock you down if you address such an offensive term to me again,” cried Jack, the blood mantling his face. ‘’Tis you, sir, who are a stamp, or you never would have urged that rascal to strike this woman. ‘Now, sir, I ‘“‘ Pay me for SPRING-HEEL’D JACK: THE TERROR OF LONDON. decline to pay you for those eggs, and perhaps their loss will be a lesson to you to treat the poorest female as a woman.” “You shall pay me. I won’t be robbed—I won't be’”’ : ae | ‘Take your hands off,” interrupted Jack. — Then turning to the woman, he said na low tone— ~s “Go, I will follow you.” “You shan’t go, you thief—you viJlain—you robber! Ill have you dragged to prison—I'll lock youup. Police! police!” 3 ‘‘Here’s another mill!” cried a voice, and the next instant the attention of the crowd was called from the costermongers to Jack and the ; tradesman. , “ Confound it,” said Jack, “I must put an end to this.”’ ; And exerting all his strength he raised the man from his feet, and by a dexterous thrust hurled him right into the box of broken eggs. The fishmonger, who was struggling up from © |the ground at that moment, received so violent a kick in the eye fromthe cheesemonger as his — head went down into the egg chest and his feet leaped into the air, that the stallkeeper fell backwards again as if shot. “ Bravo ! the crowd. | ‘“< Cut it—here’s the police!” eried one. “Slope,” yelled another. a. “Be alive, old chap: shiney-topped ones coming, so make yourself scarce.” ¥ Jack saw that he had now oot the sympathies .- of the crowd of roughs, and after one hasty clance in the direction whence the two officers were coming, he said, hurriedly, to the woman— “ Fly, and meet me in an hour in front of the abbey. Quick! leave me to look to myself.” The woman cast one look upon his face, then — turned and hurried away. ; ‘‘ Stop ’em—stop ’em! Don’t let ’em go!” roared the cheesemonger, tryin of the chest ; but, losing his balance, caught at the fishmonger, and falling baek, pulled the man down on the top of him. ej Jack gathered the folds of his cloak around him, and dashed away amid the cheers of the | mob, who had witnessed the fracas. But the ery'of ‘Stop him!” soon rang in his ears, and casting a glance behind him, he per- ceived that the officers, with a troop at their heels, were in full chase. : ‘* Come on,” said Jack, with a smile. “ But if there is no one in front to offer me any resis- tance, I fear not those behind.” Scarce had he given expression to this thought than a man sprang out before him with extende arms. Jack could not stop himself in time to avoida | - ) ; collision, but he ducked his head, and went. clean under the arms of the man, and shot along lke an arrow, and. the next moment his near as hurl and. bewildered would-be-captor wi: violently to the ground by th way he stood. This caused, a check to the impetuosity, of | his pursuers, and Jack gained upon them. con- — siderably. ’ ‘ cO nicoOOK Hurrah !—here’s a lark!” shouted ; to struggle out: here’s a couple of . - mob in whose — : * A =< * wt ] = ae ® ia i * § P| * 7 { 3