Spring-Heel'd Jack, The Terror of London — page 249: what you’re looking at

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

SPRING-HEEL’D JACK: THE TERROR OF LONDON. + with smiles have so wisely appropriated her blessings. Tobias longed to amass money: Not that he might live a life of idleness and gaiety—not that he might hoard and gloat over it, but that he might possess a whole farm in his native country. This view he even had from the moment he started for London, and every penny he put by for this object caused him to rub his hands, and smilingly remark to himself, ‘‘ Another foot of land.” But although his wages were good, and his ex- penses moderate, after tem years’ service he had amassed but little towards the larse amount he required for the fulfilment of his darling object. Three hundred pounds was the amount he had accumulated, and he wanted something like five thousand. He. knew that it was a large sum—that his present salary, though liberal, would never allow him to amass it; but he knew also that money makes money, and that many had made colossal fortunes on less than that. He did not, however, rush headstrong into speculations, but waited and watched for an opportunity to. enable him to invest his savings to good advantage. , This opportunity came at last, and from a quarter where he least expected it—from his own employer. Difficulties had arisen—creditors were pres- sing—the cheesemonger was in dread of a failure, unless he could weather the storm for another month, and Tobias saw a prospect of being out of employment. The aftairs of his employer were known pretty well to himself. He knew how he stood in a commercial point of view, and boldly made the offer of his savings to ward off the threatened blow. The offer was accepted. Tobias’s employer weathered the storm, and Tobias himself be- came a partner. Shrewd, careful, and minutely just, every year the firm became larger and more pros- perous, until Mr. Fisk, the former employer but now senior partuer, died, and, for a time, plunged the affairs into difficulties ; but Tobias was not long in settling all satisfactorily and making himself sole proprietor of the establish- ment where ouce he had been the lowest servant. With the business qualities he possessed, the dream of his boyhood was soon realised ; but he continued to toil on, till, et the age of fifty, he had amassed no less a sum than thirty thou- sand pounds, and finding the fatigue of the business too much for him, he sold the ware- house, and resolved to marry and purchase a farm, “ A cheesemonger.can do without a wife,” he said to himself; “but a farmer cannot. Be- sides, I can well afford to keep one now.” We have said Tobias was a shrewd, clever, man—in business, he certainly was—but in love he was completely out of his element. He had made no acquaintances—had kept no company ; consequently, he had no circle of friends among whom be could choose a partner. But believing that his usual good luck would attend him in his new pursuit, he resolved to visit a fashionable watering-place, and trust to chance for a presentation to some beauty who would not object to his advances. What if he was fifty years of age? Did he not possess thirty thousand pounds? And where was the female heart could resist that, even though it had only beaten for twenty or five and twenty years ? So, his mind made up, he started for Brighton in the height of the season—resolved to find some fair creature who would love him for him- self and his gold, ere he returned to Devonshire, and settled down as a gentleman farmer. ‘“A good wife is worth a thousand,’’ he said to himself, as he picked up his things for the journey ; “and that amount [ will spend in the search ror one, and no more.” Poor Tobias! He was doomed now to learn that alla man’s shrewdness is no match for a woman’s cunning. He could judge the quality of a cheese by a glance; but his percep- tion was ereatly at fault in judging of thefemale human race. At the first party he attended he was smitten by a lovely damsel with auburn hair, pale blue eyes, and rosy-tinted cheeks. Her soft tones thrilled his blood ; her smile made his heart leap within his bosom ; the touch of her hand— oh, ecstacy !—and she was not yet twenty. No sleep for Tobias that night. Through the long hours the face of the auburn-haired damsel haunted him, and he turned upon his pillow, unable and unwilling to shut out the bright vision. He had bribed aservant to obtain her address. And, when the morning was well advanced, with a beating heart, he made his way to the hotel, where she was staying with her brother, to in- quire after her health. She met him with a smile so winning, so charming, that he could have fallen at her feet, and poured out his whole soul, but that he was prevented by the entrance of her brother—a tall, gentlemanly-looking man, habited in the very height of fashion—who paused on the threshold to take a somewhat impertinent stare, through a gold-rimmed eye-glass, at the would-be suitor. “My brother—Sir Timothy Tumberlain,” said the young woman, ina bland tone, and with a bewitching smile. ‘‘ Mr—— Mr—-- I forget your name.”’ “Bacon,” said the ex-cheesemonger, in a fal- tering voice. “ Ah! avery hoggish sortof name,” said the | fop, permitting the glass to drop from his eye. ‘Nothing very aristocratic in the sound; but there, we are not so proud as many in our high position, and, therefore, 1 am glad to see you, Mr. Hog—Bacon, I mean—excuse the mistake ; and am much obliged for the consideration you entertain for Miss Florentine’s health. <A re- tired merchant, I’m informed. Pray be seated —no ceremony—vwe are not proud.”’ And Sir Timothy, as he called himself, mo- tioned Tobias to a chair. “T am sure, sir, lam very happy to make the acquaintance of yourself and -charming sister,” said Tobias, as he fell into a seat ; “and should feel highly honoured by our accepting any invi- e€om (Gbooks (EO)