Spring-Heel'd Jack, The Terror of London — page 273: what you’re looking at

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

_ Jack, pointedly. SPRING-HEEL D JACK will show whether I am right or wrong. You will never hit me.”’ “No. For you will not dare to stand before me, I expect,’’ sneered the other. “ You have but to fix the time and place,” said Jack, ‘‘and I will be there, never fear. So decide quickly, if you please, as I should be glad to retire till you have gone.”’ _ “Qh,” sneered Lorain, ‘‘I can see your drift.” “‘ Indeed !” ‘Ay, well.’ | “ And pray what is it?’ asked Jack, quietly. “Get me to name time and place in the pre- sence of Mr. Brief, so that you may be arrested, and save yourself from my vengeance by the duel being prevented,” was the reply. “Humph !”’ coughed Jack. “T can read through you,” sneered Lorain. “No such idea entered my thoughts,” said Jack. ‘‘ But since you imagine it did, the best way to keep our place of meeting a secret from the gentlemen of the law will be for you 1o send me word one hour before the affair is to take place where you would like me to meet you. That will be plenty of time for me to provide myself with a friend, and reach the place of rendezvous, providing it is not more than three miles distant from this spot.” 7 “ Agreed !” said Lorain. E “You will hear from me to-night or to-mor- row.” “Your own convenience will suit mine,” said Jack. ; “‘ But where am I to send to?” “ Beecher’s hotel, Piccadilly.” “And towhom? For Mr. Brief simply intro- duced you as the friend of the madman who dis- putes my claim to my inheritance.” Oh, Mr. Brown.” “Brown ?” “Yes, sir, Brown! Have you any objection to the name?” said Jack. “T don’t believe it is your name.” “Well, you don’t want to shoot my name, do you? I thought it was me you wished to perform that kind office for.”’ ‘* And so it is.” “Then, what matters it my name?” “ Because I should like to know who you really are.” “You shall be sratified, never fear,” said ‘¢ When?” “When we stand face to face, with weapons in our hands,” was the reply. “Ah! but shall we?” ‘“Tf you wish it.” el dor’... “Then, fear not that I shall refuse to be at any place you may feel disposed to select as suited for the purpose. I do not admire duel- ling, but I do not fear to become one of the principals in a duel.” “My wounded honour shall be—must be, appeased !” said Lorain, tragically. Jack shrugged his shoulders, and turned towards the door, with a smile on his face. “Let this foolish quarrel end here, gentle- men,” said Mr. Brief. “Tt cannot,” cried Lorain. SCC cae rac cs amen THE TERROR GF LONDON, ““ My dear friend, let me beg ’’— began Lo- rain’s solicitor. “Silence!” cried the young man, in a tone that made his adviser leap back, and cause him to let fall the eye-glass he held between his finger and thumb. “ The fellow has insulted me, My feelings are wounded, and—and, why, damn it! I'll wound him, or he shall me.” “I shall be sure to do that, if I do not kill you outright,” said Jack, with a sly look at Mr. Brief. “ Or I will you.” “There is too much talk about it, to come to anything, it appears to me,’’ said Mr. Brief, turning to his fellow lawyer. ‘It is an old saying, that those who talk most do least.” “So I believe,” said Jack, pointedly, staring into Lorain’s face. ~ Lorain bit his lip, and was silent. “ You will not forget ? Mr. Brown, Beecher’s Hotel, Piceadilly,”’ said Jack. : } “No!” roared the other, furiously. “ Nor wil you forget me—at least, not as long as you live to recollect me.”’ aN “It will be long after you are dead and gone,” said Jack. “Poor young man! poor young man !” Lorain could have strangled him as he stood with his hand on the handle of the door. To be struck, and then taunted, was hard enough, but to be pitied was unendurable. “TIT will see you again, when this gentleman —person, I should say—has retired,” said Jack, addressing himself to Mr. Brief. That gentleman bowed, and, respectfully saluting Lorain’s solicitor, he opened the door, and stepped over the threshold. As he drew it to behind him, Jack turned his gaze upon Lorain, saying— | “T shall await your message.”’ Then the door closed behind him, and silence reigned in the lawyer's office for some time. At length, the consultation between the two solicitors came to an end, and Mr, Brief bowed Lorain and his lawyer out. The young man walked on with his companion in moody silence for some time—a silence which the lawyer did not seem inclined to break, and from which Lorain argued all was not so well as he could wish. “Well,” he said, impatiently, at length, ‘‘what do you think of that madman’s claim, Mr. Tomlin ?”’ The lawyer shook his head. ‘“My dear sir, it is impossible to say what evidence may yet be brought forward to disprove those papers placed in Mr, Brief’s hands. but, to tell you the truth, I would rather be the madman’s solicitor in this case than yours.” “The devil!’’ cried Lorain. “Then, do you really think he has any claim whatever ?”’ The lawyer looked hard into Lorain’s eyes, and then whispered— ‘Mr. Lorain, I don’t think.” “Don’t think?” echoed the other, turning very pale as he spoke. * No, sir. I know.” That he has ?”’ es. “Then I'll kill him before he shall have it!” Gomicbooks 275