Spring-Heel'd Jack, The Terror of London — page 282: what you’re looking at

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

ee ie ie 984 wp SPRING-HEEL’D JACK: The idiotic grin faded, and he stood before Jack with open mouth and eyes. “Ves, Hodge. It is because you are too ignorant to discriminate what belongs to the squire. Noman has a right to take without his permission—no more than has the squire to rob you. Now, I daresay you would set Squire Hepworth down for a thief, if he was to steal your potatoes.” | ‘Certainly, I should.” “Then, what is wrong in one is equally wrong in another. But why did he horsewhip you so unmercifully ?” ‘Why, zur? I hardly like to tell ye.” “Out withit, Have you been robbing him ?” said Jack. “ Lor’ bless you, zur! I pulled down some of his feuce for a bit of firewood.” “Only a bit of his fence? ” “Yes, zur.” ‘¢ How much ? ” ‘* A couple of boards,” “ Only a couple ? ”’ Yes,—this time.”’ ‘¢ And how many before ?” “Well, I can’t say ’zactly ; but not more ’an twenty, altogether,” replied Hodge. ‘‘And you don’t think there is any harm in that, eh ?” “None at all, zur.” ‘“¢ Hodge, I am afraid you are a very dishonest man,” said Jack. © ‘* Doan’t say that, zur. It warn’t many I took.” “Granted. But if you had taken ten shillings out of his pocket, it would have been no worse.’’ “That be hanged!” cried Hodge. “Oh, noa. That won’t do for-L.”’ “Stop a bit,” said Jack. ‘“‘ Now, loook here, Hodge,” continued Jack, tapping the rustic’s arm with the handle of his whip. ‘ The squire, if he would keep his grounds private, must have that fence mended.” ‘‘ In coorse he must.”’ “Very well. And to mend it, wood must be bought.” “That be right.” “And aman paid, for putting it in order.” ‘ Kes, that be right, too.” ‘The wood would cost seven shillings ?” “Quite.” “And the man would want to be paid three, for mending the fence?” ‘* Hes, he would.”’ ‘‘And that makes ten,” said Jack, “does it not? ” Hodge counted on his fingers, and looked up with a grin, “Kes, that makes ten.” ‘“ Which the squire would have to find, of course ?”’ ‘Of course.” ‘“ Now, if that fence had been permitted to remain whole, as it was, the squire would not have-to pay for wood or labour to repair it; so you see, Hodge, that you might as well have taken ten shillings out of his pocket. You stole money's worth, if not the actual coins, and are a thief in every sense of the word.” [lodge looked very downeast, and his eve fell | | gazing down at the reflection of his own figure, before the look of Spring-heeled Jack. THE TERROR OF LONDON. “T tell you what it is, Hodge, the squire, and, | in fact, most persons of property in country places, have to submit to a great deal too much of this kind of pilfering, and I trust that you, for one, will desist from so disreputable a prac- tice, and urge your fellows to do the same; or, depend upon it, one of these days you will find yourself in a more unpleasant position than you were a short time since. And, bear in mind also, that the man who disgraces himself by an act of dishonesty, disgraces his friends; and his family are the greater sufferers, for not only does the law punish him, but the thief inflicts a fearful punishment on the innocent by leaving them tc beg or starve. Now, go to your work, or your home, whichever you are on your way to, Hodge, and think over what I have said, and try not only to become honest yourself, but urge others to be the same.” Hodge scratched his head, and turned silently away, ashamed to look into the eyes that glared down upon him, and convinced, for the first time in his life, that the squire had good cause to be angry. Jack stood gazing after him as he strode along with his awkward step, unconsciously tapping his foot with the squire’s whip, and with a feeling of mingled pity and contempt, and finally muttered, half aloud— “And that is a man. Well, in form he is one certainly, and not a bad specimen. He has muscle and strength, but thought and discrimi- nation, where are they ? Pinch him, and he feels the smart ; but if he pinches another, he can- not imagine the same pain is inflicted. Selfish- ness is natural to an ignorant mind. Heis a mere machine, and must be worked by the intel- lect of others. Sad—very sad! But such as he are their greatest enemies. Persuade him to send his child to school—persuade him that the child will benefit thereby, and he would not believe you. He has not the power to look for- ward. Helives but for the time; works while - strength remains, and dies in a poorhouse. He has no ambition, no pride, no self-respect. He considers his best advisers his enemies, and makes foes where he could secure friends. Doubtless, to-morrow, if he saw a loose hurdle, he would take it home for firewood, despite what I have said ; for I verily believe he will think no more of the lesson I have read him, unless it be to make light of it at the village ale-house.” And still tapping his boot with the whip, Jack continued his walk musingly down the road, quite forgetting that he still held in his hand Squire Hepworth’s property. He kept on for about a mile further, when the yelping of a dog caused him to look off the high road to the right, and, perceiving a silvery stream meandering its course along amid bushes and tall trees, Jack resolved to turn out of the high road, and follow its course for a short distance. He had no particular object in view, but the cool, smooth waters looked so tempting that he could not resist the temptation of a stroll along their banks. | He reached the edge of the stream, and stood looking into the clear waters for some time, thinking over hisadventure with the squire, and Gom 9OOKS: om ‘ ~