Spring-Heel'd Jack, The Terror of London — page 292: what you’re looking at

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

—_ . —_ - me - ae — — <ieneees “~~ ——— ; ga <A - , ec 994 SPRING-HEEL’D JACK: THE TERROR OF LONDON. 1 7? “So am J, sir The lady opened her eyes, and so did Tom- “Tsay, I won’t submit to it.” ° kins, to such a width they had never been ‘What, sir? ”’ : opened before, and both glared upon the other What !” in unfeigned surprise. foes, sur | 2 Mrs. Tomkins was the first to thoroughly “T’ll tell you what, Mary. If I’m compelled | realize the truth of her novel position, and, to submit to the goings-on of your missus, I | taking the neck of the bottle from her mouth, won’t submit to be annoyed by her servant.”’ in the course of a few moments, she hurled it, with 2 psyhewd fe all her force, at her husband, shrieking out at “‘Goto the kitchen, and never presume to” ——-|thesame time— _ __ | “ Oh, sir!” interrupted the girl, bursting into} ‘‘ You—you villain !”’ tears. Fortunately for poor Tomkins, the missile Tomkins’ heart became soft in a moment. went wide of its mark, and was shattered into — Tears—he could bear anything but tears. He|a thousand pieces against the wall of the apart- could remain indifferent to the scolding of his | ment. wife for hours; but when, at length, tears came,| ‘‘ Mrs. Tomkins !-” gasped her husband, “you Tomkins could bear no more. are mad! Mary! Mary!” | ~ Many a bonnet had Mrs. Tomkins got through| ‘‘ Mad—mad!” shrieked the lady, struggling tears ; many a draper’s bill had been paid with- | to get out of the trunk, and treading on her skirt, out a murmur, when sprinkled with tears ; and|in her eagerness, pitched out head foremost on even the maid herself could have got her wages | to the floor. | rose, without a doubt, if she had only shed tears! Tomkins stood like one in a dream, while in asking for the advance. the lady scrambled to her feet, and, in all the ‘(What are you crying for ?” asked Tomkins, in | fury of an enraged woman, stood before him. amilder tone. ‘“‘ There! there! I forgive you. I} “ You villain! You viper! You assassin ! know it was your mistress set you to make a fool | Oh, you wretch ! ” of me, and, of course, you didn’t know how to re-| ‘“ Mrs.Tomkins!”’ fuse her. But don’t do it again, there’s a good | “Don’t speak to me—dont! I see it all. girl.” | You’ve long been tired of me. You can't get “€T ain’t a-making a fool of you, sir. Upon | rid of me, and you have tried to murder me!” my word and honour, sir, I heard missus| ‘‘ Good heavens! she is quite mad!” a screeching out, and came up tosee what was| ‘‘ No, I’m not mad—you wicked, vile man, the matter, and then I seed her a sitting in that | though you have tried to drive me so for a Jong chair, a rolling her bonnet over the back rail, and | time. Oh, yes—I see it allnow! You tried to beating the floor in a fit of high strikes, and I|drive me mad by getting someone to frighten called you, sir.”’ me, and then you put me in that trunk to ** Where is she now ?’’ : suffocate me; and I should have been dead in ‘* Gone.’ _ a little while if J had not, fortunately, recovered. “But where ? Did she go out at the door, or | Oh, you monster! you monster !” out at the window ?” Tomkins stood dumbfoundered. ** She never came out of the door.” | There was no mistaking his look of genuine ‘Then see if she is in the garden.” surprise. And even Mrs. Tomkins at-.last- The girl hurried across the room out of | began toalter her opinion. aiee the window without perceiving Jack, who| “Me!—me put you there!” gasped Tom- was crouching close to the screen, and conceal-|kins. “Me! Why—oh, she’s quite mad, poor ing himself in its folds. thing. Mary! Damn it! where’s that girl?” ‘“* Hysterics!” growled Tomkins. ‘‘ Don’t! If Tomkins was alarmed before, he was wonder at it. What else can she expect, when | doubly so now. she lets her passion almost drive her crazy, then| Assured in his own mind that his wife had she adds to it by drinking brandy. I suppose | gone mad, he dreaded personal violence to him- that’s what she came here for now. Hallo! she’s | self. left the key in the lock.” So, keeping his eyes fixed upon her—for he The old gentleman looked anxiously towards | had read somewhere that insane people quail the garden. before a steady glance—he shuffled towards the “ Don’t see anything of her,’ he continued, | window in the hope of getting assistance. “so L’ll just take a drop myself before she comes,| He reached it, and, with one bound, went just a little drop. Never knew her leave the key | clean through it into the garden. in the lock before. He! he! I wish she would| ‘Terror had taken twenty years off his age, for leaveit. Allright, she won’t know I’ve had any. | he ran like a young man, shouting lustily for Lov’ ! if she was only to see me take a drop,what | Mary, leaving Mrs. Tomkins standing in the a row there would be ; but she won’t see me, and | middle of theroom gazing after hisretreating form. so here goes.” As Tomkins disappeared, Jack sprang from Lhe old. gentleman cast one more look towards | behind the screen right in front of the bewildered the window, then flung up the lid of the chest. | woman, and the howl of terror that escaped her The howl of surprise to which he gave utter-| caused poor Tomkins to rush like mad out into ance on perceiving his wife lying within the | the high road to seek the aid of some passer-by trunk, with a bottle in her hand, and the neck of| to place under restraint his aftlicted wife. it to her lips, positively made Jack start, and| As Mrs. Tomkins screamed, she shrank back, had the effect of rousing his wife to instant sensi: | but"the next instant she made a furious rush at bility. the window. a <a ine eC MICDOOKS.cOoOmM