Spring-Heel'd Jack, The Terror of London — page 66: what you’re looking at

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

| oe 60) This he did not omit to say in a tone of sur- | the candlestick imto Sinclair's hand. You stand your staff, and I'll drag prise. . “Open?” eried several. “ Yes,” “Then thieves have got in. Mind how you go—knock ’em down, policeman—be sure you don’t let ’em escape,” and.a dozen other exclama- tions followed. » : Deak ‘‘ Here, give me a light,” cried Tom, taking a guttering candle from the hand of a trembling woman. ‘ Let’s see if old deaf Duppy is safe, or whether the poor old gentleman has fallen a) victim to these midnight assassins.” ‘“ Where does he sleep?” asked the policeman. “In the back parlour.” 4 Here 2 ? MESS Lhe officer placed his hand upon the door and turned over the light in his lantern. | ‘Why its fast, and the key is on the outside. That's bad.” | “ Open the door—open the door!” cried Bed- ford, “and all stand round to prevent the villain escaping if he is in there.” Click, and the lock flew back. The door was flung open. The light of the lantern and candle combined lit up the room. Right in front of the door, attired only in his shirt, stood ‘Mr. Duppy, surprise, terror, and alarm depicted on his features, and staring with wide-open mouth and eyes. Tom Bedford looked guickly around the apartment. Pap | A. shade of disappointment passed rapidly over his face. Miss Frump was not to be seen. ‘* What’s—what’s all this?’ stammered the old gentleman, glaring bewilderedly from one to the other, ‘“lhere’s been cries of murder and help here,” said the policeman. ‘ Has any one been in this room ?” | Duppy did not answer. ‘““Elow came your door locked on the out- side 2?” The old man only stared in reply. ‘ Has anyone been in this room—any thieves ?” asked the policeman. ‘‘ No, no!” gasped Duppy in tremulous tones. ‘“ There's been no thieves here.” ‘They locked him in, I suppose, to keep him secure while they went upstairs,” said Sinclair, who now joined the throng on the threshold of the room, ‘Go up, policeman, go up,” said a voice. ‘ There’s nobody here, and the old gentleman would never have heard them even if there had been.” “There is somebody here,” cried Tom, whose glances searching around the room had dis- covered the foot of Miss Frump sticking out from under Duppy’s bedstead. “Where?” eried all in a breath. * There—under the bed. Pull him out—pull him ont!” eried Bedford, nudging ribs with his elbow. “There's a foot—there’s a foot!” exclaimed Baker, | “Tlere, take this light!” cried Tom, forcing arr -* --<— o_ e “wwe ce ee ee ™ ee ee ee ee et 3PRING-HEEL D JACK: THE TERROR OF LONDON. out from her virtuous old maid. Miss Frump was wrapping the counterpane of Duppy’s bed around her half-1ude form, trembling pale as death, gazing upon hood ?” ‘Let me go—let me go!” she cried, springing . : out of the room and up the stairs to her own | Baker in the apartments, amid the derisive : assembled, ready, policeman, with the raseal out.” Tom stooped. Duppy here rushed before him. ‘“ No, no, no!” he cried, excitedly. ‘‘ But the thief is there,’ said Tom, pushing him back and attempting to seize the foot, which, however, he was unable to do, by it being drawn up out of his reach. “ Throw the light of your lantern under here,” said Tom, addressing the policeman. “Oh! oh—no, don’t—oh !—I shall faint—T 4 shall—oh, dear oh!” cried out a voice from under the bed. - Bee But the policeman did throw the glare of his lantern under the bed, and all of those assembled save Mr. Duppy, stooped down to get a slimpse of whatever person it was there. “Come out,’ said Tom. “Go away—oli! go away!” ! ““T£ you won’t come ont you must be drageed | out,” shouted Tom, crawling partially under the | bea, and getting hold of the old lady's ankle, | o dragged her by main force along the floor. ‘* Miss Frump—oh! its Miss Frump!” shouted the little crowd. | | No sooner did the old lady find herself dragged piace of concealment than she sprang to her feet. - Asshe did so aloud roar of laughter broke from every lip, and Tom Bedford, pointing at her, ex- claimed— | “ By jingo, the old gal’s bald-headed! There's a cuy!” ‘wy The old lady clapped her hands to her head, and gave a deep moan. ‘The nasty, disgraceful creature,” continued Tom. “There, neighbours,you can see it all, now. [t’s a living shame, a living disgrace, a foul stigma upon our neighbourhood. “Oh! Miss Frump, for shame—for shame!” ‘“ Yes,” said Baker, anxious to have his fling. “A pretty person, certainly, to speak ill of her neighbours.” “Rather,” said Tom. ‘ Why, look, there’s her clothes. ~The whole mystery is soon cleared up, she does not like sleeping alone, and so has shareil old Duppy’s bed. They've had a bit of a’row I What do you think of her, Look at her—hoot her. Ha! ha! ha!” friends ? in every limb, and Tom while he spoke. ‘Its all a lie—alla lie!” she shrieked at Jast. ‘“T am a true virtuous woman.” | ‘‘ Here’s a pretty specimen of it,” cried Tom. Baker, she won't halloo at you any more Miss Framp, hadn’t * Ccboo laughter of those ‘ suppose, and her screams have exposed her dis- graceful conduct. There’s v— 4 you better leave the neighbour- | i q ' ra F ‘ | : : ae * - | Ny ’ si “ ¢ an q Z