Spring-Heel'd Jack, The Terror of London — page 70: what you’re looking at

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

* ' —— a ' ee —— oe —~) SO - dC - Ch Cr - Ot i iid! ee ee 7S — - Se ee SPPING-HEEL D JACK : THE TERROR OF LONDON. behind a large vautt, so as to hide them irom tac | view of any passer- -by. a4 | figure glide hucriedly behind a tumbstone ane “There's the mutton,” said Pegzy, in a | Lhe centre of the churchyard. tremulous voice; “ take it, and I'll get away | The right hand of Bristles involuntarily sought | home again quick, or missus will be wanting to the pockets of his tail coat. know where [ have been so long.” | His fingers twined around the handle of his tended to render his mind uneasy and for a moment he imagined he saw a strange-looking ht . | P| | staff, and he half drew the weapon. Then as if ashamed of himself, he pulled his | shawl, into the hands of Bristles. ot. hand away and muttered— ‘What afool fam!” - Hark! There was a hurried footstep ceming along the road in the direction where he expected the mutton bone to travel to reach the place where he stood. Bristles listened intently. His heart beat high. His mouth positively watered, and he smacked his lips together. “Tis her—'tis her!” he exclaimed, half aloud. She comes with the blow-out, and I must let oul my belt a hole or two. Ha! ha! ain't it a tine thing to be a handsome bobby.” He strained his eyes through the railings of the gate, and saw the little Pessy hurrying to the rendezvous. 3 “She's the girl for me,” he muttered ; all work, with the run of her missus’s~larder. God bless her little heart. Lor! how my belly does begin to grumble. It knows what it’s going to have. There’s Pegoy ! The girl now reached thie gate, and was looking half frightened around her in every direction. She evidently did not like to enter the church- yard, for her hand lingered on the gate without attempting to move it. | | . ‘“‘Come on, Peagy—come on,’ eried Bristles, in a loud whisper. ‘Don’t be frightened. Ain’ t I here to protect you—me, your own lover, Jobnny bristles, the model policeman.” ‘Ah, there you are,” said Peggy, becoming spr] ichtly i in a moment, ‘“ Here [I am, my charmer ; come in; let any body see you. Come 1 in ‘quick. 2 ‘* Tt’s such a nasty place.”’ ‘‘ What are you afraid of ?” ‘* The ghosts.”’ “ Ghosts?” 6 Ves?” , | < ““ Pegoy Mitter n, a policeman’ S sweetheart should be brave as a_‘lion,” said Bristles, pom- pously. . ‘ Ghosts !—I’d smash forty ghosts if they come near me.’ ‘Oh! don’t talk so wicked,” said the girl, as she pushed the gate back, and ner vously entered the ground. “Ah! what's that?” she cried, as the gate closed to and a footstep in the distance smote her ear. ~ What?’ ‘* Hark! ” Bristles listened. ‘* Somebody’s coming.” “ Ob dear, let me run out.” “Come behind this vault, and give me the bone ; my mouth water S—nLy belly” growls, and I’m anxious to devour it !” cried Bristles, taking the unresisting hand of the girl and leading her don’t | QUEE | did not like to be left alone in the churchyard ; ‘mutton bone in the open street, and it was t ‘none | large to foree into his pockets, which were alveay yi of your milliners or bonnet builders, but one of | occupied by staff and rattle. qj She passed the bone, wr apped up inasheet of | “newspaper, and which she took from under her | “ Blow your missus !”’ “ Never mind her, Now I must go,’ cirl, anxiously looking about her. | “You are a good cirl, Pegg gy. Lor! you: tonte know how much I love you,” cried the enr aptured -| ‘Tf there is any two things in the wo ‘I do like, it’s a pretty little servant and a nico bit of mutton.” | “T must go nov. Upon my word ith must,” | 5 || ' said id the | | a = said Peggy. typ Sh aa Wait a bit.” + it ae ‘“ J mustn't.” Re ql “ Just while I have my supper.’ t hi Bristles would not have PRerie ¢ it, but: he ae | he could hardly commence banqueting — of a. ty 2] “J cannot, must not. » Missus will be calere | me, and there'll be. such a row. Come to the | cate with me, there’s a dear. I ain’t frightened — much, only a little—a very little, but do come to the gate with me ; I can’t hardly open it—it’s so — heavy.” , rr al “Then you won't stop a little bit longer Oe a é¢ No. 9 é . ‘“Very well, I won't press you,. my little ) charmer; but jast give me one kiss, aud then Pll protect you. The girl made no hesitation in complying with the request, but Bristles, though he ha only asked for one, took a dozen, and “seemed as if he was loath to forego the caresses then. | ad ;. N ow, do come, or I'll never speak to you any more,’ said the girl, really afraid that her | lenothened absence would be discovered by ee mistresses, and fearful to remain in that dis place with the feeling fresh in her heart that s had brought stolen property there. “3 Sy NOES: ‘I will-do my, duty. It shan’t be sia = that J ohnny Bristles could refuse the light of his | soul, the joy of his heart, the star of his existe | any thing she asked. No, no; I’m not only a ae | 4 police- -officer, but I'm a ‘regular. ladies’ nan. There, come ‘along, and I’ say, Pegey, what ~ are you going to have for dinner to-morrow ?” “To-morrow ?”. q “Yes, my dear’. x sf) ‘| “ Rabbit pie, I think, for missus Gone some — rabbits while I was out for my holiday,” replied — the girl. | “She did 2” ee é¢ Yes. 9 Bristles smacked his lips loudly together, and, a laying the mutton bone down upon the tomb, took the arm of veasy and led her towards the gates = 4 Rabbit p he exclaimed. ‘* Rabbit es If there’s maging [like it’s rabbit pie—I’m dead — on it., Tho smell of 1t makes my mouth ma 1 for a month ; ; the sight of it almost puts me into 4 7. - - = eo ‘ —— : — — “ oe a ea - —_ -——_ . —_ —— Pe ~- << - a —_— i a ee ~~ ~ —- © ta ~<a ee ee ee —_ ee aL ae oe ie 2 = — + — = | oele) Ss'com G mn