Spring-Heel'd Jack, The Terror of London — page 88: what you’re looking at

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A a ee 82 SPRING-HEEL’D JACK: THE TERROR OF LONDON. | = with a coffin, and with a shudder of horror he drew back. “Yes, these are the vaults—the resting-place of the dead. And he—he—who forced me here —where is he ?”’ ‘“‘ Here,’’ cried a hollow voice at his elbow. Richard recoiled as if a cobra stood in his: path. | “Here!” he gasped. “Oh, have merey! Let me forth from. this fearful place ! ” ‘For what? That you may seek to defile the register 2” “No—no! I swear I will never more harbour such a wicked thought!” he cried. “That you may treat with cruelty her who stood beside you at the altar to-day ?”’ ‘“‘7 swear I will be truesto-her,’’ said Claver- Ine. “You swear? ” “Ido, most solemnly.” ‘Of what avail are dreers’ oaths?” asked the voice. ‘Tis true; he can read my heart,” thought Richard. Ree ‘““Have you not to-day falsely sworn, and would you not do so to-morrow ?”’ asked the voice beside him. “No. I will repent—reform. Ihave beena gay, bad man, but this night has changed me quite,” eried Richard, looking imploringly in the direction of his questioner whom he could not see. Indeed the darkness was so black that had his questioner stood close before him he could not have known it. — : ‘‘ Why, why have you forced me here?” he asked at last. ‘To save you from further sin.” ‘Good heaven! you do not mean to keep me in this fearful place!” he exclaimed, in agony. ‘“* You must not go hence.” “ Not gol” SN Os “YT must!—I will!” he shrieked, fear and terror making him desperate. ‘TI will go fort spite of all the spectres or phantoms in the world:t “ You are bold.” ‘““T am mad, or soou shall be,” said Clavering, beating his forehead with his clenched hand. ““T say I will go forth--I will go home! ” ‘You are there now.” ‘* Where 2?” “At home. Your home now is -here—here anong the festering remains of those who lived and died ; here, where the atmosphere you breathe is impregnated with foetid exhalations of the mouldering corpses ; here” “Hold! In mercy, hold!” cried Richard. “Teall me if you will; but I cannot bear this horrible torture. Slay me, or let me hence. Dash out my brains with your bony hands. I shall go mad—mad—mad ! ” “Hal ha! ha!” laughed the spectral voice ; and a dozen more spectral tones appeared to the alfrighted man to join in. the unearthly laugh. “Oh, God! I can bear it no longer!” cried Richard Clavering. ‘Curses on my folly and my wickedness! I am punished — fearfully punished! ” “ You are,” said the voice, “Then, have mercy !—oh, have mercy on a cuilty and repentant wretch !” he cried, in tones of such abject entreaty that Jack felt he could not torture him any more; so, gliding silently away from his side, he turned round a pile of coffins, pushed open a little door in the wall, and stood outside the edifice. Walking round this, he made his way to the window by which Richard had entered, and crept through it; ran along the aisle to the trap, raised it, and retreated from the church by the way he had come, taking eare first to replace the register in the safe from which it had been taken. | a CHAPTER XXIX. ON THE HOUSETOPS—JACK’S ADVENTURE WITH — THE BURGLARS. | p As Jack leaped to the ground, he was run against by a policeman, who, having just ob- — served the open window, had drawn back into | the shadow to watch if anyone would come | ve through it. He had passed the spot several times before that night, but had not observed whether the window was open or closed. | It was not certain to his mind whether it had — been left open by accident or had been forced open from the outside ; so deemed it best to kee} out of sight and watch for a time whether an person made their appearance. ¥44 He had not waited long—indeed he had only arrived at the spot where he made his discovery a moment after Jack had entered the sacred edifice through it—when he perceived our hero at the opening, and rushed forward, as, all un- suspecting of danger, he leaped to the ground. Ere Jack could sufficiently recover the shock with which they came together, he found him- a self a prisoner. The officer had flung himself upon him be-— hind, and held him by the collar of his cloak and his left arm. , “lve cotched yer, have 1?” said the police- % man. ‘After the sacrament plate, eh? But you’re done this time, my fine fellow.” | Jack made an effort to get away. He saw how affairs stood in a second, and had made up his mind how to act in an instant. His face was still covered with the skeleton *|mask, and to that he trusted rather than to his own strength to release himself from the custody of the policeman. : So, turning his head slowly round, he said, in the deep, hollow tone he found usually so ‘effec- tive— ‘* Frail mortal, can you bind the dead ! you stay my passage back to the grave.?” With a howl of terror, the officer released his hold, and leaped backwards several feet. | ‘Oh, Lord! oh, Lord! it’s a skeleton!” he exclaimed. | ‘“And to such will you come some day after you have shuffled off this mortal coil,” said Jack. “Tis one o'clock, and I must away !"’ At this moment the clock struck one, and Can Jack taking advantage of the officer’s terror and - surprise, gave a terrific bound and disappeared in the angle of the church, | comicbooks.com me 7 & 4 f a ‘ a “|