The Mysteries of London, Vol. IV — page 278: what you’re looking at

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

THE MYSTERIES OF LONDON. 273 L&; = — SSS EEE ——— i ted, he hal —— SS = a or ——$<——— —_~ t f t — eee —— 1 = — ae Ro peg le SSS ety Se — He — a ESS a ——~ = ve Tr ——— ae —serue, ey ee re rn, = te Nee 4 hanes De ——— —_———s ——— - ro 2» et P = eer _— [ha t ~ -— ae end uneven-—the chances of tripping being morcover multiplied by the brick-bats and the broken bottles scattered about, Theruined aspect of tho house and tho long- neglected condition of the yard, or small gardon as it once was, behind the building, constituted a scene of desolation, and conveyed an impression of utter loncliness to the mind of the young lady that made her shrink back for 2 moment as sho placed her haud on the rusty latch of the crazy door leading into tho lower premises. And seomed she not the sprite of some maiden who had been foully dealt with in that gloomy, tomb-like place, and whose unquiet ghost came to haunt tho scene where her blood had been ruthlessly spilt and her mortal remains lay concealed in uncon- secrated ground? Yes—such she indced appeared, with her ashy pale face—her white dress, rendered whiter still by the moonbeams that played upon it —and her long dark hair which, having become loosened in the act of scaling the wall, now flowed all wildly and diskevelled over her shoulders! : We snid that she hesitated fora moment to push her way into the dark and ruined building, wrapped No.87* —DMysrertes or Lonpon. Ly N 4 ramanenc i an Ne AY as it was in sepulchral silence: but the dominant influence which had hitherto impelled hor, assorted its empire once again; and, thrusting open the door, which was by no means a difficult matter— she entered the dilapidated house. A chill struck to her heart and a yaguoe terror scized upon her, as she now plunged, as it were, out of the pure moonlight into the utter darkness of those premises: but, subduing hor fears, she ade vanced a fewy paces, with her arms extended s0 a8 to gropo for the stairs, Her right hand encountered the bannisters, which wero loose and crazy, and raised a rattling noise as sho grasped them: no longer alarmed, however, but feoling that the means of escapo wero gained, she was about to ascend tho steps, when a-door suddenly opened immediately in front of her—a light appeared—and the rays of the candle thus abruptly thrust forth revealed a countenance s0 hideous—-so monster-like, that for a few moments Agnes stood transfixed in speechless horror—stupi- fied—paralysed—motionless as a marble statue. And glaring with horror also, were the eyebalis whose rivetted looks met her own: then a loud, NT A tp (C(O) \G DOO ZN i (SO)