The Mysteries of London, Vol. IV — page 353: what you’re looking at

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3848 THE MYSTENILUS OF LONDON. Nothing daunted—but resolving upon a desperate effort to accomplish the purpose he had in view— Lord William Trevelyan led the way into tho hall; and he had just ascertained the fact that there was s bunch of large keys peeping forth from bencath the sleoping porter’s pillow, when the door of the Eupper-room suddenly opened, and Mr. Sheepshanks Staggored forth, . The reverend gentleman carried a candle in his hand; and, by his flushed countenance, vacant stare, and unsteady walk, he jras evidently in a pretty ad- yanced state of intoxication, In fact—and there is no necessity to disguiso the matter—tho pious minister had sate up to enjoy himself alono; and ho had carried his libations to such an extent that he was now, at two o'clock in the morning, most awfully drunk, The moment Lord William caught sight of the inebriate minister, he sprang upon him—placed his hand tightly over his mouth—and, thrusting him back into the supper-room, taid in a low but hasty and threatening tone, “More hence at your peril !” Iie then closed and locked the door. But in the short and decided scuffle an untoward necident had occurred, The candlestick had dropped from Mr. Sheep- shanks’ hand on the marble floor of the hall; and the consequence was that the porter sprang up, and was out of bed in a trice. Sir Gilbert H[eathcoto rushed upon him: but not in time to prevent tho man from springing a hugo rattle and crying, “ Help! help!” Lord William Trevelyan hesitated not a moment how to act. Ho darted to the truckle-bed—svized tho keys from beneath tho pillow—and sprang to the dior, leaving Sir Gilbort Heathcote wrestling desperately with tho porter, Tho reader will romember that there wero two doors; and the young nobleman had only just time to open the first or inner one, when a rapid glance cast behind showed him his friend Sir Gilbert upon the floor, compictely overpowered by the huge porter, who had placed his knee upon tho baronet’s chest. It was Trovelyan’s hopo that his friend would have been able to keep the porter engaged in tho struggle until he could have opened both the doors, when ho would have turned to the scene of strife, to rescue the baronct; but scarcely had ho observed that Sir Gilbert was already vanquished, when four of tho keepers rushed down stairs into the hall. With the rapidity and force ofa tiger springing upon its proy, Lord William rushed on tho huge porter, hurled him to a distance, and raised up the prostrate baronct. All this was the work of an instant: but in another moment tho keepers sprang upon the two friends, and closed with them. Tho baronet was again borne down; but Trerel- yan, who now saw that tho conflict was really be- coming desperate, used the bunch of heavy door- keys with such effect that ho speedily disabled tho two keepers who had assailed him,—stretching one senseless on the floor, and compelling tho other to beat a retreat with the blood pouring down his Taco, To turn his attention to the two mon who were firagging away Sir Gilbert Heathcote, was the in- trepi) young nobleman’s noxt step; and in a few momints the baronet, onco more rescued from tho enem},, was by tho side of his intrepid friond. “Take the keys and open tho front door!” cricd %! Trevelyan, impetuonsly pushing Sir Gilbort towards that extremity of the hall where the means of egress lay. “‘Escape,in the name of heaven !—think not of me!” And having thrust tho keys into his fricnd’s hand, Lord William scized the Doctor’s gold-headed cane, which hung to a hat-peg in the hall; and placing himself betweon the front-door and the keepers, ho cried, * Beware how you provoke me—for I shall not hesitate to defond myself to the death !” But scarcely wero these words uttered, when tho tivo keepers from whom ho had rescued the ba- ronet, returned to tho charge, aided by tho burly porter. The foremost was instantancously felled by a blow vigorously dealt with the cane; and, following up his advantage quickly as the eyo can wink, Tro- velyan darted at tho other keeper, whom he also levelled on the spot. Butin the next moment tho gallant young nobleman was in tho grasp of tho porter; and, dropping the cane as no longer useful in a close tuzzie, he addressed himself with all his might to this last and most desperate single com bat. The sceno was very exciting; and all that we have yet described sinco the first moment that tho conflict commenced, did not occupy moro than tivo minutes, Searcely had the intrepid nobleman and the her- culean porter closed together, when tho Doctor, attired in his dressing-gown and slippers, and with his cotton night-cap on his head, appeared at tho bottom of tho stairs, holding a chamber-candle in his hand, At tho samo instant Sir Gilbort Heathcoto had succecded in opening tho front door; and tho morn- ing breezo poured into tho hall, in a manner doubt- less highly refreshing to tho porter, who, be it remembered, had nothing on but his shirt—Ais cap having fallen off in the conflict which he had main- tained with the baronet in the first instance. Two of tho discomfited keepers, animated by tho presence of the Doctor—or perhaps rendered ashamed of their pusillanimity—-now returned to the attack upon Trevelyan, who was just on the point of hurling the porter to the ground. But Sir Gilbert, having mado tho entrance froe, rushed back to help his friend; and the contest was again re- newed with desperate energy,—the other two keepers, who had by this time recovered their senses, Joining in the strupgle. And hard would it have gone with Trevelyan and the baronet against such odds, had not two new. comers suddenly appeared upon the scene. Tor, the front door standing wide open, and tho lamp being alight in the hall, two gentlemon who were passing by the house at tho time beheld the extraordinary proceedings that were taking place within; and tho foremost, perceiving in an instant that the odds wero two to five,—namely, Trovelyane/ and tho baronet against the four keopers and tho porter,—exclaimed at the top of a stentorian voice, “Bo Jasus! Frank, and we'll just givo a helping hand to the waker side |” With these words, tho redoubtable Captain O'Blunderbuss—nerved with all tho courage at- tributed by Sir Walter Scott to Lord Marmion— ‘plunged into tho fight.” Or, in less Pooctical language, he darted into the hall—lovelled the herculean porter with a well- EConnicloooks (CO)