The Mysteries of the Court of London Vol. 7 — page 57: what you’re looking at

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

et ee ee a _ | “ Just wait a moment,” in Jack. “I thought that the strange man went down into the scullery—found the oat there—discovered éhe trap- door—and then all in an instant turned into a policoman. Baut‘you know, Bab, that the night we did that last piece of business—I mean Preston’s affair—the cat did cut aboutethe house in such a strange-way that I told you af the time I didn’t like it: i¢ seemed an omen ofevil. But really,” asked Jack, abruptly, “ what is to prevent us from making a bolt now? Why not get over to France? We may then dispense with this now business about your mother-—-we need not care what happens to the Burker—and we shall no lgnger have to pension those Scotts.” ‘And what if the police have their eye upon usP” demanded Mrs.*Smediey: “ what if that to get into the house under pretence of being a lodger, that he may al] the better play the spy upon usP I tell youl am certain that if we were to make such a move as would show we intended flight, we should both be pounced upon at once or! some pretence or another. It igonly by staying here, and seeming to rely on our réspectability, that we are safe. The police are evidently pus- sled about us: they don't knew whit to think— they we may be ali right—and as long as we give them no cause to think otherwise, we are aafe. They may try by all kinds of dodges to know more of us and peer into our secrets: bub cir e there’s no chance of th fons to the length of laying hands upon us. must therefore use the opportunity we now have to get rid of obsta- eles and overcome perils—so as to make ourselves completely safe. Now, that is my view of the matter—and it must be acted upon,” added Bab mptorily. Pee But what if I go to Liverpool?” asked Jack, eonsiderably re-assured, a ¥ not completely so, by his wite’s “Natural enough!” she exclaimed, “to see your mother.jn-law—to remonstrate with her on ber wickedness if she is guilty—to console and her if she is innocent! Will those SE A IE a RE TE SR a a ao fir Het ti cir Lt fl man who came to-night is a detective who wants | sio he offciously undertook to exeonte whatecever commissions they might choose to charge him with. He however received cold and distant reaponses, to which he hed been lately accustomed: “but his present was enswered—he had openly de: clared his intention of visiting Li —and if there were really police spies in the neighbour. hood, they could not think that he ted a total flight altogether. ‘ To Liverpool Mr. Smedley repaired: and in the evening he arrived in that town. It was too late for him to see his mother-in-law: but on the fol- lowing morning, at the earliest hour permitted by the prison regulations, he was introduced into her a He found ene old woman still, in ent and Ww m appearance, she surveyed bim with looks of mingled spite, mistrust, and aver- D. “Well, mother-in-law,” said Jack, when the turnkey had_ retired, “as you didn’t write to us, Bab and I thought the best thing to be done was for me to run down and eee you.” “TJ wish I had never seen you at all!” answered Mrs. Webber growlingly,—“ never in all my life! It was you who concocted this precious bufness that hae got me into such trouble; and, O dear! O dear! to think how it will end—to think how it will end |” The wretched woman Sate up in bed, and rocked herself to and fro as she thus spoke. She was frizhtfally altered. Thin and emaciated, she was worn almost to a skeleton—not by remorse for the crimes she had committed—but with horror at the incessant contemplation of the penalty she wouid soon have to pay for them. There was something fearful in the expression of her countenance: she seemed like a starved tiger-cat that could have sprung at any one approaching, as if to avenge the doom that appeared certain to overtake herself. Jack Smedley was frightened by her look—while her words seemed to justify all the misgivings which ber daughter Barbara had en con- cerning her. “Come, mother-in-law,” he said, plucking up ce of mind as well as he was able; his yed | “don’t be angry with me—lI did all for the best.” “And the worst has come of it!” interjected Mrs. Webber sharply; “and I have got to bear all ite brunt. I tell you what, Jack,” she went on to say, her eyes glaring with upon him, —“ those who commit crimes jn concert, should also shafe the punishment in concert: or else there’s a. LOAO© A SS (CO)