The Mysteries of the Court of London, Vol. 5 — page 153: what you’re looking at

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

ra, aa | & be wa MD o- e-eeeee e 2am ee coe. 5 140 on, old feller. You seems to know your way gs if by instinct, as thoy say of the ‘ossos.” Chiffin tho Cannibal passed out of tho butler’s pantry, and proceeded into the front kitchen; but nothing worthy of his predatory viows was found there. Thence the burglars proceeded into the servants’ hall, where some four or five stray silvor forks and spoons, which tho butlor had doubtles# forgotten tu count up along with the rost of the plate, wero lying about. “This is summut, at all events,” observed Tony Wilkins. ‘It cheers one on to look artor more.” “ Now then,-keop that cursed tongue of your's atill, and pall off them great heavy boots of your'n,” snid Chillin: “or elso do as I do, if you have got thy things to do it with.” ° And what was it that Chiflia the Cannibal was now dving? Nothing more nor loss than drawing on # very coarse pair of limb’s-wool soaks ovor his own thick and heavy lace-up boots. This ‘being donc, ho took a pair of fistuls from his pocket—saw that cach had a pereussion-cap ready for servico-— and handing one to Tony Wilkins, bade him only uso it in case of extremo dosperatioh of circum- stunces, but then not to hesitute an instant, The two burglars now began asconding tho stairs, Chillin walking fixgs with his muffled feet, and Tony Wilkins with hx nakodl ones; for the latter was @ iced od eee oe eae oS abe & oe - -— ds THE MSMSTERIES OF the COURT. e e Ive ie ow se. 2 8 le: es BS w-ese- ara, ne — & =I Ge - ee cee we - é( oar mS w= ag gee would thon be encquraged to traverso the room which they had entered and see whu was in the noxt’one, in which case they might bo enabled by threats or violence to compel#iny person who they would thus find to give information relative to the whertabouts ef tho plate, jawols, moncy, &c. Such were the thoughts that simultancously occurred to the two burglars; for all men of that class act as it were upon a ptioular system, and pursuo a course which is as much uided by grevivus oxperiences as by tho oocurrenves which transpire at the mo- ent. ; For several minutes did they listen—and thoy heard no one speak. Then thoy traversed tho .|° spaci apartment’ ith as much caution as possible; and the thick carpet would have slifled the sound of their footsteps evon if the feet of one had not been muffled and the boots ofethe other taken off. On reaching tho doer which stood half open, Chiffiu peoped in, and beheld o lady soated alono in the adjdtent féom. Sho was placed ut a tablo and had a book open before her: but she was not reading -— she was reclining back in her chair—afid », the light of the wax candlosgfell with a sort of Rem- brandt effect upon her splendid features, it was easy to perceive that she was absorbed in a profound reverie. or were her reflections of the most pleasing description: for there was a lowering of er oa a ea carrying his boots in his hand—aond fts for stockings, /tho naturally high and noblo furehoad—there was a ‘iy wardrobe was not oxtonsive enough to permit ' sinister light gleaming in the eyes to which%o mag- Tim tho cnjoymont of such luxuries. He however | nificent a lustre properly belongod—and there was hoped to improve and replenish if by the proceeds | a compression of the lips which nature had never SCS sateen pense ee cn a ree ee a ut his shure of tho presont fiight’s plunder. The marblo hall was reached; and from this point, the samu as from the lower regions, it ap- peared that a profound silence reiynod throughout the house—for it was now past one in the morning, the operations at the back door having absorbed at lonst dhreo quarters of an hour. Tho parlours opening from tho hall were visited by the intruders ; and though they abounded in many fashionablo nick-nacks, objects of ojrt®, beautiful ornaments, and the usual decorations to be found on the mantol- piecos and side-tables of apartments in the houses of the rich, there was not much in these rooms that would ‘suit tho purposes of tho robbers. A few things however thoy did consign to their pocketa; and emboldened by tho freodom from interruption and the absenco of all alarm which they t expe- rienved, thoy began the ascent of the magnificont marblo staircasc leading to the drawing-rooms and stato-apaytments. In the first of these which they enterod, they founé a gould watch lying upon tho table ; and there wtre many little ornaments seattercd shout which they knew Solomon Pateh would pur- ~hase, and to which thoy thorefore freely helped them- blves. Thence thoy pi lato the adjacent room; siblu, they stopped suddenly short on beholiding a light at the farther extremity. It shone through a door which stood half open at the end of the large’ . ' | Lady Saxondale was thus obser'ved, at once showed the Cannibal ‘not torely, that ahe was alone, but likewiso that: thero: was no other door open by which any sudden cry ‘of alarm. to which she might give vent-‘would issue forth. He there- fore resolved upon taking'a desperate step in order to radp a,handsome liarvest from his present enter- apartment they had just entered. «_ The burglars stopped short, we say; and Chiffin instantaucoury closed the blind of his dark lantorn. Bur the two men did not retreat; they stood and histonod witb. breathless attention. If they had hoard voices in conversation they would havo held it time -nuugh tu make the bost of their way from but as they enterod it with as muth caution as pos. | knew her now, as:pecping through that. intended to remain so firmly closed. This lady was none other than tho mistress of tho mansion; and Chillin knew her to be Lady Saxon: dale. Ho had seen her first of all upwards of nine- teen years back, when, being despatched by Ralph Farofield into Lincolnshire, he had lurked about the neighbourhood of Saxondale Castle watching for an opportunity to carry off the child: h@> had secn her then, in tho pride and glory of her youtatul beauty—and once seen, she was not a woman who could be easily forgotten. Sut Chiilin had also sven her within thw last fow days: for he had loitered about Saxondalo House in Park Lane, not only with the ‘view of .discovering as riuch as he could of the position of the premises, but also to examino the features of the domesties and see whether the physiognomy of any one of them furnishod a suifi- cient indication of innate villany to warrant the: |- Cannibal in scraping acquaintance with tho view tp ° an arrangemont fora burglary. In this hope ho had been disappointed: but. while thus loitering about, he had seen Lady Saxondale go in and out of the .mansion—he had recognised her as the same beautiful women he had seen in Lincolnshire nearly twenty years back—and thus was it that he at once ) hiif-opened door ho beheld hor seated in a mood of deep abstrac- tin atthetable. << ~ 0 oe A glance rapidly fang round ‘the room where the premises; but if they heard no yoices, they | prisc; and making a sivn for Tony Wilkins to atap | @ e “* " — @- irs = 2 » . ae aoe . —- 2 <m- oe ney, « —_ . (ow 46 =—s~ I Bebneees ave oe + one = = ‘ssn = = — eu _—_— = — =-@ == 26ne- amngs a . 6 TT Re AO Be Oe ea ES SS a a — SS ee Se = -« OOO) ior COMIC