The Mysteries of the Court of London, Vol. 7 — page 381: what you’re looking at

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

verareperaagegriare £0 ARCO ee | } | l | | | } | =. age —— ee >t ~ - =- ——— — eee oe ee - ee ee) rere ee of el oe 7 < Lf 4 871) the cid sexton wanted an assisgant; and the | Burker ssw at a glance that the situation would suit him for the present most admi- rably, inasmuch as it would give him bread and a bed to aleep ins and of all places in the world an out-of-the-way secluded village auch as this, was perhaps the best calouleted to yield him a re- fuge against the consequences of a ue and cry. His original intention was to push on into the wildest parte of Scotland: put his experiences of an ocutcsst condition were already painful enough to make hiro wish fop something settled, even though it might be gyarer ta Liverpool thap prudence would haye exactly auggested. The hope, there- fore, of begaming the vid sexton’a assistant was one of the results arising crom his accidental listening at the loup-hule of the yagit. Tho other wae fhe spectacle of the brandy-flask, which thy Burker longed to apply to bis lips. But how was be to introdyca himself to theold man? furk ! Jonathon Oarnehie resumes his musings. *Yea--E am resolved to have an agsistant— that's esitled! But I mugt have one that will do my bidding ip pil things without being questioned —that be tutured into taking as wuch pride in digging a nest grave and having # caro of theese yaulie as I dq myself, Wyuw where is such ® person to be foynd F* “Flere! angwered the Burcker: for it struck him at the ingtant that this ope the Boat, as assu- rogly it was the shortest, way uf introducing him- self to the notige of tho individual whose patrunaze he gqught. } goxton started, perhaps for the first time : amibten with # MuopyptioNs tersor : but quick y recovering his gelf-poasgenon, his first thought wae that he must have been deceived by some Hadanal sound. Le nevertheless inatinctively looker tawards the lovp-hule; and on perceiving thet the light of the shining heavens wae inter. cepted by a humau form, hia nest impression wae that same belated villager was bent on playing off a joke upon hig. “You have pothing to do with me or my con- corns,” auld Jouathan. “Gu your ways back to the Greop w--unioes ghey have shut up- end in doveygy they vught—in which case gu to your bed.” . “Tdon't happen to have never an acqytintance with the Greens Dragon,” responded the Burker ; “and as for seekiny tho bed I last slept in——— But no matter!” ho interrupted hiuecif, ae his thoughts had wandered back to the narrow irr belistead, the hard mattress and the horaecluth in bh soyerlid in the gaul whence he had escaped. “in| not a native of this hero willage, thoush as ro- epectable for « poor wan as any thas js.” row 8. 2 ee sR Lad a THR MYSTEMIFS OF THE COURT. meee ese in this world as goes about like roaring lions seek- ink how they may dewour innocent ‘and unwary ‘ . ps like me.” “Rather pious after your ow; Gapathban Oarnabie. “Wery pious,” responded the Burker,—“ but wnassuming, unpretending, doing whatever I’m fashion ?” said \ : } 6 ; t ! f ’ ; 4 i 5 hid without axing a question—end uncommoa | atrong and active at work.” “ And where do yay come from?” asked Jona- than. ‘ “Brom Gowler—a good way of,” replied Mr. Barnes; sv thet this vaguq yeaponse migit bave awhruced any peiat of the gympess and any cun- osivable distance. “But where from?" inquired Jonathan, who though to a gertain extent simple-minded through having dwelt all bis life in that cllage, gas never- theless precise and ciroumetantial enuugh in bie babite to require dofimite yephes to bis queations “Tm @ Linculnshire san,” said fhe Burkes, with » tone of upcummon frankness. “As I have already told you, I'm out of work. The last job 1 cid was for Yarmor Nuggaus-——perbaps you have hoerd talk uf him P” * J can’t say that JE have,” responded the old man. “But you bad better atep round into the church, and we will talk over the matter bere. A fow stops ta the right will bring you t a little dour, aud the light from the vault will guile ou.” Jouathan Carnabia evidently though} that the vault was the most eorfurtable place to ait and discourse in; pod i¢ waa porfeetly judiluent to the Burkor where be deposited himevif av long as kw uad a chance of carrying opt his aime. He propeaded to the little daor—he ¢ntered tho ehurch —and the light from the wault, glimmering tasbly, esemed ta be a dim, wneertdin, ghastly halo hanging about} the dead. But the mapn- beams wero shining through the windows; and they helped ta subdpe the light of the lantern, or te souder it more siekly. They fell ypon the pews ul dark wood--ypon the pulpit standing aainst ong af the thick piltare --and wpun threa or four munuments with the sculptured efizica of the lang dafunc$é warriors whose semains hoi been busied there, Is was evidently a vers olf church : —io former times there had becn @ castle in the neighbourhood ; and hence the monuments -to which we have referred. The silence which pre- railed until broken by the Burker’s heavy stamp- ing fect, wauld have struck sulemaly ti the soul uf any other mnan, and would have induoed him to tread lightly: but he was totsily uususceptiblo of éuch impreesions—ead be went tramping alung the aisle, indifferent to the wournful ecnves whieb his * How oame you here? asked Jonathan} nailed boots raised, and which might liye been bluntly, a “Pm out of work,” responded the Burker—- as indeed he waa out of the work which gonstituted his ordinary oceupation before bie capture. * I'm on the tramp—J was passing through the church. yerd—I saw the light—but aot being afverd of ghostesess, T peeped in.” “ Wot afraid, eb F’ anid old Josatham to whom this was at cnoe & reggommendation on the Burker’s behalf, “ More afegpd of the living than the dead,” re- : “oe why there's a many people iad the Bu a . FRA ERE To i cing I En <o wir NGA angers ees art: + fab 8 ge ‘taken for the moanings of tue epimts of e de- parted as they died away under the groined roofs ut the farther extremity. Op reaching tho mouth of the vanlt, Barney the Buyker descended into it by a dight of stune steps; and ke very detibyrately agated himself upon a colin wear thea block of ejong on which dunathan Carnabie was placed. The ald gan started at what he congderead to be an act of im- ‘ pions desecration; but the Burker, nos ¢ompre- hending the meaning of that movement, faneied it was procaced by & osaret view of his own lange O myst teres " pee wees Shee op meg Op ee ee ere (C ° eee tenn e —s eeeee l OD NOG SS