Joseph Wilmot, or, The Memoirs of a Man-Servant — page 202: what you’re looking at

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

JOSEPH WILMOT; en ee ee ah ee eee haps hurled down—a blow dealt with all my force, i —that I did succeed in lifting my head somewhat— will strike Taddy from my path—and then per- haps I may escape !” This project, desperately mad as it may seem, acquired such consistency in my mind that I re- solved to attempt it; and therefore anxiously and eagerly did I await the next sound of the key grating in the lock. Oh, how long, how wear® some were the hours!—methought that whole years were comprised therein! At length the signal expected with so much suspense and so much impatience, fell upon my ear. The candle was still burning: I stood up and measured the distance necessary for taking the contemplated spring. The door opened: the woman appeared, with a light in one hand anda small tray in the other. I glanced over her shoulder to see if Taddy had his pistol: but he was not there at all. In the twinkling of an eye I should have bounded at her,—when she said, ‘ Hush—silence—not a word! I am your friend!” Ah! this assurance suddenly changed my mind in a moment: those syllables struck upon my ear with the joyousness of promised succour and speedy liberation ! “ Hush, I say!” she immediately added : “those men are close at hand—they must not overhear us. My poor young man, I pity you! You see I have done the best I could for you. They wanted me to give you bread and water only: but I in- sisted on adding meat. They wanted to make you sleep on the cold ground: but I brought you blan- kets. I gave you the light too—at which they had not the face to grumble. Keep up your spirits! In a couple of hours I will steal down and let you out. It is now eight in the evening: a little after ten I shall be able to manage it.” “Oh!” I murmured, tears of joy trickling down my cheeks, and my entire frame trembling with ecstatic emotions; “how can I ever repay ou. 32 wig Hush—not another word!’ interrupted Mrs. Hartley, looking most kindly upon me—so that I suddenly thought she was altogether a different being from what I previously conceived her to be. “Here! I have brought you a glass of wine. Drink it—drink it quick—it will keep up your spirits.” | She presented the tray, on which there was a plate of food and a large glass filled with Port wine. [I lifted the glass, and poured the contents down my throat. What immediately followed, I can scarcely remember: though methinks I have a dim recollection of the door closing instantaneously, and the woman departing without leaving me either the tray or the candle. But certain it is that I sank down—not in a complete state of in- ebriation,—but into a profound stupor. There was confusion in my ideas for a few moments ; and then consciousness abandoned me. It presently seemed to me that I was inside some vehicle: for there was in my ears the rum- bling of wheels and the tread of horses’ hoofs—but all so vague and indistinct that methought it was a dream. Then the idea gradually stole into my mind that I was not alone in that vehicle—but that two persons were on the seat opposite to that on which [I lay in this strange state between stupor and a glimmering of consciousness. I remember that I made a desperate effort to raise myself up OR, THE MEMOIRS OF A MAN-SERVANT. 189 that it felt heavy as lead and had a terrible aching pain. Methinks too that I caught a glimpse of the lights of street-lamps, as for a moment I opened my eyes: but the next instant they closed again— for the lids were as heavy as if weights were upon them, keeping them down. There was now an interval of complete stupor, unbroken by a single glimmering of the vital sense,—until my next notion was that I was being lifted in the arms of men. Then I suddenly acquired a more perfect gleam of consciousness than I had as yet expe- rienced. I opened my eyes—darkness prevailed at the spot now reached—the wind blew fresh and cold. I was in the arms of two individuals whom I knew to be Taddy and Blackbeard: for the dark- ness was not so complete as to prevent me from discerning their countenances. But this gleam of consciousness lasted only for a few instants: a third person, whom I saw to be the vile hump- back, suddenly stood by my side—a bottle was ap- plied to my lips—a portion of its contents was forced down my throat—and I at once sank into a stupor again. When consciousness slowly returned — and, heavens! how slowly and how painfully it did come back,—I gradually awoke to the knowledge of most extraordinary sensations. It appeared as if the place in which I was, and the nature of which I was utterly at a loss to understand, was moving up and down—now with gradual heavings, then with quick pitchings and abrupt tossings. I said to myself that it was my disordered brain which pro- duced these sensations. For some minutes I lay motionless as far as any voluntary movement on my own part was concerned ; I had not the energy nor the power to extend an arm nor stretch a limb. I was only half recovering from the stupor into which I had been thrown: my energies were still half dead—and my sensations, instead of be- ing keen and vivid, were dull, heavy, and lan- guid. My powers of perception were therefore so slow that I could not for some time comprehend where I was, nor what these heavings and tossings meant. At last a shock more severe than the former ones, made me stretch forth my arms: and they encountered wood-work within a foot ef my countenance. An awful feeling came upon me; and more deliberately still did I feel about me. Yes—planks were close above!—planks on my right, planks on my left—a board at my head, a board at my feet! Just heaven! was I in my coffin? had I been buried alive? The thought—half wild, half appalling—sent a thrill of crucifying agony through my frame, but numbed and dismayed my soul. I opened my eyes, which hitherto had remained heavily closed ; and a dim light gleamed upon them. It was swinging backward and forward, so that it made my brain swim round as if I had been suddenly plunged into awhirlpool. At first I thought. that even this light must be a delusion; and a thousand horrible ideas began-sweeping through my mind, about corpse-lights, and gaseous flames which hover around the dead. My soul was still under the influence of complete dismay, though my brain was thus whirling in wildest confusion. Presently subdued groans reached my ears, and sent fresh thrills of horror through my frame. My reasoning powers were however awakening. One by one ECORNICLOO S (CO) AA