The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 223: what you’re looking at

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

210. a a er workhouse room, and became changed into the being that was pillowed upon the wormy soil up-cast from the yawning grave close by. And I began to thnk with the mind of that sleeping counterpart of myself—and I began to see also with hiseyes. For the deep, deep silence of the church- yard was broken by the low rustling of the garments of the grave: and hideous shapes began to glide through the moon-lit air. Ob! it was horrible—horrible!—for the cemetery was giving up its dead to render the night appalling— and the spectres of the departed were mingling then in death as never had they mingled in life ! The pampered son of luxury and the ccenpant of there: the wealthy tradesman’s wife, who had diad ef a sur- feit, and the lank form of the neadiiseremmn, done to death by famine and cold in one.ef the long, long nights of winter, were next to ensh other now! this awful group. Oh! it was horrible—hocrible— and I saw it all! I bhened the rustling of the covering the teeth—the under-jaw held up by the white bandage—and the clean dry winding-sheet ! Yes—I saw all this—I marked all this—my me- mory received an impress of all those details, as floating past me—thaé I folt its in the grasp of my right hand, and wretch might pass away before he should have wormed from him the clue to that morbid con- dition of mind whereof he had given such astound- {ng proofs by the narrative of a dream which he had looked upon as « fact. But on feeling Melmoth’s pulse and placing a hand upon his heart, the surgeon discovered that life was not extinct; and he hastened to apply the usual restoratives. Ina few minutes the patient recovered his senses, but was too much exhausted to speak: the surgeon accordingly administered some medicme the effect of which was shortly to -Ull him inte a gentle repose—and the medical man then quitted the » with an intimation to the nume that he should return in the after- noen. Now it hagpened that this surgeon was intimately with Mr. Thurston, in whose medical knowledge and psychological information he placed the utmost confidence. He accordingly repaired direct to the Weet End of the town—oalled in May Patr—and communicated to Mr. Thurston the fact that there was at the present momenta very ex- tmnerdinary case of mental hallucination in White- chagel peor-house. He entered into details; and the curiosity of Mr. Thurston was so excited, that he readily consented to accompany his friend to the eastern district of the and see the were some recently soquired objecia af interest to show in the surgery,—euch aa a wen, 26 Inge ag 0 Dutch cheese, taken. off a man’s headend in a jar—an eye thet was removed from. its socket, the patient having received a blow thereon which had produced cancer—end the hody of en infant which had been overlain in the parish workhouse. one-horss chaise was ordesed round to the door ; and it was about half-past three in the afternoon when the two medical gentlemen alighted at the | gate of Whitechapel workhouse. The surgeon of the establishment led the way direct to the infirmary ,followed by Mr. Thurston; and as they passed through the larger room of which mention hag already been made, the former gentleman pointed to a group of three children, whispering at the samo time to his friend, “‘ Those two boys and that girl belong to the patient we are about to visit.” ‘‘Ah! poor devils,” said Tharston, carelessly: “they look thin and pale enough.” “You should have seen them this morning— before they put on the clothes they are wearing ite flesh cold as ic, to the touch of my left—that it | now,” observed the parish doctor, still speaking in alowly turned it# marble countenance and bent its | stony gaze upon me—that I felt its breath, cold, cold ag wintry air upon my cheek—and that I re- a low tone ;—" they were positively horrible to gaze n! But these things can’t be helped, I sup- | Upo | pose,” he added, as he turned and led the way into cognised its features-—-O God! the features of | the wretched crib where Melmoth was lying. my own wife!” Melmoth now fell back with a hollow moan, and, | dosing his eyes, lay like one dead: — The surgeon was alarmed—no, not alarmed “There! do you see that gentleman along with the doctor of this place?” suddenly whispered the eldest | of the three children, as he caught each of the other , two with nervous violence, by thearm. ‘“ Look—I exactly; for he was too much sccustomed to see | Mean that gentleman who is just following the doctor paupers die, to be able to care much about it: | into father’s room. Ah! he fs the wicked, unkind, bat bo felt vexed at the ides that the present poor | heartlese man who took away poor baby's body and ElOOO® (CO