The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 260: what you’re looking at

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

another yell of agony thrills. from the lips of the keeper—and at the next moment his voice is stifled —for the maniac’s fingers fasten like an iron vice upon his throat, The wretch writhes awfully beneath the infuriate lunatic who lies above his convulsing form, with eyes gleaming down in hyena-like rage upon his distorted countenance. Inside the cells every one has become suddenly silent and motionless, as if a consternation had struck upon them all with the influence of a spell ; and their countenances, on which the hideous workings seemed to have congealed all in a moz ment, leaving them horrible and ghastly to con- template, were fastened as it were against the bars ¢hrough which their eyes glared like living cinders. But on the pavement, the work which they are beholding, and the view of which has thus para- lysed them all for a few instanta,—that dreadful work is now done! Livid with strangulation, and his form still retaining the ominous posture in which it had crisped up as it were in its last convul- sions, lay the keeper—an inanimate corpse! His cight hand still grasped the merciless weapon the ase of which had led to the awful catastrophe that sealed his own fate: his eyes, wide open, appeared ready to start from his head:;—and his tongue, black and swollen, lolled out between his foamy lips. AJl this hideous change had been wrought in a strong, hale, good-looking man in the course of a few short seconds: ‘twas the just retribution whioh acoursed tyranny should invariably reocive! The deed, then, was accomplished —and for nearly half a minute did the maniao murderer stand. gazing down upon his victim, with mingled com- pasaipn and incredulity expressed in every lines- ment of his haggard countenance. He seemed to be pitying the wretch of whose death he could scarcely believe himself to be the cause. And during that brief interval of half a minute, a pro- found silence reigned in the mad-cells. But suddenly the maniac murderer yielded to the impulse of a new instinct. Starting from his motionless attitude of contemplation, he gave atterance to a wild cry of triumph; and, stooping down, he felt in the pockets of his victim for some- thing which he fancied to be there. Then as he drew forth a bunch of keys which he jingled first as he swept them joyously over his head, and then clanged as he dashed them with a madder triumph against the bars, the prisoners inside the cells took up the ory which had burst from his lips; and the place wae once more horribly, alive with the din of maniac voices. To open the gates of the several cells was now the work of a few moments ;—and, behold! Mel- moth was free—in company with half-a-dozen raging, frenetic, infuriate lunatics! And had they not believed him to be one of themselves, they would doubtless have torn him to pieces: but he had been a prisoner with the rest— he was just released with the rest also—and, whatever notion the madmen might have entertained of their own condition and state of mind, they naturally enough regarded Mel- moth as a brother-victim to some cruel persecution whence they had now achieved their emancipa- tion. Seizing the lantern, the maniac who had killed the keeper, rushed forth from the bnilding, fol- lowed by all the others, Melmoth still keeping @mong them. For now that murder had been ee ae committed, ha more than ever saw the necessity of playing the part of a madman, in case he should be caught and thrust back into his dungeon: and his only chance of escape from the precinots of the workhouse was centred in his adhesion to tizs little band of lunatics who, he had no doubt, would clear themselves a passage despite of all opposition. The moment that the madmen burst into the yard, their leader carrying the lantern in his hand, an alarm was raised by some paupers who belonged to the kitchen-department; and the door leading into the main building was instantaneously closed and barricaded by the frightened inmates. The walla round the yard were high: and the only avenue of escape was by means of the door just fastened in the face of the band. This fact Mel. moth’s eagle eye perceived at a glance; and, urg- ing his rabid companions on, he set them the example of making a desperate onslaught upon that door. With ories of rage and fury the maniace precipitated themselves against it: it shook—it quivered—the strong planks yielded and cracked in their frame-work;—the assault was renewed— again and again did the desperate men dash head~ long as it were, like living waves, against the bar. rier that opposed their path. Some of the brich- work over the door gave way first, and fell in heavy masses upon the besiegers—maiming,, wounding, and injuring them seriously : but, goaded: all the more terribly to the execution of their purpose, and lashed up to a degree of ferocious frenzy, the maniacs, bleeding all over, aad half blinded with the dust of the dislodged masonry, threw theme selves in one dense and compact body against the door. It burst rather, it was dashed completely out of its setting—driven in bodily, as if with the concussion of gunpowder or an explo- sion of foul air. Then the maniacs rushed into the kitchen, with which the door communicated; and in a moment amined—every remains of cold meat were selxed upon and dé- voured with even 3 cannibal voracity: the breed- store adjoining was pillaged of its contents—a barrel of small beer had its top knocked off and a considerable portion of tho liquor disposed of in a few moments—and the buttery was invaded in an equally unsparing manner. The maniacs ate and drank like famished wolves—their bloodshot eyes glaring with a sort of ferocious joy and savage triumph at the whole proceeding. Gladly would Melmoth have urged them to press on at once fur. ther into the interior of the building: but he dared not interfere with their revel amongst the provisions until they had gorged themselves to re~ pletion. And to this point did they arrive in an incredibly short space of time: for in about ten minutes their appetites were thoroughly satisfied —and the provender which they could not con- sume, waa scattered and trampled in all diren- tions. Meanwhile the master of the workhouse had mustered the most active and resolute of the able- bodied paupers; and arming them with pokers, shovels, tongs, broom-sticks, and all such weapons as came ready to hand at the moment, he ste- tioned his force in the hall to resist any farther invasion of the building,—while messengers had been sent off to the Tower to demand the assist. 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