The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 222: what you’re looking at

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a ee THE MYSTERIES OF THB COURT. 211 a a YN hind and murdered. Even if he got possession of , design in it. took the handkerchief amidst a great his coat by means of a stratagem, it would be diffi- ealt for him to get safe out of the berge without first making away with Tugs and his wifo: for if he pretended to go out for any purpose, they would things Cannibal came to the conclusion that he must an- ticipate the intention of the Blue-ruin Carrier and Mrs. Tugs by murdering them both. But then again recurred the question, how was this to be done ? Saddenly an idea struck him; and he now saw his way clearly enough. “What a terrible close place this is to live in, to be sure!” he said, in a careless sort of way, taking advan of a pause in the discourse to make the remark. “I do believe it would kill me outright in a very short time.” “Why, you see, me and my old woman here is accustomed to it,” responded Tugs. ‘But it’s the emell that’s as bad as the heat,” resumed Chiffin. ‘“ Boiled pork and greens is very | nice things for dinner; but leave an uneom- mon disagreeable odour in the place where they're cooked.” “But we had fried sassages to day,” said Mrs. “Well, cassages leaves a smoll too,” said Chiffin. “ And you had cabbages too, mind.” “But the bakker smoke takes all that away,” eried the bargeman as he refilled his pipe. “Tam eure Mrs. Tugs don’t like all these here amelis,”” said the Cannibal—“* greens, and nassages, and bakker smoke, and the canal, and what not— partickler in such a close place as this—do you, Mrs. Tugs? Now, what should you say,” he con- tinued with a grim emile upon his countenance, “if so be I was gallant enough to give you a bottle of scent, which to tell the truth I went out just mow to buy at the hairdresser’s up in the road ” “J should say that it was rayther an extro’rn’ary thing for Mr. Chiffin to do,” replied the woman, laughing. “Then that same extro’rn’ary thing I have done,” eontinued the Oannibal: and as he thus spoke he produced an y-out scent-bottle from the breast-pocket of the coat that be had on. “Well, did you ever?” exclaimed Mrs. Tugs “If Lady Bees had done euch a thing as this, one wouldn’t have been astonished, ‘cause she’s s0 ex- 4 ate.”” “We never know,” said the Cannibal, appearing to laugh in the merriest good-humour, “ whose book we may take a leaf out of. Lend us your fogie, Mrs. Tugs.” “ My ankercher, you mean f”’ she said. “ Weil, I do think I have got such a thing :”—and she pro- duced a dirty rag which answered the purpose of the erticle named. “I like escont very well at a distance,” said Chiffin, as he poured a few drops from the little bottle on the holding his head some- what back es he did so: “bat I can’t abear it near. Wow, just you take and smell this. It’s the most dsliziousest scent you ever come near in all your hfe. Put that up to your nose, ma’am.” Mrs. Tugs, who appeared to enjuy the whole proceeding heartily, and of course saw no sinister deal of laughing, and at once applied it to her nose. At the same instant she fell on the floor of the cabin, with the babe in her arms, as if stricken down by lightning: and also at the very self-samo moment, Chiffin’s club dealt a tremendous blow on the head of the Blus-ruin Carrier. But this blow eo far from being fatal, did not even stun the man, who perhaps posscestd a skull of more than ordi- nary thickness: or else the blow itself descended in a manner that could do little hurt notwithstand- ing the violence with which it was dealt. For an instant—and only for a single instant—did Tugs totter on his seat; and then springing up with a terrible imprecation, he closed with the Cannibal just as the latter waa about to repeat the blow, The table was upset in an instant, and fell over the insensible woman and the stunned child as they lay upon the floor. , For a few moments the struggle with the two mon was desperate; and then they fell heavily together, The Cannibal was undermost: and for an instant Tugs nearly throttled him—but with a desperate effort Chiffin threw his adversary off, and then was uppermost in his turn. Still Tugs held him in such a manner that he had not the free use of his arms: he could not reach his club which had dropped from his hands, nor take a pistol from his pocket. For a minute the contest was frightful: the wretches glared upon each other with demoniac looks, as they were thus interlaced by each other’s arms—they gnashed their teeth——foam was upon their lips—their struggles and convulsions were the fullest developments of extraordinary muscular power. Again did they roll over: again was the Cannibal in the most perilous position. Another instant, and he would have been strangled by his adversary: but suddenly catching that individual’s nose between his teeth, he bit it clean off. The man roared with the pain, and Chiffin was in an instant covered with the blood that streamed down upon him. The next moment the circumstances of the horrible contest were changed again: Tugs was underneath—Chiffin was uppermust—and the former, faint with excruciating pain and loss of blood, relaxed his hold on his diabolic enemy. Then the Cannibal was enabled to catch at his club; and with the tremendous bludgeon he beat out the Blue-ruin Carrier’s brains. Thus ended this horrible combat; and the con- queror stood in the midst of the cabin, wiping his adversary’s blood from his face. The woman lay insemsible upon the floor—the child was inanimate likewise. Chiffin deliberated with himself for a few moments how he should act. Should he kill the woman, or let her recover as she might? But when she recovered, would she not denounce him as the murderer of her husband? Assuredly she would: and therefore she must die ! Having come to this resolve, after a very bricf self-consultation, Chiffin drew his clasp-knife from his pocket—epened it—and then plunged it deep down into the heart of the unfortunate woman. Not a sound escaped her lips: there was a slight convulsive movement of the body, as if a momen- tary spasm shot through it; and thus she passed from insensibility into death. Chiffin drew out his clasp-knife from the ffesh im which it was embedded — wiped it—and returned / ee ae, a | eee eee eee Oe COUMUC OO SS CO