The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 20: what you’re looking at

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

2 THE COURT OF LONDON is in flight. Remember, hanging is an awful death — I’ve seen plenty of it, and should know.” Let the reader conceive what would be his sensation if, for instance, on getting out of bed in the dark, he stepped with his bare foot upon a huge snake coiled up in cold, clammy, loathsome folds upon the floor. But if on leaping forward to escape from that snake, another reptile was trodden upon, and then another and another, encountering the bare feet in quick succession, while the individual, in frenzied horror, was flying toward the door, would not the sensations thus experienced be the realization on earth of some of the most poignant pains characteristic of Satan’s kingdom? But not more horrible could such sensations be than those which Lady Ernestina felt crowding one upon another as the Hangman addressed her in that speech every sentence of which smote her like a fresh outrage or seized upon her like a new anguish. She writhed, oh, she writhed convulsively, and it was a strong and awful writhing, too, that thus pierced through her graceful, elegant, and voluptu- ous form. The same effect was visible upon her features, and as the Hangman spoke of her neck which he had encircled with his arm, and which he would willingly save from the contact of a halter, she bit her lip almost till the blood came in order to prevent herself from shrieking out, while the whole aspect of her countenance at that instant showed that a scream was passing behind it. But all in a moment, when the Hangman had done speak- ing, a change came over her. It was a change so complete and so abrupt that it could only have arisen from the quick flashing of some new thought to her mind, prompting a change in her plans all in an instant. “You are sincere in wishing to serve me? ”’ she said, in a cold, almost freezing tone. “IT am —on my soul I am,” answered the Hangman, speaking with perhaps more genuine sincerity than ever he had shown in all his life before. “ And you will assist me to escape? ” “Don’t I keep on recommending it as much as I can? ”’ “ But I will not issue forth by the route you have pro- posed,” said Ernestina, in a tone of decision. ‘‘I cannot go climbing over walls from yard to yard.” COMmicloo S C©