The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 334: what you’re looking at

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

308 THE COURT OF LONDON this moment, apart from all other circumstances, would have been enough to terrify her. A scream thrilled from her lips, but even while it was yet vibrating upon the air, the Hangman sprang at her with the force and fury of a wild beast, clutched her by the throat, stifled all further power of utterance, and flinging her upon the floor of the passage, placed his knee upon her chest. In this manner he held her tight until she grew black in the face, her features became convulsed and livid, and she was suffocated. Even after her body had ceased to writhe and convulse, and when there was every evidence that the vital spark had fled, the ferocious Hangman still kept his hands upon her neck, the fingers literally digging deep down into her flesh, so as to assure himself that she wasindeed no more. Then he rose up, and without loss of time ascended the stairs to the passage above. That the secret room, where the lump of silver was contained, lay between the two chambers on the right hand side of that passage, he had gleaned from the conversation of Jeremy Humpage and the Swag Chovey Bloak. It was therefore by no means difficult to ascertain exactly where the laboratory was situated, but the puzzling part of the business was to discover how to open the door. The Hangman rapped with his knuckles upon all parts of the wainscot where he conceived that this door ought to be, but he could not tell by the sound where it was. Five minutes were thus lost, and he grew impatient. Still he made another trial, curbing his feelings as well as he was able, and continuing his investigation with all possible carefulness, but another five minutes passed without any better success. Now he grew fearfully impatient, terribly exasperated. Time was so precious to him! Already had near half an hour elapsed since the departure of the Swag Chovey Bloak, and there was not a minute to waste unnecessarily. What should he do? He would pro- cure a hatchet and break down the whole of the wainscoting in that part of the passage, so as to find the door. But what if there were no hatchet to be found? And nothing else would serve his purpose, for the woodwork was evidently very thick and solid, the better to conceal the existence of the secret door. He must curb his impatience once more, and give another trial. That there was some secret spring he felt convinced, and this must be felt for. Still more care- COMnniclooo@ S (C@ im