The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 154: what you’re looking at

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

tee THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. Rn LLL LLL 139 sn se tt iron graprnel which was at the end of the cord, caught against that part of the masonry which over- bung the side-door. The rope was thus retained fast—and Tony Wil- kins, being the lighter and more agile of the two, clambered up the wall by means of the rope. In a moment he disappeared on the other side, and drew both the bolts of the door, while Chiffin managed the lock by means ef a skeleton-key. Thus the Cannibal, whe was too heavy and clumsy to climb the wall, which was a tolerably high one, obtained prompt admittance imto the garden at the back of Saxondale House—for this was the mansion where the present burglary was being effected. “ All seems as quiet as a workus,” whispered Tony Wiikins, as he and his leader carefully sur- veyed the rear of the buildings. “ There isn’t never & light in none of the rooms—and not so much as a mouse a-stirring.” “ Let’s try this door, then,” said the Cannibal. “Or that there windy—eh?” suggested Tony. “ No—the door,” was Chiffin’s prompt answer: for his experienced eye at once showed him, by the aid of the moonlight, that the door presented the readiest and easiest means of effecting an entry. From a capacious pocket in the lining of his shaggy coat, he drew forth a small saw, thin asa watch-spring, keen as an array of shark’s teeth, and flexible as a Castilian stiletto-blade. With a gim- let he speedily made a hole in the lower part of the door, near where he calculated the bolt must be ; and thrusting the saw into the hole, he cut out a eircular piece, leaving an aperture large enough to introduce his hand. He was thus enabled to feel for the bolt and draw it back—a process which was instantaneously accomplished. The door was high, and there was nothing for Chiffin to stand on to reach the upper part of it. He accordingly made Tuny Wilkins go down upon all-fours ; and standing on his back, he went to work again. Another gimlet-hole was made in the higher portion of the door—the little saw, well moistened with oil, was assiduously plied again—and another circular piece of wood, large enough to afford an opening for the hand and wrist, was soon cut out, The upper bolt was tius felt for, and drawn back ; and Chiffin descended from his human footstool — such a purpose Tony Wilkins having served, but not without experiencing some degree of pain in his pack, as Mr. Chiffin was by no means the lightest person in the world. The reader will now understand that the two bolts of the door were drawn back; but the door itselt was locked. It was a stout door—and Chillin dared not attempt to break it open with a crow-bar, on account of the noise that would be made by such an operation. There was no key-hole visible on the exterior side; and thus he had no immediate indi- cation ot the position of the lock aside. But this duficulty was speedily overcome. Again ordering Pony Wilkins to go down upon all-fours and make himselt into a foot-stool, the Cannibal mounted on nis back once more; and then, with a piece of string and a leaden bullet at one end he proceeded to sound for the lock, just as a sailor at sea scunds with a cord and plummet to ascertain the depth of the water. Thrusting the leaden bullet throuch the hole that had been cut for the removal of the upper bolt, Chifin gradually let out the striug until the A OO i I. cy a, — a eee bullet was stopped by the top of the lock which projected from the inner side of the door: then keeping the string tight between his finger and thumb, so as to mark how much of it had been let go through the hole, he drew it back. To measure the outside of the door from the hole downward was now the work of anisntant ; andthus Chiffin discovered with the nicest exactitude the position of the lock. He next proceeded to bore with u.3 gim- let; and having made a hole through the wood, his little flexikle saw was again put inte requisition. In less. than a quarter ef an» heur ke had cut com- pletely round the lock; and the door opened to his thrust. ‘“ Now, Tony, come gently,’ he said; and they entered the premises together. All was dark within —and all was silence likewise, at least down in the lower vezion of the premises, A dark lantern was quickly produced from Chiffin’s capacious pocket—the candle inside was lighted by ; means of lucifer-matches with which he was also proviled—and the two burglars commenced their survey of the place. They first entered the back kitchen; and as the Cannibal pointed to the iron bars which protected the windows, he said in a whis- per to his companion, “ I told youas how it wouldn’t do to try the game on there. The opening of a shutter would have been nothing: but those iron fences would have given harder work than you or I should have liked to try. All these kind of houses have got gratings to the lower windows. It isn’t the first time I have broke into a house in this part of the world. But there’s nothing in this back kitehen worth looking after. So come along, It’s the butier’s pantry we must try, mate.” With these words Chillin led the way out of the back kitchen, and soon found a door which was fast locked, but which he immediately concluded to be the one communicating with the place he was in search of, . “ Hold the light, Tony,” he said; ‘and I'll get to work again with the tools.” Tunis time he tried the effect of a small crowbar upon the door, which being of far lighter make than the one by which the burglars had entered the premises, seemed to warrant this mode of dealing with it. Chiffin, we need hardly say, was an accom- plished hand in using the crowbar tor such purposes, and made little noise in the process. The door speedily yiclded—a few more efforts, and it was broken completely open. The burglars passed into the place, which, as Chitfin had anticipated, proved to be the butler’s pantry. But inilinite was their disappointment when after searching in every cup- board, they found no plate there. “This is deuced provoking,” growled the Canni- bal in a ferocious inanner. ‘“Cussed mean of the people of the ’ouse to take their plate up to bed with ’em,” remarked Tony Wilkins. “ It ain’t giving a poor devil a tair chance,” he added with the look of a man who tancied that he was cruelly wronged. “What's to be done now?” ‘“ What’s to be done?” echoed the Cannibal, ina voice which resembled the subdued grumblings of a hungry tiger: “why, hunt about for theswag till we find it, to be sure. And if a throat or tweis te be cut in the search, what matters it?” “ Nuffin at all,” responded Tony Wilkins. “ Juead COMIC OOO €=) (CO)