The Mysteries of London; or, Lights and Shadows of London Life — page 133: what you’re looking at

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

~ 7 Ft me Oe kn ee te ene art me 8 A ee nt LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF LONDON LIFE, 127 SA etre cir 8 ot osetia Bi oe ee Sof being apprehended as his murderer, I threw the body| “And is it possible,” said Saunders, “ that this man, into the hole, and covered it over with the branches and leaves that I found about the place. Poor Oliver! I would have given my own life gladly an hour after- wards to have seen his life restored.” The man uttered this with a demonstration of deep feeling that showed he was sincere in what he had said. Down the rough furrows of his cheeks tears coursed their way unbidden, and, as the recollection of the act he had committed became more vivid from dwelling on the associations connected with it, he gave way to an involuntary paroxysm of grief. “TI need have no further proof of your sincerity,” interrupted the Phantom in a kindly tone, as he saw mt sorrow of Saunders; “and now I have tested the truth of what you before asserted to me, I will at a word remove the load of anguish from your soul. About a quarter of an hour after you had fled from the scerie of your supposed crime, accident directed me near the spot where you had buried the body. A slight rustling sound among the crackling twigs made me examine further, and removing the branches and dead leaves that had been strewn over the pit, I saw to my horror a bleeding form stretched before me. A touch convinced me :ife was not extinct, for the face was still warm, and the action of the pulse had not ceased. The gillage was not far dis- tant; I bore the poor fellow thither, whose conscious- ness returned with the cori air that fanned his brow, and the blow, though deep, was found to have been no fatal one. In sbort, John Oliver still lives, is now with me in Londm, and to-morrow you shall see him, for he is to be your companion on the voyage.” During the above explanation Saunders had been labouring under strong and violent emotion, and as he listened almost breathless!y to the recital, his | fextures underwent rapid alternations of expression, Surprise had hitherto held him speechless, but no sooner had the other concluded, and he found that the companion of his poaching expeditions, of whose death he had reproached himself for being the cause, was still living, than his joy displayed itself in the strongest manner. He poured forth his thanks to the Phantom in eager haste, and testified the depth of the obliga- tions he felt by the most earnest protestations of gra- titude. “Tt was in the belief that I was stained with this crime,” he continued, “and that my hands were ambrued with the blood of a fellow creature, that first made me whatI am. Henceforth I enter on a new career. Though gladly I should take advantage of the offer you have made me, I should therefore shrink from the task you have proposed if it would involve me deeper in the snares of guilt, from which I am now only anxious to escape.” “ Fear not, my friend,” rejoined the unknown, “that what I am asking you to do would interfere with the better principles that I am now rejoiced to see have been again awakened in your breast. In performing what I wish, strange as my plan may now appear tu you whilst you are ignorant of my motives, you will be in reality furthering the ends of justice and ridding society of a couple of pests that have been too long suffered to practise their iniquities with impunity. I had long sounded Slogger on the subject, and saw that he was as glad of obtaining a chance of reformation as yourself, I got him to conduct me hither, and if other who has been so notorious a culprit, will consent to abandon his evil ways so readily?” ) “Good pay and great persuasion will do wonders, Mr. Saunders,” said Slogger, with a grin of affirmation; “and as a proof I’m in downright arnest, I have pro- mised this gen’Iman to give up cracking a crib that Gubbins and I were going to do between us to-night and told him all the particklara ubout it.” “ Hush!” interrupted the coiner, as his quick ear caught the sound of approaching footsteps, “ there are those coming here who would not be so likely to fall in with your views. This house and the next are their regular haunts.” “Then to-morrow evening I shall be expecting your arrival at the place you have appointed,” cried the Phantom, throwing his cloak round him and crossing towards the door; “1 shall leave Slogger and yourself to arrange who the third is to be, and to his direction you may safely entrust yourself.” A parting salutation was exchanged, and Saunders had no svoner opened the door to allow his visitor to depart, than Guobins, accompanied by Jacupo, the organ boy, made his appearance. The candle that the coiner held in his hand was, however, so dexter- ously managed, that the light fell only upon the fea- tures of the new comers, and the Phantom was there- fore enabled to pass out unseen. Too much accus- tomed to witness the rapid movements of the frater- nity to heed the circumstance of a departure so quickly following their arrival,Gubbins contented him- self with carelessly asking who it was, and receiving an evasive reply from the coiner, no more was said until the cunning urchin who had come to detail the future operations of Borelli had finished his story. Leaving them engaged in listening ‘o the revela- tions of the insidious Saveyard, we must follow for a moment the footsteps of the unknown, who after quit- ting the abode of Saunders struck into the path leading across the bridge, and pursued his way to the turning which he had traversed on his first approach. It was by this time quite dark, and he was hesitating as to whether he was in the right track, when, on the other side of a tile-kiln by which he was passing, the whis- pered tone of two persons apparently in earnest con- versation reached his ear. Struck by the familiarity of a voice that he fancied he had heard befure, he paused to listen. The two thus conversing were Borelli and the Italian. A few minutes elapsed, in the course of which he was completely spell-bound by hearing certain allu- sions to a diabolical project that the two ruffians were contemplating. Feeling that this rewarded him for the delay, he stopped not to gather further informa- tion, but quickeuing his progress through the Alsatian territory, he passéd hurriedly beyond its limits, and, with a change of direction caused by what he had so fortunately overheard, he entered town by a different route to that which he had originally intended to have taken. Utterly unaware that a listenor had been near them, the two who had been thus conversing under the shadow of the tile-kilnms moved about a hundred paces forward nearer the bridge, still exchanging a few remarks as they went along. “You will find it is as I have told you,” cried arguments had failed I was convinced that when you , Bazzini; “ the boy is playing you false, and selling to heard the digclosure it was in my power to make, | Others, who pay a larger sum for its possession, the your serup'es would vanish, and you would give me | information you think alone to have. You have the assistance | required.” a rrr ee ee - - ~~ eee ee = —— ~~ en we eee ee iO eet noticed yourself he has given you the slip every night ee COME LEKONO) SS (E()