The Mysteries of London; or, Lights and Shadows of London Life — page 53: what you’re looking at

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

LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF LONDON LIFE. betray me now. What course-shall I adopt? What would you advise me to do?” “Hum!” hesitated Randall; “that is a question easier asked than replied to. You want the lad got out of the way, I see, and it is clear enough that/if he knows all this, or sufficient of it to put him on the track of the property to which he is entitled, your career will not be a very long one. But suppose you make a merit of necessity, tell him all thé particulars as you have told them me, and share with him every thing you get.” “No, no,” quickly returned the old man; “I have thought of that, but it cannot be. There is a deadly enmity between us both; he feels it as well as I. He would avenge the slights and deprivations of his past life by denouncing me to the officers of justice. And then, to surrender all that I have expended years in bringing together! No, we must think of some other scheme, some safer mode than that.” “There is but one alternative, then,” said Randall; “and that is——” | “ Murder!” insinuated Hawkins, clutching the hand of the bird-fancier, and looking eagerly at him with a demoniacal glance that only awaited a similar response to confirm the horrible thoughts that were rising in his mind. “TI had thought of that,” added his companion, sig- nificantly ; “ but-———” There was a creak upon the stair. A sudden look of alarm from Hawkins convinced the bird-fancier that the sound was not imaginary. the light from off the table, he unlocked the door, without speaking a word, and ascended to his daughter’s room. But Mary appeared so fully in the enjoyment of a profound sleep, that he hesitated to disturb her repose; and his suspicions being dis- pelled, he returned to the parlour, and, having adopted the same precaution as before, renewed the conversa- tion. ‘The old timbers here,” he observed quickly, “ are not the quietest in the world. They give occasionally, | as the weather changes; but I knew that there could be no other footstep than that of Mary’s, and she is | sleeping soundly enough. Now then to look at this matter closely, If he has really seen these papers you describe, there is little doubt that the first use he | will make of his liberty will be to pay off some old scores he has chalked up against you;—to prevent | that he must be quietly provided for; and the lonely _ place where we have at present secured him will give us a capital opportunity for keeping the affair dark. | But if, on the other hand, he has never looked into them, and merely fancies you are thus severe because | he has walked off with the boxes, why we may turn him adrift without further mischief, and let him sbift 1 for himself as he likes,” EE “But we must be certain that he knows nothing of | them, Mr. Randall,” replied Hawkins; “we must 7 > watch him narrowly; and if a look or a word should show that he is aware of his position, you must | at his throat with your strong arm, Mr. Randall, and silence him for ever.” “And the agreement between us is to be that you } shall give me one half of the money that you have y one scraped together?” added Randall, interroga- y: “Yes, half shall be yours; it will be well earned. I shall begrudge it not, so that you destroy this adder | that crawls upon my path,’’ replied Hawkins. | Randall ; “the pri “Tt will be a chance worth venturing for,” mused -_ ee eee ee SE . ie ~‘an ft . ’ v 45 through my fingers, and the money would enable me to make Mary happy, too, for life. Enough, I con- sent,” he added quickly, breaking from his reflections into a louder tone, and at the same time starting to his feet; ‘‘but we must away to the marshes at once, for if I stop to consider that which you have proposed, my mind might change, and my conscience might get the upper hand of me again. It is now within a few minutes of midnight,” he observed, referring to an old Dutch clock that hung against the wall; “ if we start now, we might get there soon after daybreak, before any body is stirring, or likely to see us on the road; and we can then come back here to breakfast quietly, and none be a whit the wiser for our absence,” “That is exactly what I was about to suggest to you myself, Mr. Randall,” was the rejoinder; “we could take the boat, which is still lying ready for us at Limehouse Stairs, and then it is but a short distance from the other side of Barking Creek to the barn: where we have left him carefully secured. Let it be done to night, and the sunrise shall behold us rich: men, We may then defy them all to take the money from us;” and as he said this, Hawkins shuffled up from his seat, and throwing over his shoulders an old coat that he had abandoned on his entrance, he im- patiently signified to the bird-fancier his readiness to depart, Randall, with his face flushed from the quantity of raw spirits he had imbibed, possessed himself of the stout oaken stick that was the companion of his rambles when pursuing his usual avocations, and tightening round his body the thick frieze-coat he wore, he tested the security of the fastenings of the passage communicating with the upper rooms, ex= tinguished the light, and then leading Hawkins back through the shop, he closed the door behind him, and struck into one of the streets leading down to the watorside. At the same moment Jacob Randall and Hawkins quitted the house, Mary, who had listened with breathless eagerness to the latter portion of the con«. ‘versation that had taken place between them, hurried to the door that divided the staircase from the parlour, and found, to her unspeakable surprise and dismay, that the key had been turned in the lock, and conse-. quently she was a prisoner until her father’s return.. Her feeble strength in vain expended itself against the barrier, and with a horrible consciousness of the: deed that her parent. had left with the intention of committing, she found herself compelled to return to: her room from sheer exhaustion, and there deplore the fatal nature of his resolve, as well as her utter inability to prevent it. Witha presentiment that the unsvonted return of the bird-fancier with a companion, and that companion one of such a sinister aspect as she found Hawkins to possess, foreboded evil, it was some time before she could compose herself to slumber, and even then her sleep was broken by the most intense and fearful dreams. Waking suddenly from one of these, she had re-kindled her light, and unable longer to endure the suspense, she was about descending the stairs to learn whether the sound of voices still continued, when the tread of her footsteps aroused Randall’s attention, and she had only just contrived to extin- ‘guish the ligrt and regain her position, when he en- tered her apartment. Satisfied that he entertained no belief of her wakefulness, Mary had with a greater precaution, and with a noiseless step, again ap- proached the door; and listening with bated breath to is too good to let it slip niggardly | the words that came from the lips of the two speakers —-—_—_— _— CORNIECLO@ (C | | | | | <S) (E@) m