Rosa Lambert — page 378: what you’re looking at

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

LO ee a 8 I et ES as ee te ee 9 Ay TOF ee eet Pees Us ee ee ON Rt ET eS ie Ee ee Ce ee fie mm = ot ee | ie ns 8 Pe OE et ee ROSA LAMBERT. 2367 man’s chain.—‘ Now, that won’t do, you fellow,’ he immediately said, clapping his hand upon his fob: but instead of clutching me by the collar, or making a disturbance, or shouting for the police, he simply added, ‘If you are in distress, I will relieve you. Follow me.’—Well, I had no fear that he meant me a mischief: so I. followed him, _ and he led the way to one of the narrow streets at the back of Charing Cross barracks. We entered a public-house: there was nobody else in the par- lour: he ordered a pot of porter and lots of bread and cheese, and told me to eat and drink.” “What a capital fellow!” ejaculated Dick, with his husky voice. “Capital indeed!” rejoined Grayson. “ You may be pretty sure I did not wait to be bidden twice ; and all the while I was eating and drink- ing, my unknown friend never took his eyes off me—but continued to survey me with a calm and deliberate scrutiny, as if to convince himself that I was an individual suited to his purpose. It was a sort of appraisement—a taking, stock of me, so to speak f “And the result,’ observed Dick, “was no doubt satisfactory.” “Completely so,” was the response. ‘ Well,” continued Toby Grayson, “ when I had emptied the pewter pot and devoured all the bread and cheese, my new friend began to question me: and as I saw that he was in want of some one to do some- thing that. he either couldn’t or wouldn’t do for himself, I spoke out pretty frankly, letting him know that I was a man who would stick at nothing as long as I was well paid. In short, I gave him to understand that for many and many a year I had quartered myself upon the public, just as State-pensioners do,—only that I hadn’t been for- tunate enough to get an Act of Parliament to give a colour to my robberies. Well, he was evidently pleased ; and he told me that if I liked I might put a hundred guineas in my pocket before the dawn of the next morning. I said that I was perfectly agreeable: but he would tell me no more on that occasion. He however pulled out a five- pound note, and told me to meet him at half-past ten o’clock that same night by the fountains in Trafalgar Square.” “ Well, this isa regular romance!” said Dick, with his husky voice. “Ah, but it’s all true!” replied Grayson: “and now youre coming to what a romance-writer would call the thrilling part of it. I had plenty of time,” continued Toby, “ to make a good use of the five-pound note. I went and togeed myself out in a bran new suit bought second-hand at the corner of Holywell Street: I had a jolly supper, with a couple of glasses of punch: and as the time for the appointment drew on, I went to the foun- tains in Trafalgar Square. There I was joined by my unknown friend; and he asked me if I was stillinthe same mind? I told him that I was, if he was still in the same mind about the hundred guineas? His answer was satisfactory: and he told me to accompany him. We entered a cab together ; and he gave some whispered instructions to the driver which I could not hear: he paid him his fare too before starting—and I know that the fee was a liberal one, by the way in which the jarvey thanked him. Then he drew down the blinds, and told me that I must have a handker- ee 6 art Sr ear oe chief put over my eyes. I did not much like that: but he bade me hold out my hand, and he counted into it fifty sovereigns,—telling me that I should have the remainder when my work was done. All my hesitation vanished in a moment as I poured the chinking gold into my pocket i ** Deuce take it!” exclaimed Dick, “ this does get spicy. Goon, Toby. You'll sell the history of your life some day for a pretty tidy amount.” “Remember it’s all a secret, Dick,” answered Grayson. ‘ Well, my unknown friend tied with his own hand a thick silk handkerchief over my eyes, in such a way that I could have seen nothing if I had been taken into a room where a thousand lamps were burning. He put my hat on my head again; and then he held both my hands to prevent me from lifting the bandage and the blind of the cab. In short, Dick, the fellow was as deep as possible in his determination to keep the whole proceeding dark. All this while the cab was driving on, and I had no more idea what direction it was going in than the captain of a ship at sea without a compass. The journey lasted for a matter of half-an-hour after leaving Trafalgar Square; and then the cab stopped. My friend assisted me to alight, still most kindly keeping hold of my hands; and the instant my feet touched the ground, away went the cab asif the devil had got hold of the horse’s tail.” | 7 “And where was you, do you think?” asked Dick, in a husky tone of wonderment. “Ah! that’s more than I can tell,” replied Toby Grayson. “My unknown friend, still keeping tight hold of both my hands, led me along for a matter of about thirty yards: then a door opened —it sounded like a door in a garden-wall: we en- tered some place—another door opened—a little passage led to a staircase—and up this we went.” “Didn't you count the steps?” inquired Dick hastily. “To be sure I did,” responded Grayson: “for I had all my wits pretty keen about me. There were just thirty-two ; and the staircase was thickly carpetted. There was a very short landing on the top: my friend threw open the door; and pushing me into a room, shut the door again. He now told me I might take the bandage off my eyes; and he assisted me to doit. I found myself ina small but splendidly-furnished room: the cornices and panels were all edged with gilding; and there were rich red draperies fringed with gold to the two windows. _A lamp was burning on the table: but there was one thing that struck me as being precious queer—and this was a large sack filled with some object, that lay upon the carpet a “The deuce!’ ejaculated Dick: and from my place of concealment I heard him bound upon the grass with surprise. “You don’t mean to “ Hold your tongue,” interrupted Toby Grayson ; “and hear the rest of the story: for it’s every syllable as true as that you are there.” * Well, it looks like truth,’”’ responded his coms panion: “for Pll be hanged if you could invent such a queer tale as this. Go on.” “I don’t know how it was,” resumed Toby Grayson,—“ perhaps however on account of the mystery with which my unknown friend conducted the entire proceeding—but it instantly struck me that the sack contained a corpse.—‘Z see,’ he at . ‘ = a i a ee ee ee ee ee ee 8 TY oe CONNIE DIOOLKS (EO)