Penny Blood Serial Fiction — page 142: what you’re looking at

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

THE DUNGEON 125 the anxiety which he felt to escape from that horrible dun- geon and the small amount of reliance he placed in the will- ingness of Messre. Hodson and Morley to assist him out of his dilemma. The consequence was that he worked away with a good will and a heartiness which astonished even himself; and although at the expiration of an hour he had not even succeeded in loosening a single stone, still the mortar was removed all around one to the depth of an inch, and a beginning was thus effected in good earnest. Sir Richard Stamford now took his turn; and, being a man of great physical strength, he soon made an impres- sion upon the solid masonry. But every now and then it was necessary to stop for two or three minutes, in order to obtain the assurance that no one was listening outside the door; for the baronet, during his confinement in the dun- geon, had frequently heard several male and female voices in the house, and therefore knew that there were many residents therein. By about two o’clock in the afternoon the first stone was removed from its setting, and Page had the honour of this important achievement in the initiative of the task. But the labour was discontinued for a short space; inasmuch as according to such calculation of the lapse of time as the baronet was enabled to make, the presence of the gaoler might be shortly expected with the dinners. This event soon took place; and the prisoners were served with some coarse boiled meat, potatoes, and wretched table-beer. Half an hour was allowed them for the discussion of this meal, at the expiration of which interval the ruffian returned to the door of the cellar to take away the plates, drinking- mugs, and knives and forks. As soon as the sounds of his retreating footsteps had died away, the work was recommenced with the file; and, as the first stone had been removed, the task grew compara- tively easy. At length, toward seven in the evening, — according to Sir Richard’s reckoning, — an indentation had been effected to a sufficient depth to enable the prisoners to ascertain, by gently sounding the wall, that there was a hollow space on the other side. They therefore concluded that there was a cellar in that direction; and this belief gave them renewed energy and spirits to recommence their GOmMmiicdoo eS) (©)