The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 372: what you’re looking at

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

THE EMPTY HOUSE 341 he was also provided, and he now took a survey of the premises. The stables were behind the coach-house, and thence there was no means of ingress to the yard or little garden, whichever it might be, in the rear of the empty house itself. He ascended a ladder into the upper story, which he found to be divided into two compartments, — one serving as a hay-loft, the other as a chamber for a groom or a coachman, and in this chamber there was a window looking into the yard which lay between the stabling prem- ises and the back of the house itself. The dark lantern was reconsigned to the Burker’s pocket; he carefully and noiselessly opened the window, and by means of a rope which he likewise had with him lowered himself down into the yard. Creeping cautiously along the shade of the wall which separated that yard from the ad- joining one, so that no light from the back windows of the neighbouring dwellings should reveal his form to any one who might chance to be looking forth from his bedchamber, Barnes reached the back door of the house, and this he opened by means of his crowbar, with but little difficulty and loss of time. He was now inside the house; his entry had been successfully and rapidly accomplished. He listened with suspended breath, for notwithstanding the inference he had so shrewdly drawn from the announcements of the printed placard, he knew it was still within the range of possibility that there might be some person left in charge of the premises. But all appeared to be as silent as the tomb. : ‘““Let me see,’ thought the Burker to himself, ‘“ the front bedroom on the second floor. Them was the words.” He accordingly began to ascend the staircase in as noise- less a manner as possible, pausing every now and then to assure himself that all continued still. In a few minutes he reached the particular room which he sought, but we should observe that from time to time he drew forth his dark lantern and threw the light around for a moment, so as to make himself thoroughly aware of the topography of the premises. The house was completely denuded of all its furniture, and occasionally the naked boards of the staircases and the landings creaked beneath the Burker’s tread. Still no other sounds reached his ears, and he felt tolerably well assured EOMINIGIOOKS (CO)