The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 285: what you’re looking at

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

208 REYNOLDS’ WORKS felt convinced the poor creature was now no longer in a frame of mind to listen to his story. And she herself speedily made him aware that he was perfectly right. ‘“No more now!”’ she ejaculated, “‘ not another word for the present! What you have said is impressed here!’ and she pointed vehemently three or four times to her forehead, ‘but my brain could bear no more,”’ and there was a maniac wildness in her eyes. ‘* Oh, I have already heard too much, too much! Another time, old man, I will come back and hear what more you have to say. Ah! you took me for a beggar and a mendicant,”’ she ejaculated, suddenly stopping short as she was just on the very point of coming away. Then, di- ving her hand down into her pocket, she brought forth three or four shillings, and flinging them toward him, cried, ‘‘ Go drink to the health of Crazy Jane! ”’ With these words she hurried away, and turning the angle of the church, was lost to the view of the old sexton, who stood gazing after her until she thus disappeared. ‘‘ She is a strange creature,’ he muttered to himself, as he stooped down and picked up the coins. ‘‘ I hope she will keep her word and come back, for she evidently knows something about the poor lady. Or perhaps after all it may only be a portion of her madness? Yet it would be strange, though, that she should know the colour of her hair and eyes, for now that I bethink me, when the poor lady’s hair did erow again, it was black. I wonder whether— But we shall see all in good time, no doubt. Crazy Jane is pretty sure to return. But where is that precious assistant of mine all this while? ”’ We will explain the real cause of the Burker’s somewhat abrupt disappearance and prolonged absence, under the pre- text of fetching a mattock from old Carnabie’s cottage, though he knew perfectly well that the implement had been left along with others, on the previous evening, inside the church porch. The fact is, Mr. Barnes did not like the ap- pearance of the mad woman. On the night that she had so suddenly presented herself to him and the sexton, he was smitten with a certain suspicion, and therefore he had taken very good care not to speak a single word, for fear his voice should be recognized. When she had fled so precipitately, he buoyed himself up with the hope that she would not return again into that neighbourhood, but that her steps, as wayward ECORNIECLIOOKS (E(0)