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 SMEDLEYS AGAIN 341 get hold of her, you may depend upon it she will out with everything.”’ “Then what is to be done?’’ asked Jack Smedley. “What is to be done?” echoed his wife, with an air of mingled impatience and contempt; ‘‘ what should be done but for you to —” and she whispered a few words in the ears of her husband. ‘“But would you have me do this?” he asked, gazing upon her as if he thought that she could scarcely be in earnest, or that she meant to put him to a test for some other and ulterior purpose. “Of course I would,’ rejoined the fiendlike woman; “everything for our own safety. Let what will happen to the Burker, we know that he is staunch, and I feel convinced that nothing could induce him to turn around upon his pals. The more savage and ferocious a person is, the more sure is he or she to be true to friends and as- sociates. As for those Scotts, — we will get them safe out of the country, and then, if once mother is put out of the way, we have got little or nothing to fear.”’ “Well, I don’t know,’ said Jack Smedley, in a sort of dismayed musing, “‘ I had a very bad dream last night. I thought the black cat was scouring all over the house, that some strange man came in to look after her, that she cut down-stairs into the scullery, hid herself underneath the table and therefore sat right upon that trap-door —”’ ‘‘ Stuff and nonsense, with your black cats,’”’ cried Bab Smedley. “ Just wait a moment,” interposed Jack. ‘I thought that the strange man went down into the scullery, found the cat there, discovered the trap-door, and then all in an instant turned into a policeman. But you know, Bab, that the night we did that last piece of business, — I mean Preston’s affair, — the cat did cut about the house in such a strange way that I told you at the time I didn’t like it; it seemed an omen of evil. But really,” asked Jack, abruptly, “what is to prevent us from making a bolt now? Why not get over to France? We may then dispense with this new business about your mother, we need not care what happens to the Burker, and we shall no longer have to pension those Scotts.” “And what if the police have their eye upon us?” de- ECORNICLOO© <S (CO)