Spring-Heel'd Jack, The Terror of London — page 112: what you’re looking at

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

o- i114 ‘Vill you foree me to send,you to prishon ? It vill go hard with you for robbing your trust- ing employer.’’ ‘““I have an answer to the charge, and am prepared to meet it, and also to state that you were willing to take double the value for the goods and forego the prosecution.” Abraham Lévy stroked his beard and shook his head at this Then, turning suddenly to Ellen, he said— “Miss Folder, only think of the disgrace.” ‘As I am not guilty of any crime I can feel none.”’ “Do not be so obstinate. But women are always obstinate, they are such fools. If it washn’t for our kind feeling hearts they would suffer a great deal more than they do. Mine feels. for you. I do not like to send you to prishon just as you have come into a little fortune, but I must do it if you are obstinate, for I can’t afford to lose my goods and my money too; I’m too poor—kept poor by my generous, feeling soul.” ‘““T have offered you the money.” “But itish not enough. I don’t want to be hard on you, so give me five-and-twenty shillings and I will lose the rest.” | | ‘‘T have offered you their value,” said Ellen. | ‘““God bleshmy soul—the value ! Holy Moses, hear her !”’ | And up went the whites of the Jew’s eyes to the stars, above which began to peep through the dark clouds. : “Will you accept the money, and put an end to this scene?” | “There, to show you how tender my heart is, I won't be hard.on you. I'll lose a.lot more money. Say twenty-two shillings, and I'll let Oou-90,” jae e | “Once for all—no, sir,” said Ellen, deter- minedly. | ‘You won't 2?” “No.” “You will force me against my will to send you to prishon,” said the Jew. “ But I can’t abear the thought of taking a young’ woman like you to gaol. I’d sooner lose a good deal of my money, though I can’t afford it. There, give me a pound, and I'll, make you a present of the-rest.” 3 Ellen looked at him contemptuously for some moments, and then, drawing forth her purse again, she took from it a sovereign, and holding it between her finger and thumb, said— “Mr. Levy, you are a cruel, base-hearted man, and rather.than hold further conversation with you, I will consent to be robbed of eight or ten shillings, workpeople, I feel convinced, Take the sove- reign, and I trust I may never see your face again.”’ | She placed it in the outstretched hand of Levy, whose fingers closed over the coin with a nervous clutch. “ That’s the way I am robbed,” he muttered ; “that’s the way I am robbed. I am too kind hearted, and must alter, or I shall soon be a beggar. I'll make the people that work for me ings. It willnever do you any good, nor will the money wrung from your starving SPRING-HEEL’D JACK: THE TERROR OF LONDON. leave the value of the goods in my hands for the future, and 1711 cut down the enormous price I pay. I’m too good hearted—much too good hearted.” Ellen turned from him with contempt, and a a sigh, as she thought what would the poor wretches do if he performed his promise to allow themeven | less for their toil than he had hitherto done. Dropping the coin into his pocket, the Jew clothier rubbed his hands together gleefully, and ~ inwardly muttered— “Holy Moses! but dish ish better than taking her to prishon, for then I loosh my goodsh and mymonish. But now I got more than my goods’ worth. He! he! he! Ah!” | A hand was on his collar, and he was swung round with great violence to confront the tall, strange figure of our hero, who for some time past had been an unobserved listener to all that had passed between him and Ellen Folder. “You grasping, avaricious, blood-sucking old scoundrel!” cried Jack, indignantly, taking him by the beard and dragging him towards a small pond a few feet from where he and Ellen had parted ; “‘but your villainy shall not go unre- warded.” | = “Father Abraham,” roared the Jew, “look down upon the faithful !” : = “ Silence!” cried Jack, as Ellen, alarmed yet pleased, sprang to the side of ourhero, — ~ “Spare him!” she cried, quickly. “He -is unworthy even of your scorn.” =~ 2 ‘Hark you, you dog of a Jew,” cried Jack, “Y intend to cleanse you of some of the dirty spots on your cheating soul, and mark my in- dignation of your conduct towards that poor, unfortunate girl.” ; Y And dealing the Jew a heavy blow, he sé him backwards into the pond, where Jack anc Ellen left him floundering about and ea upon Moses and Abraham to save him. - ~ i oancealeeeiceeenmenenameinemeeaennt CHAPTER XL, THE FORGER’S WIFE AND THE SUICIDE any MURDER PREVENTED, Wuen Jane Slater recovered from the i bility oe eth the sound of her In voice had thrown her, and recollections of all that had transpired rushed upon her mud tho poor woman sprang from 3 step to ‘her — feet and looked up at the bed-room rindow with an eager glance, while her heart seemed.as if it would burst its tenement, so yiolontly did it beat | The light still shone through the blind, butall | was silent now as the grave, and, as she looked, _ a cold chill stole over her frame and a shudder ran through her veins. ee Hope, Joy, love, all seemed in a moment to have vanished, and a presentiment of some fear- ful trouble weighed upon her soul. ‘ot oe She strained her ears to again catch the sound — of that well-known, never-to-be-forgotten voice, | but she listened in vain, and raising her trem- b bling hand she lifted the knocker, + | ooo) Gomic . 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