Spring-Heel'd Jack, The Terror of London — page 158: what you’re looking at

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

A» >’ 160 ‘Oh, sir—do come in, sir! There's a sweep gone mad, and he’s rolling missus about on the oor! Oh, do come in, sir, I'm so frightened i Jack could well believe that, for the girl’s face wae as white as a ghost’s, and she shook in every mb. “*T do not like to intrude,” he said. “Oh, don’t mind that, sir—do come,” cried the girl, catching him by the arm, and dragging him into the passage. Nothing loth, Jack went into the parlour, and as he perceived how matters stood, he burst into a loud peal of: laughter. ee der Covered with soot stood Mrs, Pratt, who had risen to her feet, holding by the hair of his head the young sweep, pinned firmly against the wall of the parlour, while Mr. Pratt was holding his sister, and in vain endeavouring to bring her. to consciousness by fanning her face with a book which he had taken from a side-table. 7 Their faces, hands, and dresses besmeared with soot—the half-frightened, half-angry. expression of their, features, and the grotesque attitude. of the little party was too much for the risibility of our hero, and, leaning his back against the door- post, he laughed long and loudly. At length he managed to gasp out— “ What, in heaven’s name, is the matter here ?” : “The matter?” echoed Pratt. — “This little villain ”—began his. wife. - “The devil !” yelled the boy. | ‘* This wretch—this demon—this sweep,” con- tinued Mrs. Pratt, “is mad—quite mad! Look at him—see what he’s done! Oh, sir, do get a policeman—send for his master—anything—so that we, get him away from here!” ‘ Be calm, my good woman,” said Jack, “ and take your hand from the boy. The little fellow is alarmed—frightened.” _ “But he'll fly at us—he flew at me just now, and if he bites we shall all die of hydrophobia,” cried Mrs. Pratt. | “Pll take care that he does not harm you, my good lady,” said Jack. “Let go of him—you hurt the lad.” : ‘Thus addressed, the lady released her hold of the young sweep, and sprang quickly to the other side. of the room. | “Now, boy, what’s the meaning of this?” continued Jack, looking at him sternly. ‘“‘ Oh—oh—oh!” was the only answer he re- ceived to his question. ' Jack stooped, quickly adjusted his mask to his face, and raising his head, cried— “Tell me at once!”’ — ) A yell of terror broke from the boy’s lips, and he sprang across the room, and clutched wildly at Mrs, Pratt. Slipping his mask off again, Jack turned to the lady. e Oh, the devil!” yelled the boy. ‘“ Hide me —hideme! It’s the devil—it’s the devil!” And in his terror he drew the light morning garment of Mrs. Pratt around him. 0 With a cry of mingled rage and terror the lady endeavoured to shake him off. But in vain. Terror had lent him strength, and he only clung the tighter, yelling all the while— 12 AUG ‘, ee J SPRING-HEEL’D JACK: THE TERROR OF LONDON. “Oh, it’s the devil!” ** He’s mad,” said Jack, “quite mad. We had better secure him, and then send for his master. Oh ! here’s his bag. It will answer as well as a straight-jacket. Put him in that, and secure it round his neck, and he can do no harm then.” ~ He made a movement asif to seize the lad, when the young sweep yelled loudly, and, break- ing away from the lady, dashed. madly for the door, where the maid-of-all-work stood trembling and powerless to move, and against whom, in his eagerness to escape, he ran full butt, knocking her backwards into the passage, and losing his own balance in the concussion, rolled over her, yelling and screaming as if the devil himself had really got hold of him.- ‘eh ah: rr ¢ Struggling to his feet, he dashed along the assage, and out of the street-door into the road, eaving our hero to gaze upon as comical and curious a scene as ever he witnessed in his life, and, spite of all his endeavours, he could not prevent himself from shrieking with laughter. _ Under the pretence of flogging the young sweep, he made his way: out of: the house, and, pulling the door to behind him, hurried on his Way. ME hy ; aes | CHAPTER LVI. JACK AND THE JEW—LEVY IN A FIX... . On went the cab. containing Mr. Levy, the Jew, clothier, and ,our hero for some . distance down the Mile End-road,-before Jack again addressed the Israelite. - ahi “Mr. Levy,” he said, at last, “do you not think that you are a most confounded scoun- dre] ?” wltcie fis “Holy Moses!” groaned. Levy,. his teeth chattering more, with cold than fright, “what — a thing it is to be persecuted.” re | ‘Don’t’ you think you ought to be prose- cuted ?,//;asked Jack. , §}%, ons «ft aaa “Our race have been persecuted for years, but the day of reckoning will come, when the Gentile »——_ | ; | A “Bosh!” said Jack; “ you canting old hum- bug, when that day of reckoning comes,.you will — have a sad account to answer for.. How many | do you think you have robbed and cheated in | your time? Iam not particular as to the units, — the tens will do. Now, how many?” 4 “Father Abraham.” : | “Never mind about him, but answer my question,” said Jack.;- «©. — | ‘“‘ Not one!” | ek, “That’s a but I will not be so rude, Mr. Levy,” said Jack, ‘as: to,use such an epithet ; but you speak falsely for all that. Come, now, Mr, Levy, make me your confidant.. How many have you robbed directly or indirectly, legally or morally, in your lifetime ?” ‘Me rob! Holy Moses, it’s myself that’s being robbed daily, hourly ; myselfi—yes, my- — self,’ groaned the Israelite. Mr. Levy ?” said Jack. “Me!” ** You.” “No—oh, no! I’m _ ruined—always being ruined by the hated Christians. I employ—l "© = ee = Oe a ee een ou « »comicbooks.com “And yet you are a thriving, prosperous man, | ie