Spring-Heel'd Jack, The Terror of London — page 182: what you’re looking at

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

184 SPRING-HEEL D JACK: springing from its back to the ground he alighted some hundred yards off, and completely out of sicht of the fallen man. 5; Not knowing whether Richard Clavering was stunned or not by the fall, he made all the haste back which he could to the spot, and found him lying in the centre of the narrow roadway, bereft of all sense or motion. Our hero stooped down beside him, and for a moment he fancied his earthly career had ended, and a feeling of satisfaction, if not of joy, took possession of him. But on laying his hand on the breast of Richard, he soon became assured that he still lived, and he suffered a sigh to escape him as he rose to his feet. ‘“‘’ Perhaps it would have been better were he dead,” he said. ‘“‘ Better had Providence saved him from the hangman. I have sworn to track him to his doom, and could with greater pleasure leave him here a corpse in the road than hand him over to the officers of those laws he has so basely outraged:” | Richard gave signs of recovering, and Jack again bent down. ‘“‘ Desperation,” he muttered, ‘‘ often lends to the weakest man a giant’s strength, and unless I take every precaution he may yet. escape me. I must secure him while yet he is powerless to} y offer resistance. It will be more mercy to him _to secure him at once than for him to escape and daily, hourly be tortured with fears of capture. Oh! Richard Clfivering, whom I once called friend, how have you fallen! to what depths of misery and degradation have you sunk ! to what a fearful doom have your violent and ungovern- able passions borne you!” He quickly unwound the neckerchief of Clavering from the guilty man’s throat, and secured his hands together with it. BP This feat he had scarcely accomplished ere the guilty man opened his eyes. A moment or so the man glared about in the gloom, as if bewildered, and then, as his glance fell upou the white mask of Jack, he uttered a loud ery, and endeavoured to gain his feet. 4dis hands being bound, he was unable to do so, aud, with a loud groan, he sank back again upov the earth. ‘‘ Here! here !—still here!” he gasped. ‘* Oh, my God! what shall I do?” ‘‘ What have you done. Richard Clavering ?” said Jack, im a low, impressive tone; ‘‘ what have you done, guilty man?” “What ¢ oh, what?” gasped Richard. “Murder!” said Jack. | ‘“T was not myself when [ did it,” gasped Richard. “1 was mad—mad !—driven mad by taunts and ro aide eth Who are you? Why do you stand there? Why do you look upon me thus? Go! for God’s sake leave me!” “Not yet, Richard Clavering ; not yet.” ‘’ Who—who are you ?” “The avenger of your wife!” “Mercy! and go, or madness will seize upon my brain. What do you seek with me?” hecried. “I seek to hand you over to justice—to the gallows!” was the reply. ‘The gallows!” gasped Clavering, with a shudder. THE TERROR OF LONDON. ‘ “Aye, the gallows!” “Never! never!’ cried Richard. gaping crowd shall feast their eyes upon my trembling form ; no yelling voices shall clamour for my blood. I deserve to die, but I will die by my own hand. Thus—thus do I rob the howling mob of their pleasure, and the gallows of its due!” He drew his body up, and flung it backwards upon the ground, endeavouring to dash out his own brains. : But Jack had grasped him by the hair of the €No ; head, and prevented the consummation of his — wishes, | = “ Richard Clavering, would you add another crime to your already overcharged catalogue of ‘i guilt ?” he asked. “Who are you that ask? Man or devil, who are you?” cried Richard} as he endeavoured to again fulfil his fell purpose. yf Gnk your friend ; for then I believed you a true and honourable man; now the avenger of your ill-used and murdered wife—Spring-heeled Jack!” wasthe reply: — | ““ And not a denizen of another world?” said Richard, in a tone of unbounded relief. ~~ “ Enough, I know you now. Curses rest upon ou! ° this!” | . | ‘¢ Shame—shame !” a es “You have been the cause,’ said Richard. **Like a shadow you have hung upon my path. You forced me to wed a woman I hated; you stood before me when I would have possessed her I love. You” DAS a aaa Ait 7 9 ‘‘ Hold ! Richard Clavering, hold !” cried Jack. “TI would have saved you from erime, but your _ 3 2.5. oi -¢ blackened soul would not be penetrated by words - of kindness and advice. [fi were instrumental in causing you to marry a woman who had sacri- ficed all for you, I was the friend of her and yourself., If I stood forward to prevent the con- sunimation of the hellish desien you had upon the poor ballet girl, it was to save you from another crime,” Mt Sy ieee ae “And you did it,” sneered Richard. “ You goaded me to madness, you made me stam; my soul with blood ; and now you seek to hand me over to the tender mercies of the law, that you may glory in my misery, revel in the sight of My "Oxeeutron WENN! Gaya ieee ‘“T am not aman to rejoice over the sufferings of another,” said Jack. “In handing you over to justice I seek no such motives: I would only do my duty as a man-and a Christian.” ‘* A Christian ! ha! ha! ha!” laughed Richard in a hollow tone, “But I will thwart you and justice yet !” ‘* Rather seek pardon for your crimes,” said Jack, pained at the other’s manner. ‘“ Seek mercy”’ ) | yore od ‘* Where ?”’ interrupted: Richard. © ‘¢ There!” said Jack, pointing upwards. | | ‘* And should I get it?” sneered the other. ‘‘ It is promised if sought,” said Jack. — ‘What, mercy ?” “ Aye, mercy,” ‘‘ And you—you tell me this,” said Glaxepre ? 1 > AU cy deal ‘‘ You tell me that there mercy woul . b, o~ | JOO ALIKE “Ss: €O (E(0) ‘“'You—you alone have brought me to aS a