Spring-Heel'd Jack, The Terror of London — page 275: what you’re looking at

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

SPRING-HEEL’D JACK: THE TERROR OF LONDON. 277 oy: .< ° But ‘tis my turn now.”’ _ | rested on a little paragraph at the bottom of the “Mercy! For God’s sake, merey!” cried | column, which ran as follows ;— the man. “It was an accident. I could not; ‘We learn that the accomplished and beau- help it.” . tiful sister of Sir Timothy Tumberlain is soon to “Liar!” exclaimed Jack, hurling him to the! be allied to a retired and wealthy merchant, ground. “ But you are safe from my vengeanee. | named Tobias Bacon, who has become the pos- 1 cannot slay you. You are too contemptible.’’ | sessor of the magnificent farm, called ‘ The Hol- Fiinging the weapon on the grass, he took | lies,’ in Devonshire, where the lady, now suffer- Richard’s arm, and left the field, never once | ing from ill health, has taken up her residence | looking back on the wretch who had fainted | with her brother and a select circle of friends.” | from excess of fear. Jackread and re-read the paragraph, slowly , folded up the paper, and thoughtfully tapped the compressed sheet on the table. ‘Sir Timothy Tumberlain!” he mused. ‘‘ Why, | to my certain knowledge, he is now inItaly with ~ : | “Villain!” he cried, ‘‘Coward! assassin!| His eye had swept over the marriages, and | | CHAPTER XCIY. his sister, a confirmed cripple, poor girl, and a Soe ee mets child in years. There’s some mistake, SPRING-HEELED JAcK sat in the smoking-| Jack paused, opened the paper, and again care- room of his hotel, thoughtfully watching the fully read the paragraph. | blue wreaths of smoke that curled upwards from! ‘I cannot understand it,’ he mused. “ The the glowing end of his cigar. Me had laid aside the paper he had been perusing, and lolled back in his cushioned chair, and his face wore a thoughtful expres- sion. affair is a canard. Oh, by fate! here is an explanation of the matter.’ His eye had caught another paragraph, which stated that a person, supposed to assume the name of Sir Timothy Tumberlain, had filched “Why, Jack! Jack!” he muttered, half aloud, as he watehed a ring of blue vapour widen out, as it ascended towards the beauti- fully corniced ceiling of the apartment, “ if you go on much longer in this way you will be- come the most romantic and sentimental indi- vidual in the metropolis. You donned the mask and cloal for fun and adventure, that you might afford your mischievous mind the gratification of frightening people out of their wits ; but in- stead you find yourself acting the part of the Good Samaritan on all sides—-serving by kind- ness, rather than killing by feaz.”’ _ He puffed away at his cigar, and took up the paper again; but his thoughts would not permit him to read. So, flinging it down. upon the table in disgust, he lolled back in his chair, stretched out his legs, and began to smoke furi- ously. an hotel-keeper at Brighton, and was supposed to be in league with others who had left their hotels without paying their bills. Jack threw down the paper, and sprang to his feet. “Whew! here’s some gigantic swindle on,” | he said, ‘and my name’s not Jack if I can’t read through it. Some rascal has assumed the name of my friend for the purpose of gaining an introduction to those he intends to dupe, and if | this retired merchant, now farmer, is not one, l’m much mistaken. Now, I don’t know that itis | any business of mine, still it may afford me some gratification and amusement to be instrumental | in exposing the rascal whoever he be that | assumes the title of my old school-fellow. A | run out of town will do me good, and achange | of scene drive away the melancholy that is_ | settling upon my heart. I'll go to Devonshire, “JT feel something like the Irish gentleman | and start at once.” who grew mouldy for the want of a beating,” he| © Having made up his mind to go, Jack was muttered ; “for, in truth, I am getting melan-| not long in making preparations. In fact, in less choly for the want of some amusing adventure. | than half an hour he was being wheeled out of Here I am, running over the country protecting | the metropolis as fast as a post-chaise could : ill-used females, when I had made up my mind|carry him. As he had himself said, the fresh air of the country would do him good, and as he progressed on his journey his spirits rose, and his whole frame seemed invigorated with fresh life. It was towards the evening of the second day that Jack arrived at Barnstable, and put up at the principal hotel. He could not but observe that he was an object of considerable interest to several persons, and he was not long in discovering that they were officers. . Jack had a way of engrafting himself into the confidence of others, and in a short time he not only had stated his own reason for coming there, but likewise learned more of those who had been so intently watching him since his leaves, glanced, with asmiling look, over the| entrance into the town, which was none other _ announcements of births, marriages and deaths. | than the arrest of a gang of swindlers whom they “Eh!” he eried, ‘‘ what's this ?”’ had traced thus far, to send a few into hysterics—playing the part of a philanthropist, instead of a devil. I want food for laughter, and I seek that for grief. Esad! Jack, you will have to lay aside mask, cloak, gloves, and boots, if you go on much longer this way, and turn hermit, or get married. Head! I don’t know which would be the most sensible proceeding of the two. If I turned hermit, I should go mad ; and if I got married, why I should send my wife mad, to a certainty. Ah, Jack ! you are a sad fellow ; but 1 suppose it’s all for -the best. Ah! thinking of marriages, let’s see if any of my acquaintances intend to sow their wild oats !”’ He took up the paper, and turning over the ECO MNMUCELVOO Sn GOUM