Spring-Heel'd Jack, The Terror of London — page 49: 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. at: Why not?” she cried, fiercely ; “ why not? Oh! man—wretch—demon!” “ Rail on—rail on!” “T cannot find words to upbraid you as I would—words to tell you what my heart feels,” she said, placing her hand on her bosom, as if she hoped thereby to still its tumultuous beat- ings. “ I am not sorry for it.” “No ; for if you have one spark of feeling, one sense of honour left, every word would sink like heated iron to your black and callous heart.” “Psha! It is not so tender.” “Alas! L know it. Would I had known it before—before ”’ ‘ Before what ?” “ Before I—oh! God, shame and horror makes me fear to give it utterance.” “Tis a pity that you had not sense enough to withhold what you have said already; it would have been better for you.” “ Better 2?” ~~ West” “How so?” . “ Because you would have given me no excuse to leave you.” ~ “ And such is your intention ?” *“T cannot hold further communication with the woman who calls me liar and villain,” he said. — *€ Vou are both.” ~“ Perhaps I am.” “You have been such to me, and will be to another.” “That's very likely, if she is such a fool as you were to believe all that is said.” She raised her eyes to.his face. She fixéd them upon him with a fierce and penetrating glance. “ Aark you, Richard Clavering,” she said, in a slow and measured tone. ‘“ Hark you, villain, liar, libertine, betrayer, that you are! I will foil your base intentions—ay, I will foil you.” He turned away with a sneer. She sprang forward and grasped him by the arm. “Stay!” she said, imperiously. “ What!” he exclaimed. | “ Stay !” | “ You forget yourself.” “*T do not.” “T say you do,” “T command you stay and hear me,” she cried, loudly. “You command ?” “ Ay—I.” “ Methinks "tis yours to obey, mine to com- mand in this house. Remember, you are here but on sufferance, living upon my bounty,” he exclaimed, wresting his arm from her hold. You have told me so before.” ‘‘ And may do so again.” “No, you will not. Because you dare not, after I have spoken what I will say,’ she ex- claimed, in pointed tones. “What will you say ?” “That the poor girl you seek to make your victim, I will warn against you—tell her your true tharacter.” ; “She will, for she looks not upon you as I id.” “She loves me to distraction,” he said, jaun- tily and tauntingly. “ Another lie! Her poverty may lead her to ecept your wicked offer, but ’—— “ But what?” ‘When she knows you for a thief, she” “Hold !”’ he cried, turning fiercely upon her, and clutching her arm, ‘* What do you mean?” His face was livid now. His hand shook as it rested on her wrist, and the muscles of his mouth moved nervously. “What! Why, that I have found the dice you have played with are loaded, and that you have systematically robbed your friends and com- panions at the saming-table. “Ah! How did you leérn this?” ‘“T suspected it, and ” f “ What ?” : ‘Found my suspicions to be true. I tookthem that I might ’’—— | ‘¢ Betray me?” | ‘No; that I might shield you from the shame of discovery. But now”—— ‘Now what ?” “Your perfidy shall be your ruin, atid the woman you scorn will be bitterly avenged.” “Where are they ?” he hissed. “In safety.’ “ Give them to me.” “© Never.” “By hell! I will have them,” he eried, with fearful emphasis. © “ By heaven! you shall not. They shall save her from a villain’s wiles and avenge 4 villain's victim.” He flung her round as she spoke, hurling a chair to the ground as he did so; and snatching a dagger-like knife from his breast-pocket, held it before her eyes, saying— “The dice, or you die.” | “¢ Villain, would you murder me ?” she shrieked, as he forced her back upon a couch. Then, overcome with anguish and terror, she uttered a sobbing cry and fainted. Still grasping her arm, his face livid with pas- sion and fear, the libertine bent over her with the kngfe clutched tightly in bis hand; but ere he could raise it the long French window was flung back and aman bounded through it into the room. ‘The libertine dropped the knife, turned, and stood face to face with Spring-heeled Jack. CHAPTER XVII. JACK’S INDIGNATION AND RICHARD’S FEARS—THE DICE, AND THE PISTOL-SHOT. Ir Richard Clavering was a villain, he was an educated one; so, after the first shock of terror at the sudden appearance of Jack, he stood quietly confronting him. Certainly, his face was deadly pale, and his limbs trembled, but it was not because he had any superstitious dread of the strange-looking being before him. He knew that he was standing in the presence “Doso. Shewill not believe you,” he sneered. | of a man, and not, as the poor and ignorant ‘be- | O}ONO) GO MLEG CS (E@)