Spring-Heel'd Jack, The Terror of London — page 53: 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. while, overpowered by her feelinss,\ Jessie, with | her face with her hands, sobbed aloud. . Dwice within a few minutes Jack’s agility had saved his life. Upon the second attempt of Clavering to shoot him, our hero had dropped down from the win- dow, the broken glass falling upon him as he reached the ground. He did not attempt to leave the spot, but crouched down under the wall of the house for a few seconds, as he thought it was likely that Richard might again fire out of the window, as he crossed the grounds. _ Finding, however, that he did not, he arose and listened. He could hear persons hurriedly moving about the house, and perceived lights flashing from windows which up till now had been darkened. ‘The fool has woke up the servants!” he said; ‘and no doubt the report of the pistol will bring others to the spot. Ido not like to leave that girl in his power while his passion lasts ; but there, the fear of the consequences will prevent him offering her further violence. I haye the dice all right: Yes, here they are. They haye made many a man act the villain, but these shall make a villain play the man. They have stained many a man’s honour, but these shall be the means of removing the slur from that poor girl’s name. How everything can be made to play a double purpose, and good often springeth from evil. The world, or the greater portion of it, condemns me for the pranks I play, but there are not a few, I flatter myself, who will remember with gratitude the name of spring-heeled Jack.” He cast his glance up at the broken window, as the voices of Richard and the servants broke in upon his soliloquy. A smile passed over his face, as he heard the order given to shoot him by the libertine, whose evil intention he had that night foiled. “Ah!” said Jack, replacing his mask on his face, “ if ever man desired another’s death, that man does mine now, for he knows I hold his fame and honour in my grasp. What could I make him to-morrow by a few words? I could change the courted and respected Richard Clavering to the despised and condemned cheat. It would be a just reward for his attempt upon my life, and his cruelty to that girl; but no, my tongue shall never reveal his true character, if he will atone for his wrongs ;-there.are known villains enough in the world without me holding up another to the gaze of mankind.” At this moment there issued from the house, not only the three servants who had sought an. explanation of the pistol shots from their master, _ but four more persons, two men and two women, housemaid and laundress of the establishment. ‘The men were armed, two with guns and the other three with sticks, and the two young women were clinging fearfully to the arms of two of the latter.. One of the men also carried a Jantern, and as they moved forward very slowly, Jack crawled away round an angle of the building and darted swiftly behind a large holly bush, which grew in the centre of a small flower-bed. ———_—O— A7 , Here he saw them all) approach the spot. a heavy sigh, sat upon the cough, and covering | beneath the window, and the man.with.the lantern held the light.so as to cause.the pieces of broken glass to sparkle in its rays. ‘“* Don’t go any further, James! oh, don’t |.” said the little housemaid, in trembling accents, as she clung to the arm of a tall footman; “ You might get murdered, and then—then, oh! what would become of me?” “* T don’t think it’s any good looking for him,” said James, in a halfwhisper,* looking first behind him very furtively, and. then into the pale, upturned face of the little serving girl. ‘‘ I’m half a mind to go back to the house. It’s so cold; my teeth keep chattering awfully.” ‘So do mine,” said another of the party. “It’s a jolly shame to be called out of bed in the middle of the night to look after thieves. L shan’t go no further.” | , “ You're frightened,’’ said one who possessed a gun, drawing himself up valiantly. ‘1 should like to get a pop at the rascal ; down he’d go, in the twinkling of an eye.” As he finished speaking, he flung the weapon over his shoulder, and in so doing, struck one of his fellow-servants a violent blow on the head with the butt-end. ‘* Murder!” roared the fellow, believing that he had received the blow from some hidden foe. This cry caused the greatest consternation in an instant. | ; The women clung closer to their partners, and the other three men huddled up together in as small a space as possible. ““Oh! do come in—do come in!” eried the housemaid. ‘‘ There’s a thousand of the villains about, and we shall all be killed. There; I think I see one with a dagger, a shining awfully bright out there. Oh! do come in, James !— do, do!” Jack here gave vent to a deep groan. “ What's that?” cried all in a breath. Another groan even louder than before. “Oh! it’s awful!” cried the laundrymaid. ‘“‘ We shall all be murdered!” sobbed ont the housemaid. ‘“¢ Ye—ye—yes!” groaned James, his teeth chattering now more audibly than before. ‘ Let’s pretend to go round the house to look for the thief, and get in at the back.” “ So we will,’ whispered the housemaid. They were close to the bush now, and Jack, gathering up a handful of the soft earth, threw it among the party, striking four of them in the face. ‘‘ Oh!” cried the man who held the lantern; dropping the light from his hand. An exclamation also broke from the lips of the others, which, ere it was scarcely uttered, was echoed by an unearthly sound that appeared to come from the holly bush. § — The men started back, and James and the housemaid fairly took to their heeis in. their fricht. They ran against.a terra cotta vase at the edge of the patb, and rolled over together among a beautiful bed of geraniums, While they lay there, struggling and erying for help; Jack, flung jhandful after handful ot the soft mould into the faces of the men who, left in the dark by the light in the lantern being | © ONO) GORING : , <S (E@)