Spring-Heel'd Jack, The Terror of London — page 72: what you’re looking at

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

a 66 SPRING-HEEL D JACK: But no bone was there. The paper in which it was wrapped lay on the | Decide what ? slab, but the meat was gone. | Bristles looked hard at the paper, then searched. about the grass-grown earth at the base of the tomb. } Nowhere could he see the lost treasure. He heaved a-deep sigh. He shook back his hat from his brow and scratched his head perplexedly. “Gone!” he exclaimed in tones of anguish. “ Gone! gone!” ‘Yes, gone,” said a loud, hollow voice, and a missile, which was none other than the lost bone, struck the policeman’s hat, and knocked it off his head. ‘Who's there? What’sthat?” half shrieked Bristles, tugging desperately at his staff, which he drew from his pocket and flourished about wildly. “Who are you ?—who—the devil! The—the devil !” | Right up before him sprang a fearful figure on to the top of a foot-stone. It was tall and thin, with hideous face, ears, and horns on its forehead ; a white cloak,fastened at the shoulders, was held out by long hands, the finger-nails of which resembled more the claws of a wild animal than anything else. | In truth it was a figure sufficient to awe the boldest, and as Bristles saw it rear up before him he dropped his staff, his knees knocked together in terror, and he fell with a shriek of horror at the base of the stone on which it stood. CHAPTER XXV. THE TEMPTER AT WORK—JUST IN TIME—THE ~ CAPTURE AND ESCAPE. JANE SLATER was alone in her now wretched home. Her head rested on her hands, and the tears forced themselves through her half-closed fingers. Sobs broke from her bosom—that bosom which was lacerated now with suffering and indignation. Her cup of sorrow was full to the brim. Again she had seen the man who held her husband’s liberty in his hands. a Grasper had-been there, and made his vil- lainous proposals, and he was to return for her final answer. “ =) >) And now the time had arrived. Two days had he given Jane to make up her mind. Two days of what misery had she experienced —what heartrending suffering ! | Scarce had she slept a moment—scarce had her tears ceased to flow since that night when Jack had rescued her from the fate to which she was about to consign herself; but poignant as had been her grief before, it had been doubly enhanced since the visit of her tempter on the evening of that day which had her acquitted and her husbamd sent back to jail. She rocked her body to and fro on her chair and shuddered as her moistened eyes for a Wo- ment were raised to the little clock in the corner of the room.” rie pars ~ “ Only’another hour and he will be here,” she ‘or saye me.’ THE TERROR OF LONDON, murmured ; “only another hour for one to decide. | Oh, God! can I possess the power to love my husband, and yet refuse to do so! Can I—dare I sacrifice all—all ?” She wrung her hands together, and sprang to her feet. “Oh! what shallI do? What shall I do?” she cried, as she nurriedly paced the floor, — Alone, with no friend none none to gig There was a low knock at the fear ; bu soft as it was, it shook like a heavy b ow ue th . 5 breast. r BOW BS poor woman’s She paused in her walk, flung her hands wildly above her head, and then sank in Ep upon the floor. faker ‘‘Heis here—he is here!” she sobbed. He has come for his final answer. Help me, hi ot 4 Another knock, this time louder than Defore, and Jane sprang to her feet. shalt HERES “Shall I saye him—shall I save him?” she gasped. But’ “the means—means, oh! the means !” o . Suet Srey ae She pressed her hands upon her bosom and looked wildly around her, as if she hoped to find something to guide her in that trying moment. ~’ Once more the ‘kn D ~ . ocker was raised, and once more that poor woman sank back as the sound reached her ears. 9° an “T must go,” she said. ‘I must again stand before him= again listen to his persuasion— again héar from his lips the vile means Dy e siba a Yak i. i =. 7 le which f can save the man who would give his life Ben tnre ae a © ae, Ve RS Be She’ pottered rather than walked along the little passage, ant pues her shaking hand on A momeiit ‘she ‘hesitated, then, by a violent effort, she drew back the Tock, and flung open the door? STEW MNES PKs | And there she stood, with the knob of the lock grasped in her trembling hand, face to face with Ralph Grasper. eve “T began to fear you were out,” he said ; ‘ you kept me so long waiting.” i Then striding over the threshold he pushed the door to, and walked unceremoniously into the little patieny SSRPET SG Be Jane Slater staggered after him, and sank, rie a sob, into @ chair which stood near the oor. i uv SS. ak Grasper looked at her with his cold, gray eyes, and curled his lip, and shrugged te shoulder half contemptuously as he did so "! ai “ Well!” he exclaimed, at la8t. ie with thore féeling than him before er, ne? Well!” she iterated. *‘Oh! man—man! have you no mercy ?”’ : “Yes ! my object in coming here is to be merciful. Have you decided ?” ind Jane rose slowly, and tottered forward. Extending her hand she laid it on Grasper’s | arm, and, looking into his face, she said in’ a slow, hollow tone— sides ‘* Ralph Grasper, there is one who will punish you for your cruelty to me and mine; one who, in his own good time, will avenge the. culietings | Con -~ —_~-*s & |= icbooks Jane looked up into his face, an i jook: of agony would Have sank deep ints Oulofany | e Who’ sit i . 7 , O mM f ss = , V - iw aie | be » — oe me in f Se ~ =>