Spring-Heel'd Jack, The Terror of London — page 89: 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, Keeping close to the wall, he slipped off his mask, and peeped round at the officer. J There the man stood in the road where he had left him, evidently believing that he had seen a veritable ghost, and that the spectre had gone back to his grave. Jack had no fear that the policeman would follow, so he strolled quietly away along the road, wondering how Richard Clavering was faring, and congratulating himself upon being instrumental in saving the register being defiled by the libertine’s hand. | “* Poor devil, I could almost pity him,” he said to himself, “still I do not regret his sufferings. The fright I have given him may tend to make him a better and more feeling man. Hallo! that looks suspicious !” This last remark was called forth byseeinga man whisk down a narrow street, giving a strange and peculiar whistle as he did so, and at the same time noticing that a light was instantane- ously, extinguished in a parlour window of a large house nearly opposite to where he was. The whistle was again repeated, but at a greater distance, and Jack walked quietly over the road and looked up at the house. It stood a little way back from the road be- hind a small but neat garden, which was pro- tected by aclose paling about four feet high. The moon, which was still shining brilliantly, lit up every object around, and Jack looked over the paling into the forecourt, and to his surprise perceived near the doorway a large bundle evi- dently ready to be taken away. “The sudden disappearance of that man, and the peculiar whistle he gave vent to, made me think all was not right,” muttered Jack. ‘‘ And Pm convinced my suspicions were correct now. That bundle speaks for itself. There are thieves about; and my coming along the road has alarmed them. That light, too—that looks bad. [ll arouse the inmates, and perhaps the rascals may yet be captured.” He vaulted over the paling into the forecourt, and ran along the smoothly-gravelled pathway to the front door. Here he saw what the shrubs in the garden prevented him. before observing, namely, that the kitchen window was open. He rushed to this, and though he saw no one, he fancied he could hear a deadened . footfall, which he attributed to the burglar being without his shoes. “Tll stop you this way,” said Jack, seizing the sash, and pulling the window down, then spring- ing to the street-door, he knocked loudly. “That will alarm the inmates,” he said, ‘‘ and the thieves too. They will fancy the house is surrounded, and make no attempt to escape this way. They, will be forced to escape by the roof or try to do so, any way ; but the rascals ought | not to get off without a shock, and I fancy, from the build of this place, I can give them one, but I must be sharp, or they will have got away.’ He-cast his glance upwards. The door and windows were ornamented by overhanging porches, which stretched out from the walls some distance; and Jack gathering the folds of his cloak about him, so as not to permit it to impede his motions, vaulted on to — the brick wall which parted the grounds of the two houses. Another bound, and he alighted on the orna- mental porch.of the door. Had he hesitated a moment he must have fallen ; but springing up quickly, his feet rested on the projecting ornament over the first floor window. This formed a sufficiently broad ledge for him to stand upon, and placing his hands against the wall to steady himself, he looked upwards. He was still about twelve feet from the roof, which he desired to reach, and the next projec- tion was only the leaden gutter of the house. He flung his cloak back from off his shoulders, expanded his chest, stooped, then up he bounded like an arrow, swiftly for the gutter. This he caught with his hands, and hung sus- pended by that frail support, which he could feel bend beneath his weight. But drawing his body quickly up by his arms, he flung himself over on to the roof. In another moment he was on his feet, and standing beside a small stack of chimneys looking down at a trap-door. ‘I’m up first, then,” he said. ‘‘ Now for my mask—which shall it be—the death’s-head? no, no! not that; I will wear my usual one—the skeleton must be kept for rare occasions ; the demon will serve me best now.” And taking the mask in which we have so . often seen him, from his pocket, he readily slipped it over his face. _ ; Hardly had he settled it to his features, than the trap at his feet began to move. ““{ guessed that would be their game,” he said with asmile, as he drew back behind the stack of chimneys, but stifl kept his eyes fixed on the trap, which mow rose slowly from its bed. At this moment, a cloud partially obscured the moon, and Jack seized the folds of his cloak in his hands, intending to hold them out in such a fashion, as he had done when he alarmed tlie model policeman, but suddenly altering his mini, he coiled his body round one of the taller chim- neys, and placed himself in such a position as almost to hide himself among the stack. Up went the trap-door as far as it would go, and a head‘and burglarious-looking face appeared in the opening. ns But it did not come up higher just then. The head turned suspiciously each way, and the eyes in that head were evidently engaged in looking if the coast was clear. Of course, the burglar did not look up at the chimneys, and consequently, satisfied with his scrutiny, the head was followed by the shoulders, and in another few moments the burglar stood upon the roof. | He strode forward a step towards thechimney- stack, looked above, and then turned to the trap. “All right, Jerry—come on,” he said,in a husky whisper. Jack shot out his right arm between the pots, and caught the fellow so heavy a blow on the nape of the neck, as to cause him to leap quite two yards on one side, when he paused, closed his fists, and looked savagely around him in the sreatest surprise. | JOO ECON MLUCE 83 me (EO)