The Mysteries of London, Vol. IV — page 122: what you’re looking at

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

I A a a er a FY cag Oo wee a a a eT . RS A A EG A WS. Ut ey, le A A A a en, “TITE MYSTERIES OF LONDON. SNe ee nn "Perhaps he has over-slept himself,” she muttered to herself: “ I will come back again presently ;’—and the woman returned to her own abode. But something like a misgiving had stolen into her mind,—a vague and indefinable fear—a presentiment against which she could not wrestle. A gloom had fallen on her spirits: she was in that humour when people who are in any way superstitious, expect bad news. Not that she had heard any noise in the cotirse of the night, or that she had any motive for suspicion: —the feeling that oppressed her was excited by no accountable and intelligible catise,—unless, indeed, it were, that during the five or six years sho had waited upon Mr. Percival, this was the very first occasion on which she had failed to find him already up and dressed, and ready to admit her at a stipulated hour. Having performed a few domestic duties in her own house—but in a strange manner, as if she scarcely knew what she was doing,—Mrs. Dyer returned to the miser’s front-door, at which she knocked again. But again there was no response: all was silent. The widow-woman was now scriously alarmed; and, hastening back into her dwelling, she informed her female lodgers that she could uot make Mr. Percival hear next door, and was afraid something had hap- pened. ‘The three women, to whom these observations were addressed, accompanied her to the miser’s house; and as all within was still silent as the grave, they proceeded round to the back-door with the intention of looking in through the window shutters, which, as we have before stated, were perforated with many heart-holes, But Mrs. Dyer first happened to try the back-gate, and, to her surprise, found it unfastened. She and the other women then entered the house; and their attention, now rendered keen by dark suspicions, was immediately attracted to the fact that the part of the door-pest into which the bolt of the back-gate fitted, had been cut away, from the outside, in such a manner that it was an easy affair to slide back the bolt. ‘The females beheld this ominous appearance with dismay ; —but low shuddering were the looks of deep appre- hension which they rapidly and silently exchanged, when they likewise noticed an old piece of iron still sticking in the lock,—a sure indication of that lock having been picked, also from the outside! Iad cither one of the women now manifested tho least hesitation to proceed, the others would have gladly followed the example to retreat. But, huddling all together—and in deep silence—they slowly as- cended the stairs leading to the back parlour. The door of this room was half open; and as the widow endeavoured to push it farther back still, it was stopped by something that evidently was not a table nor a chair,—no—nor aught made of wood. The women slowly entered the parlour:—and then their tongues were suddenly loosened—and piercing shrieks burst from their lips. For the prismatic light which streamed through the heart-holes of the closed shutters, played on the smashed, gory, and disficured countenance of the murdered man! Terror for 2 few minutes rooted to the spot the spec- tatresses of this horrible spectacle :—and, clinging— hanging to cach other, they remained gazing, in terror and dismay, on the remains of him whom they had all seen alive and iu health on the preceding day! At length the female who was nearest to the door eecmed suddenly to recover the use of her limbs; and, with another ejaculation of horror, she fled precipi- tately,—her companions following her with a haste which seemed to indicate that they were afraid Jest = — ee = ——— 119 the murdered man should stretch forth his hand and clutch the hindermost by the garments. Oh! what terrors are inspired by the cold—inanj- mate—powerless remains of mortality! And yet men of the strongest minds have had their fears in thig respect ;—and heroes who would have faced a serried rank bristling with bayonets, or hunted the savage tiger in the jungles of Hindoostan, have feared to re- main alone with the corpse of a fellow-creature! Full soon was the dreadful rumour spread through- out the neighbourhood that the miser Percival had been murdered during the night ;—and the police were speedily upon the spot. The dead body indeed presented a hideous spectacle to the view :—the countenance was so disfigured as to defy recognition ;—and the skull was fractured in several places. By the side of the corpse lay a heavy Stake; and, as it was covered with blood, and some of the hair from the murdered man’s head was sticking to it, there was no difficulty in pronouncing it to have been the weapon used by the assassin. ‘he candle- stick was found on the floor close by ;—the cupboard and the iron safe were open ;—and the tin-box, emptied of its contents, was stumbled over by one of the officers. / Not the slightest suspicion could possibly be attached to the widow-woman or her lodgers occupying the ad- jacent house ;—but they were necessarily questioned by the inspector, with a view to elicit any particulars that might aid the officers of justice in sifting the most mysterivus and horrible affair. Mrs. Dyer stated that she had heard no disturbance during the night; and her lodgers all made a similar declaration. “YT passed the evening with a neighbour,” said the widow, naming the friend at whose house she had supped; “and I returned home about half-past eleven o'clock. Mr. Percival was at that moment taking leave of some visitors at his own door: and——Oh! I remember now,” exclaimed Mrs, Dyer, a sudden thought striking her,—* there were two women—one apparently young, ifI might judge by the hasty glimpse Leaught of her figure—for I did not see her face, as she was standing by the gate opening into the road-——-” And the other woman?” demanded the inspector. “Was old and very ugly,” returned the widow. “J saw her countenance plainly enough; for the light which Mz. Percival held, streamed full upon it;—and I thought at the moment that I had never in my life beheld such a repulsive—horrible-looking creature. I was really frightened—there was something so un- pleasant in her lecks.” “And was any man with them?” enquired the officer. “No: thetwo women were alone. They took leave of Mr. Percival, and, I suppose, went away. At all events, I know that he closed his door just at the same moment that Ishut mine. I said ‘Good night’ to him: and that was the last time I saw the poor gentleman alive.” “It is highly important,” observed the inspector, “that we should find out these two women of whom you speak—as they were, to all appearances, the last persons who were with the deceased ?” Mrs. Dyer then gave as accurate a description as she could of the personal appearance of the old woman whose countenance had struck her as being so repul- sive and sinister;—and the inspector, having left a couple of officers on the premises where the crime had (C(O) DOO ZN i (SO)