The Mysteries of London, Vol. IV — page 14: what you’re looking at

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

[=~ % : ° THE MYSTERIES OF LONDON. q se of answers: namely, ono kind hypocritical, and | was just three weeks. It gave mo pain, doctor— the other sincere—and at the samo time implying | oh! it gave me pain, I can assure, to punish that n sort of promise of release if the hypocritical reply | woman so severely ; but her mind was very obdu- were given. But I found him straightforward and | rate—her heart very hardened;—and darkness truly conscientious in his answers. In due time I | was long before it produced on her the effect which allowed him such novels as ' The Vicar of Wake- | 1 deustved. At length, a few days after she had | _ field, ‘Paul and Virginia,’ ‘2elizabeth, or the Exiles | been allowed a lamp,—and a little more than one of Siberia,’ to read: but I found that Le preferred | month agc-~I yielded to her earnest entreaties the Travels, Voyages, and Biographies of great | that sho might be lodged with her husband. Then and good men. Indeed, scarcely six weeks had } what a change had taken place in her! She was elapsed from the date of that.man’s incarceration | famed—completely tamed,—no longer a vixenish in the dungeon, when I felt convinced that he was | shrow, but questioning her husband mildly and in | so far a reformed character as to be anxious to | 2 conciliating tone relative to the passages of the earn an honest livelihood if he were only afforded | Bible, or the Travels and other instructive books, the chance. Then I removed him from his dun- | which he had read to her. Good feelings ap- geon, and lodged him in a room up stairs. He } peared to establish themselves rapidly between thig was still in reality a prisoner, because any attempt | couple. I had put them to several tests. On ono to escapo om his part would have been immediately | occasion Wilton persuaded Toby Bunce that he detected—so narrowly yet secretly was he watched. | was not looking very well, and some littlo luxury To him, however, it must havo seemed that ho | was added to the evening’s supply of food, it being was free: but ho never evinced the least inclinatign | intimated that the extra dish was expressly for to avail himself of the apparent liberty which ho | limsclf. Wilton remained near the cell, and list- enjoyed. Jivery circumstance spoke in that man’s | ened to what passed within. BDunco insisted upon favour; and the night before last ho was sent off, | sharing the delicacy with his wife; and she would in company with ono of my dependants, to Ports- | not hear of such a proposal. Ho urged his offer— mouth, whenco thoy embarked together for the j she was positive; and in this point she once again island of Aldernoy, where Tidmarsh is to scitle in | showed «# resolution of her own, but not in a a small way of business, to establish which the | manner to give Ler husband offence. The very means will be found him. My retainer will remain | next day—this was a week ago—I had the pair |, for a few weeks—or perlaps months—so as tho- | removed to a chamber over-head, giving them the roughly to watch his conduct; and if during that | samo apparent chanco of escape as in the case of period, and in a place where there aro no evil} Tidmarsh. They did not however seck to avail temptations, he manifests an uniform steadniness | themselves of it; and yesterday evening they were of conduct, I think wo may safely calculato that | separated again—but only for a short time. In there is no fear of a relapse.” fact, Bunce was last night sent off to Southampton, _ “And all this has been effected in two short | in company with one of my people; and thenco months!” exclaimed the physician, with a tone | they doubtless embarked for tho island of Sark and manner indicative of mingled surpriso and | this morning. Mrs. Bunce will leave presently, admiration. “I could scarcely havo believed it | guarded by my faithful dependant Harding and possible.” his wife, who will not only take her to rejoin her “Listen to my next case, doctor,” said the | husband in the little islet opposite Guernsey, but Black ; “and you will sce that my system is most | will also stay with them there for a period of six salutary. I shall speak of the two Bunces collec- | months. Dunce will follow his trade as a tailor, tively. The man Bunco I always looked upon | Harding finding «2 market for the clothes which he rather as a soft-pated, hen-pecked fool than a radi- | makes in St. Peter's Port, which is the capital of cally wicked fellow ; and accordingly, the moment | Guernsey, as you are ell aware.” ho began to exhibit very serious alarni and horror “So far, so good,” exclaimed the physician, at being alone and in the dark, I gavo him a lamp | highly delighted with these explanations. “ Should and the Bible. The length of night which I made | your system produce results permanently benefi- him enduro was not more than two-thirds of a! cial, you may become a great benefactor to the week. In respect to his wife, the first demonstra- | human race; for it is assuredly far better to re- tion of repentance which she showed, was in a| form the wicked by a course of a few weelks’ desiro to speak to her husband if only for a few | training by playing upon their feelings in this minutes an@through tho trap-door of his cell. Of | manner, than to subject them to the contamination course I issued orders that the request should Le | of a felons’ gaol and inflict years of exilo under complied with; and it was evident that the woman | circumstances which are utterly repugnant to all derived comfort from this indulgence. Next day | hopes of reformation. But pray answer me one she was permitted to converso with him at the , question. Should cither of these Bunces, or Tid- trap-door for nearly half an hour; and then sho | marsh chooso to resist the control and authority was overheard begging his pardon for the ill- | of your dependants who have charge of them at pre- treatment which he had so often endured at hor ' sent—and shonid any ono of those quasi-prisoners hands. For many, many successive days this short | demand their unconditional freedom — how can intercourse was allowed them; and on one occa- |} your m¢a exerciso a power or sway over them ?” sion, Toby Bunco read her a few verses from tho “These quasi-prisoners, as you term them,” Bible, he being in his cell with the Inmp, and she | answered tho Black, “have not, as a matter of standing outside his door in the dark subterrancan | course, tho least idea who I really am. Their pessage. Tho manner in which sho reeciyed the minds, somewhat attenuated by their incarceration passago thus read to her, induced me to order that | and all the mystcrious circumstances of their cap- she also should be provided with a light and a | tivity, are to a ccrtain extent over-awed. They Testament ; for tho night which she endured, and | know that they have been, and still belicve them- which could scarcely be said to have been even in- | sclves {o be, in tho power of one who wields an terrupted by the daily walk in the dark passage, authority which they cannot comprehend; and fear a ge et NT ee NOO/KS.ECO LL CONMUC