The Mysteries of London, Vol. IV — page 285: what you’re looking at

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

2 80 the pockets of his prisoner. “Ah! here’s the swag —and & precious heavy parcel it is too!” he ox- claimed, after a few moments? pause, and in a joyous tone. “My dear madam,” continued the villain, handing the brown paper packet to Mrs. Mortimer, “count it over—seo that it’s right—and divide its contents equally, You may as well be satisfied at once that I mean to do what fs right towards you— and then, may be, you will think seriously of tho propriety of our clubbing our fortunes together, and setting up as a gentleman and Jady living on our means—that is, you know,as Mr. and Mrs. Rily.” All the latter portion of this long sentence was lost—entirely lost upon Mrs. Mortimer: for tho moment that her hands grasped the brown paper parcel—that parcel which was so significantly weighty—her whole attention was absorbed in tho task of cxamining its contents. She placed it upon the table; and, by tho dim flickering light of the miscrable candle, sho counted tha yellow piccos— tarned over the solled notes—and carefully reckoned up the whole,—exclaiming, at the completion of tha business, “It is all right, save in respect ton single sovercign, whieh I dare say tho rogacs changed and spent directly. Hore is your share, Mr. Rily—and I thank you much for your valuable aid.” “You are the handsomest ogross I ever saw, when you appear gloating over the recoverod gold,”’ said the Doctor. “If I could afford it, I would actually and positively give you my portion just to have the ploasuroe of contemplating your physiog- nomy whilo you fingered it. Buft porhaps wo may have all things in common yet between you and me.” Thus speaking, the ruffian secured his sharo of the spoil about his person—an examplo that wits immediately followed by Mrs, Mortimer in respect to her division;—and all tha while Vitriol Bob sate looking on with 2 countenance of tho most demoniac ferocity. It was evident that, conld tho wretch releaso himself from his bonds, his rago would endow him with a strength calen- lated to give matters qnuito another turn: but he was helploss—powerless,—and this consciousness of his enthralled predicamont only ronderod his hatred tho more savage against his successful enc- mics, and made his longings for rovengo tho moro eager and also tho moro torturing on account of their unavailing intensity. “T will now toll you, Bob,” said Jack Rily, turn- ing towards him, “why I havo played yon this trick—and you will acknowledgo that it is only tit for tat, You remember the swell’s crib -ve broko into at Peckham? Well—you found a bag con- taining a hundred and twenty sovereigns, in a drawer—and you never mentioned a word about it when wo came to divide the plundor.” “Tt's a lice—a damned lie!” ejaculated tho villain, ferociously. “Say that again,” cricd the Doctor, his hare-lip becoming absolutely white with rage, while tho scar upon his cheek grew crimson,—“and I will cut your throat from car to car, How could I invent such atalo? But I saw tho advertisement in tho papers about the robbery—T read that a bag con- taining a hundred and twenty pounds in gold was abstracted from a chest of drawers—and I woll remembored that you searched those drawers, and afterwards assured mo there was nothing in them worth taking. I did not tell you that I had thus hacome aware of your treachery, becavra I resolyed eer THE MYSTERIES OF LONDON, to bu rovenged somo day or other. That day hes now arrivod—and you have the consolation of knowing that you have lost thousands in consoquence of your beggarly meanness respecting a paltry sixty sovereigns, which was my share of the sum you kept back.” “ Well—'sposing it is all as you say, Jack,” ex: claimed Vitriol Bob, assuming » humble and indeed abject tone,—ain’t you more than even with mo to-night? and won’t you let me have my replars? Wo shall then bo good friends again.” “TI do not mean to give you ono farthing of my monoy—and I know this old lady won't,” responded the Doctor. “As to our being frionds again, I cara not whether we become so, or whether we continuo enemies, Youcan’t do me so much harm asI can you, Bob,” added Rily, in an impressive manner, and without a particle of his usual coarse jocu- larity: for you have to-night dono a deed that, if known, would send you to tho scaffold.” A deadly pallor passed over the countenance of tho murderer; and he writhed in his chair with mingled rage and terror. “ Now, my old hyena,” exclaimed the doctor, turn- ing towards Mrs. Mortimer, “I told you that you Should have a good opportunity of seeing Vitriol Bob in alt his hideousness. Which do you think is tho ugliest of the two—ho or me ?” And ho grinned so horribly with his hare-lip and his gleaming teeth, that the old woman was for an instunt appalled by tho fiendish, malignant joy that caused his countenanco thus toassume s0 frightful an oxpression, “Well—you don't ike to pass an opinion upon the matter,” ho said, with a chuckling langh : “ may be you think Iam tho ugliest of the two, and that it would hurt my feolings to tell mo so. Lord bless you, my dear madam—a right down savage, ferocious, revolting ugliness is a splendid subject for admiration to my mind. The uglior people are— provided it’s tho right sort of uglincss—tho hand- somer thoy aro in my eyes. This may scom para- doxical—but it’s tho truth; and it’s on that prin- ciple Tam ready to marry you to-morrow, if you'll hayo me. IHowover—think upon it: thoro’s no hurry for your deciston, my dear creaturo—pardon me for being so familiar, And now I may as well toll you that it was not my original intention to let you have one penny picco ofall that swag,” ho con- tinued, after a few moments’ pause, “I had pur- posed to mako use of you in obtaining it~and then self-appropriate it; becauso I didn't look upon you in tho light of a pal with whom it was necessary to keep faith, The moment, however, that you intor- fered in the struggle just now, the caso became sud- denly altered: you saved my life—and I wouldn’t harm a hair of your hend for all the world. §o you aro quito wolcome to take your departuro at once if yon will: but I should estoem it a mark of confi- dence if you’d romain here with mo a few hours longer—and J’ll tell you why.” “Show me a good roason,and I shall not object,!*” romarked Mrs, Mortimer, knowing that the man, in spite of his conciliatory observations, had the power to enforce, if he chose, what he seemed to ask aga favour. “YT will explain myself,” resumed Jack Rily: then glancing towards Vitriol Bob, ho said, “Our friond hero must remain in that condition until I can send Pig-faced Poll to releaso him from his bonds. It would not be worth while to risk another confirt a NR GIOOKS (CO) (CO)