The Mysteries of London, Vol. IV — page 354: what you’re looking at

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

TEE HYSTERIES OF LONDON. directed blow between the vyes—and sent a couple of keepors sprawling over tho aforesaid porter in an instant. Frank Curtis, having imbibed just sufficient poteen to subdue his habitual cowardice and arm him with tho bastard though not tho less effectual valour which strong drink inspires, unhesitatingly followed the example of his gallant leader, and bore his part in the fray; so that in less than a minute a com- plete diversion was effected in favour of Lord William Trevelyan and Sir Gilbert Heathcote, tho enemy being utterly discomfited. “ Villains! murderers! robbers!” shouted the infuriate Doctor, as loud as he cuuld bawl; and then the screams and shrieks of the affrighted female servants were heard echoing from the Stairs and landing-places. “Yiet us depart!” cried Lord William Trevelyan ; and, in a very few moments, he pushed the baronet, the captain, and Frank Curtis, out of tho front door,—he himself pausing only for a single second to secure the keys. In another instant he was outside the house; and closing the door behind him, he locked it so as to prevent the Doctor and his myrmidons from in- stituting an immediate pursuit. “ Be Jasus! and this is the rummest lar-r-k I ivor had in all my life!” ejaculated Captain O’Blunder- buss, panting for breath. “Come with us, gentlemen,” said Lord William, hastily addressing that gallant officer and Frank Curtis: “yon have rendered us a signal service— -and we must know you better, We have likewise certain necessary explanations to give you relative to the strange scene in which you took so generous a part. But come away directly-—there is not a moment to be lost—a hue and cry may be raised !” “Bo the power-rs! and is it bur-r-glars ye aro?” cried the Captain, somewhat regretting the precipi- tation with which he had mixed himself up in the late affray. “No—no: far from that/” exclaimed Lora Wil- liam, laughing heartily at the idea. “But Iect us get as quickly as we can out of this noighbour- hood.” And away tho four gentlemen scampered into the Cambridge Road, down which they sped until they reached*Mile End, where they fortunately found a night-cab waiting for a fare. Into the vehicle they got; and Lord William Trevelyan exclaimed, as an instruction to the driver, “ Park Square, Regent’s Park!” Away tho cab went; and both Captain O’Blun- derbuss and Irank Curtis, who had heard tho aris- tocratic address thus given, were seized with an insatiable curiosity to learn who their new acquaint- ances could be, ~ — ame = CHAPTER CXC. A SCENE IN A CAB, “ GINTHLEMEN,” oxclaimed the gallant Irishman, ‘‘T mane to inthroduce myself and frind to ye without any more bother or pother. My frind, then, ginthlemen, is Misther Frank Cur-r-tis—dis- cinded from a fine family, and once possissed of large estates, all of which, be Jasus! he’s managed to ate up as clano as if dirthy acres were plum- pudding. My name, ginthlemen, is Capthain a a SO 34S ‘O’Bluntherbuss, of Bluntherbuss Park, Connemar- c-ra—wwhere I shall be delighted to seo ye any timo yo may be afther visiting Ould Ireland and I’m at home.” “Permit mo to shake hands with you, Captain O’Blunderbuss,” said the young nobleman; “and with you also, Mr, Curtis. You have rendered me and my friend a service which we cannot easily forget.” “And which we shall never seok to forget,” added the baronet, emphatically; and then thore was a general shaking of hands inside the cab. Lord William Trevelyan next proceeded to in- form his new friends who he and Sir Gilbert Heath- cote were; and the reader may conceive the hugo delight experienced by Captain O’Blunderbuss and Myr. Frank Curtis when taey found themselves in the company of a real nobloman and a real baronet, “ And now, my lor-r-d,” said the gallant officor, “will ye be so obleeging as to explain to us what house that was where all the pother took place, and what was the maning of the pother itself: for, bo the holy poker-r! I can’t mako head or tail of itt” “The faet is,’ responded Lord William Tro- velyan, “it was a mad-houso.” ‘A mad-honse !” ejaculated Mr. Frank Curtis, Starting as if stung by a serpent lurking in the straw at tho bottom of the cab—whilo a cold tre- ror camo over him; for it instantly struck him that ke and his Irish companion had been instru- mental in the escape of a couple of lunatics. “A mad-house !” repeated the Captain, immedi- ately entertaining the same idea, although not sharing the apprehensions of his friend. “Neither more nor less,’ continued Trevelyan, perfectly unaware of the impression which his words had produced upon tho two gentlemen: for, as the inside of tho cab was quite dark, he could not observe the chango that took placo in their countenances. “ You—you—don’t mean to—to-—say,” stam- mered Curtis, fidgetting uncommonly, and thrust- ing his hand outside the window to grasp the handle of the door: for he began to think that the sooner he emancipated himself from the cab, the better ;— “you—you ad “Hould your tongue, ye spalpeen!” vociferated the Captain, who, fully acquainted with the charac- ter of his friend, guessed pretty accurately all that was passing in his mind: for the worthy IJrish- man, on his part, was determined not to separate from his new friends, whetber they were lunatics or not, until he had ascertained if any thing was to be got out of them cither in the shape of money or whiskey, or both ;—“ hould your tongue, ye spal- peen! and let’s hear what his lor-rdship has to say upon the matther.” “Well, as I was informing you, gentlemen,” re- sumed Trevelyau, who considered that a proper explanation was fully due to those who had acted such a gallant part in tho late procecdings, “the house whence you just now so effectually aided us to escape, is a2 lunatic-asylum—and the men against whom you fought were the keepers.” - “ And who—who were the—the—lunatics?” asked Frank Curtis, perspiring at every pore—for the ef- fects of the whiskey which he had been drinking were completely absorbed in the terror tha? now influenced him. “So vasusi and I won’t have such aéstions (C(O) (C DOO SS (SO)