Joseph Wilmot, or, The Memoirs of a Man-Servant — page 199: what you’re looking at

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

186 JOSEPH WILMOT; OR, THE MEMOIRS OF A MAN-SERVANT. Hartley, how poor Mrs. Lanover has been suffer- | —there was the window—and I might cry out for ing—and how that sweet daughter of mine has worked !” “T do indeed, sir,”’ responded the female, taking up the corner of her apron and applying it to her eyes. " Come, J oseph,” said Mr. Lanover: “it is but a poor place to which I am bringing you.” “No matter! no matter!’ I exclaimed, some- what impatiently: for I longed so ardently—Oh! so ardently, to embrace Annabel ; and I felt that I might embrace her the instant we should meet, after all that her father had been saying to me. He led the way up a narrow dark staircase: he halted not on the first landing—he ascended to the second: and as I followed him close, I could not help thinking to myself that it must be indeed a frightful change for,poor Mrs. Lanoyer and Anna- bel to have removed from the comfortable well- furnished house in Great Russell Street, to this dark noisome den, situated in a wretched court and in a fetid atmosphere. “Walk in, Joseph,” said Mr. Lanover, as he threw open a door; and mechanically I hurried on, filled with the burning hope that the next instant I should fold Annabel in my arms. But scarcely did I cross the threshold, when the vile humpback pushed me forward with such sudden and tremendous violence that I fell head- long; and the door closed behind me with a loud ee CHAPTER XXXIX. TERRORS AND DANGERS. I sTARTED up to my feet, struck with the conyic- tion that the foulest treachery had made me its victim: and in a frenzy of mingled rage and ter- ror I rushed to the door. It was fastened on the other side. Vainly I tore at it—vainly too did I dash myself with all my power against it: if re- Mained immoveable. Good heavens, how imsen- sate had been my conduct! how childishly credu- lous had I proved! To sutier myself to be beguiled by the insidious representations of that villanous humpback—to be moved by his crocodile tears—to have believed that the mournfulness of his tone was sincere, and that when he had seemed affected the emotion was genuine Oh, idiot—fool— lunatic that I was! I glanced around the room in which I was thus held captive. It was furnished in a mean and sordid manner: there was a bed in one corner—a small round table in the middle—five or six chairs | scattered about—a bason and ewer on a trunk—a | piece of ragged carpet’ on the floor—and a few succour. I rushed to it:—the room was situated at the back of the house, and this window looked into a yard surrounded on the three other sides by the dead walls of some contiguous buildings. Nevertheless I felt assured that my voice, if raised to the loudest pitch, would be heard in some of these adjacent premises; and with all the excite- ment of desperation I was about to throw up the window—when the door burst open, and in rushed Mr. Lanoyer, followed by Thomas Taddy and Bill Blackbeard. I here pause for a moment in the progress of my narrative, to observe that Taddy—thin and lank as ever—was dressed in a sort of shabby gen- teel manner. His complexion seemed more sallow than when last I beheld him: his sandy white hair had been suffered to grow longer, and hung in ragzed patches over his coat collar: his small sharp piercing gray eyes appeared to twinkle with a fiendish malignity the instant their looks en- countered mine. As for Bill Blackbeard—he had, if possible, a more ruffianly aspect than when I caught a glimpse of his countenance in the coach- house at Alyrtle Lodge. He had on loose cor- duroy breeches and gatters—a shabby cutaway green coat with brass buttons—a waistcoat of con- siderable length—and a faded blue neckcloth, with white spots—so that he evidently studied to give himself a groom-like air: but the impression which his aspect was best calculated to make, was that of a low kind of hostler, out of place, and ina decayed and dilapidated condition. He had coal black hair and piercing dark eyes: his face was pale, and pitted with the small-pox: he had natu- rally a strong bristling beard—whence no doubt his nickname was derived; and as it was now of at least a couple of days’ growth, it added to the natural ferocity and villany of his looks. When these three individuals burst in upon me in the manner described, I was seized with the thought that my life was not worth a minute’s purchase unless I defended it with all my power and with all my strength. Armed therefore with the courage of desperation, I made a bound to the srate—snatched up a fire-iron in each hand—and crying out at the same time loudly for help, made a rush to pass by my three foes and clear the threshold. But the door was closed in an instant. With the fury of wild beasts did Taddy and Bill Blackbeard spring upon me: each received a des- perate blow from the weapons which I wielded— the vigorous reception they thus met only mad- dened them to fury—the next instant I was dis- armed and hurled upon the floor, while Taddy’s hand grasped my throat with such violence to pre- vent me from crying out, that I was nearly strangled, and I must have grown black in the face. The hideous humpback, dropping upon his articles otf male apparel, such as boots, a shabby | knees, took his handkerchief and bound it so pair of pantaloons, an old waistcoat, a somewhat “tightly over my mouth as effectually to choke my battered hat, and a dirty shirt, lying here and | The place wore an appearance neither of | cleanliness nor of comfort; and not for an instant | throat. there. dared I indulge in the hope—setting aside Mr. Lanoyer’s conduct in making me his prisoner— | this individual. that this was really the abode of himself and | utterance; and it was not till this was done that the wretch Taddy withdrew his gripe from my “ Now he is silenced, fast enough!” exclaimed “ Let’s away with him.” I struggled desperately, as he and Blackbeard family. But, Ah! a thought struck me, Though | raised me up between them: whereupon the latter the door was closed against me, and though it | dealt me a terrific blow on the side—and with a yielded not to my desperate efforts to force it open, | fearful imprecation, bade me keep quiet, or perhaps CORNICE LO@ S