The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 153: what you’re looking at

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

ee ee —_—_— ee ? 140 on, old feller. You seems to know your way as if by instinct, as they say of the ‘osses.” Chiffin the Cannibal passed out of the butler’s pantry, and proceeded into the front kitchen; but nothing worthy of his predatory views was found there. Thenop the burglars proceeded into the servante’ hall, where some four or five stray silver forks and spoons, which the butler had doubtless forgotten to count up along with the rest of the plate, were lying about. “This is snmmut, st all events,” observed Tony Wilkins. “It cheers one on to look arter more.” “Now then, keep that carsed tongue of your's still, and pall off them great heavy boots of your’n{” said Chifin: “or else do as I do, if you have got the things to do it with.” And what was it that Chiffin the Cannibal was now doing? Nothing more nor less than drawing on a very coarse pair of lamb's-wool socks over his own thick and heavy lace-up boots. This being done, he took a pair of pistols from his pocket—eaw that each had a percussion-cap ready for service— and handing one to Tony Wilkins, bade him only use it in case of extreme desperation of circum- stances, but then not to hesitate an instant. The two burglars now began ascending the stairs, Chiffin walking first with his muffled feet, and Tony Wilkins with his naked ones; for the latter was carrying his boots in his hand—and as for stockings, his wardrobe was not extensive enough to permit him the enjoyment of such luxuries. He however hoped to improve and replenish it by the proceeds of his share of the present night’s plunder. The marble hall was reached; and from this point, the same as from the lower regions, it ap- peared that ea profound silence reigned throughout the house—for it was now past one in the morning, the operations at the back door having at least three quarters of an hour. The perlours opening from the hall were visited by the intruders ; and though they abounded in many fashionable nick-nacks, objects of virtu, beautiful ornaments, and the usual decorations to be found on the mantel- pieces and side-tables of apartments in the houses of the rich, there was not much in those rooms that would suit the purposes of the robbers. A fow things however they did consign to their pockets ; and emboldened by the freedom from interruption and the absence of all alarm which they thus expe- rienced, they began the ascent of the magnificent marble staircase leading to the drawing-rooms and state-apartments. In the first of these which they entered, they found e@ gold watch lying upon the table ; and there were many little ornaments scattered ebout which they knew Solomon Patch would pur- chase, and to which they therefore freely helped them- selves. Thence they passed into the adjacent room ; but as they entered it with as much caution as pos- sible, they stopped suddenly short on beholding a light at the farther extromity. It shone through a door which stood half open at the end of the large apartment they had just entered. _ The burglars stopped short, we say; and Chiffin snstantaneously closed the blind of his dark lantern. Bur the two men did not retreat; they stood and listened with breathless attention. If they had heard voicea in conversation they would have held it time enough to make the best of their way from tho premises; but if they heard mo voices, they . THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. ee would then be encouraged to traverse the room which they had entered and see who was in the next one, in which case they might be enabled by threats or violence to compel any person whom they would thus find to give information relative to the whereabouts of the plate, jewels, money, 4c. Such were the thoughts that simultaneously occurred to the two burglars: for all men of that class act as it were upon a perticular system, and pursue «'course which is ag mugh guided by previous es by the occurrences which transpire " « Mo- ment. For several minutes did they listen—and they heard no ane speak. Then they traversed the spacious apartment with as much caution as possible ; and the thick carpet would have stifled the sound of their footstepe even if the feet of one had not been. muffled aud the boots of the other taken off. On reaching the door which stood half open, Chiffin peeped in, and beheld a lady seated alone in the adjacent room. She was placed at a table and had a book open before her: but she was not reading— she was reclining back m her chair—and as the light of the wax candles fell with a sort of Rem- brandt effeot upon her splendid features, it was easy to porceive that she was absorbed in a profound reverie. Nor were her reflections of the most pleasing description: for there was a lowering of the w&turally high and noble forehead—there was a sinister light gleaming in the eyes to which so mag- nificant a lustre properly belonged—and there was .@ compression of the lips which nature had never intended to remain so firmly closed. This lady was none other than the mistress of the mansion; and Chiffin knew her to be Lady Saxon. dale. He had seen her first of all upwards of ninoe- teen years back, when, being by Ralph Farefield into Lincolnshire, he had lurked abont the neighbourhood of Saxondale Castle watching for an ity to carry off the child: he had ecen her then, in the pride and glory of her yoathful beauty—and once seen, she was not a woman who could be easily forgotten. But Chiffin had also seen her within the last few days: for he had loitered about Saxondale Howse in Park Jane, not only with the view of discovering as much as he could of the position of the premises, but also to examine the features of the domasties and eee whether he physiognomy of any one of them furnished a suffi- cient indication of innate villany to warrant the Cannibal in scraping acquaintance with the view fo an arrangement fora burglary. In this hope he had boen disappointed: but while thus loitering about, he had seen Lady the mansion—he had recognised her as the same beautiful woman he.had seen in Lincolnshire nearly twenty years back—and thus was it that he at once knew her now, as peeping through that half-opened door he beheld her seated in a mood of deep abstrac- tion at the table. A glance rapidly fiang round the room where Lady Saxondale was thus observed, at once showed the Cannibal not merely that she was alone, but likewise that there was no other door open by which any sudden cry of alarm to which she might give vent would issue forth. He theve- fore resolved upon taking a desperate step in order to reap a handsame harvest from his present anter- prise; and making a sign foe Tony Wilkins to stop aus DOO SS (CO