The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 167: what you’re looking at

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

166 THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. manacle was more expeditiously eaten through with the biting teeth of the file. Scarcely was this task accomplished, and just as the Burker was beginning to rub in gleefulness the hands that were thus liberated,—when he heard the door of the little yard open. To slip his hands through the rings again—to conceal the file—to stretch himself upon the bench --and to begin to breathe with a heavy regularity as well as with a certain nasal sound,—all theee were the work of a moment. But still the Burker was seized with dire alarm, lest any official should enter the dungeon to examine whether his hand- cuffs were all right. He heard heavy footsteps approaching : they stopped at the door of his coll ; and then the trap was pushed open. The light of a ball’s-eye was thrown through that trap into the cell; and it streamed full upon Barney’s coun- tenance. He affected to wake up slowly; and rubbing his eyes, growled forth, “ What the devil did you do that for?—-why can’t you let a feller sleep Pp” “‘T only wanted to see that you were all right,” answered the constable, who was peeping through the trap. “ All right indeed!” responded the Burker, still in a growling tone. “TI rayther think that I’m all wrong; and so you'd fancy too, my fine feller, if you was locked up in this cussed place. Why, it took me half-an-hour to compose myself to sleep on this hard plank; and now you've woke me up, it'll take me another blessed half-hour to go off “TI didn’t mean to disturb you,” answered the officer; “and that’s the reason that I looked through the trap instead of opening the door.” “Well, you're a considerate genelman in your way, rejoined Barney , “but I don’t think as how the tax-payers of this blessed country gives you chaps twenty bob a week a-piece to come waking up respectable people which is taking their natural rest. Howsomever, I forgive you for one: and so now good night.” Having thus spoken, the Burker turned round upon the hard bench again, and affected to be en- deavouring to compose himself off to sleep. The constable closed the little trap-door; and imme- diately afterwards the Burker caught the sound of the yard-door shutting likewise. He started up from the bench; and off came the manacles again. His proceedings—at least the next proceeding which he had to adopt, was already settled in his mind. He knew these cells of old; and he was well ac- quainted with the features, the arrangements, and ¢ the position of all the adjacent buildings. There was no upper storey to the little structure contain- ing the cells; the roof was immediately above his head ; and in that quarter it was that he purposed --or at least hoped to be enabled to effect his Cgress. The cell was tolerably high; and there was no moveable furniture in i¢ which he could use to raise himself upon, or to make available as a standing-place. But in this his plan of proceeding was also settled: he had well weighed and pondered the point when filing at his hand- caffs. In the first place, by the sid of the file he dislodged a brick in the wall at the height which suited his purpose and at about two feet distant from the corner or angle. Then he did the same with another brick.in a corresponding position in the wall which united with the other one to form that angle. Working in the dark, these processes were far longer than they would have been if he had the benefit of light. His next step was to break off a portion of the wood which edged the hard plank-bed, or rather seat, on which he had reposed himself when the constable looked through the trap-door. He had so well calculated the length of the piece of wood which he could thas detach, in reference to the distance between the two holes left in the walls by the extraction of the bricks, that the stout fragment of timber ex- actly fitted into the apertures provided for ita re- ion. The reader will therefore understand that this piece of wood formed the basis of a triangle of which the two walls were the sides and the angle of the wall was the apex: or, in more simple terms, the wood was a sort of hollow shelf stretching from wall to wall, at about two feet from the corner. Standing upon this piece of wood, the Barker was enabled to commence operations upon that part of the roof which was immediately over his head; and aided by the file, he speedily forced a hole through the lath and plaster. With his hand he could feel the tiles; and he had now to dislodge them in such a way that they should not slide down the sloping roof and fall into the road—se circumstance which might lead to the frustration of his entire project of escape. Therefore, after having raised the first tile with the utmost caution, he drew in each successive one through the open- ing thus formed, and deposited it upon the floor of his cell. Though he worked with all his charac- teristic energy, yet was he in a continued state of suspense; for another visit on the part of a con- stable to the little trap in the door would prove the ruin of everything. This visit was not how- ever paid; and thus the Burker worked on ane molested. At length the opening was large enough for him to begin passing himself through it; and first protruding his head, he looked carefully around to see whether the coast was cleat. No one was in the little yard—no one was looking forth from any of the numerous windows which, at the backs of the adjacent houses, commanded a view of the scene. Ata short distance was the rear of the vast structure of Covent Garden Theatre; and as the Burker knew that the establishment was shut up at the time, a thought struck him. “If I could only get into that place,” he said within himself, “maybe I should have a choice of dresses; and whether I made my appearance in the streets as Harlequin or Pantaloon, it would at all events be a change from this cussed old black gaberdine and grey beard.” 4 Having satisfied himself that he was unobserved, the Burker issued completely through the aperture which he had formed in the roof of his cell; and he now seemed to breathe the air of freedom. Gathering up the folds of his long garment in such @ way that it might not encumber him nor impede his progress, he crept along a wall, and climbed to the top of the.somewhat higher building than that from which he had escaped. Another con- necting wall brought him to another flat-roofed house; and here he came to a stand-still. The place where he thus found himself, abutted EOMICOOOLKS. CO