The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 155: what you’re looking at

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

ig ietenteruineyssmupitsiinedsctictpeslabtindiieumnsmamiamnitin — oo SS 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. Thence the burglars proceeded into the servants’ 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 summut, at all events,” observed Tony Wilkins. ‘‘ It cheers one on to look arter more.” “ Now then, keep that cursed tongue of your’s still, and pull off them great heavy boots of your’n,” said Chifiu: “or else do as I do, if you have got ule things to do it with.” And what was it that Chifiin the Cannibal was now doing? Nothing more nor less than drawing on avery 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—saw that cach 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 | reverie. THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. 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, &. Such were the thoughts that simultaneously occurred to the two burglars: for all men of that class act as it were upon a particular system, and pursue a course which is as much guided by previous experiences as by the occurrences which transpire at the mo ment. For several minutes did they listen—and they heard no one speak. Then they traversed the spacious apartment with as much caution as possible; and the thick carpet would have stifled the sound of their footsteps even if the feet of one had not been muffled and 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 in her chair—and as the light of the wax candles fell with a sort of Rem- brandt effect upon her splendid features, it was easy to perceive that she was absorbed in a profound Nor were her reflections of the most Wilkins with his naked ones; for the latter was | pleasing description: for there was a lowering of carrying his boots in his hand—and as for stockings, his wasdrobe 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 a profound silence reigned throughout the house —for 1t was now past one in the morning, the operations at the back door having absorbed at least three quarters of an hour. The parlours 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 few 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 a gold watch lying upon the table ; and there were many little ornaments scattered about 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 extremity. 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 Ohiffin instantaneously closed the blind of his dark lantern. Bui the two men did not retreat; they stood and listened with breathless attention. If they had heard voices in conversation they would have held it time enough to make the best of their way from the premises; but if they heard no voices, they the naturally high and noble forehead—there was a sinister light gleaming in the eyes to which so mag- nificent a lustre properly belonged—and there was a 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 nine- teen years back, when, being despatched by Ralph Farefield into Lincolnshire, he had lurked about the neighbourhood of Saxondale Castle watching for an opportunity to carry off the child: he had seen her then, in the pride and glory of her youthful 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 House in Park Lane, 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 domesties and see whether the physiognomy of any one of them furnished a suffi- cient indication of innate villany to warrant the Cannibal in scraping acquaintance with the view to an arrangement fora burglary. In this hope he had been disappointed: but while thus loitering about, he had seen Lady Saxondale go in and out of 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 flung 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 there- fore resolved upon taking a desperate step in order to reap a handsome harvest from his present enter- prise; and making a sign for Tony Wilkins to stop —a- CL eC ee ee COMMICLOOMKS (€©)