The Works of George W. M. Reynolds — page 284: what you’re looking at

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

THE HANGMAN IN HIS GLORY AGAIN 2387 duties, and being rather deaf, she heard not the Hangman’s voice. As for the servant of all work, she had gone out upon an errand; and thus did it happen that no attention was paid to Mr. Coffin. “Well, I suppose the place is deserted,’’ he muttered to himself, in that low, growling tone which was peculiar to him when vexed or annoyed; and opening the door that was nearest, he looked in and perceived that it was a hand- somely furnished drawing-room. ‘‘ Upon my word, Mr. Sampson is quite a gentleman. Ah! he must have made a good thing of his business — no doubt of it!’’ added the Hangman, as he glanced around the well-appointed apart- ment. Then stepping forth upon the landing again, he closed the door behind him. ‘‘ | wonder what this room 1s,”’’ he now said, as he grasped the handle of another door; but it was locked. Obedient to some strange and scarcely accountable impulse, Daniel Coffin stooped down to peep through the keyhoie; but he found it impervious to his view, being closed on the inner side, and he muttered to himself, ‘‘ Well, this is a peculiar lock, made on purpose to prevent anybody from looking through it.”’ Such a circumstance was quite enough to arouse the curiosity of the Hangman; and without any more ado he at once took forth his skeleton keys, and thrust one of them into the lock, in which it turned without difficulty. The door was opened accordingly, and Coffin entered the apartment. And now it would be difficult to describe this individual’s amazement at the first glance which he cast around the room; for the walls were studded with innumerable pegs, to which hung an infinite assortment of male and female dresses. These were evidently intended and used as dis- guises; and as the Hangman contemplated this singular wardrobe with a closer scrutiny, he observed that it con- tained the specimen of almost every costume then existing in England. There was even the court dress, as well as the soldier’s uniform; the fashionable suit of a West End dandy was side by side with the lace-bedizened livery of a domestic servant. The complete costume of a sportsman was sus- pended next to the ragged garb of a beggar; the dress of GOmiGoooks (C(O)