Penny Blood Serial Fiction — page 320: what you’re looking at

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

THE SNARE 303 upon himself and his establishment. ‘“ But how about raising this here trap-door? ”’ ‘“There’s a bit of string to lift it,”’ said Madge, “ and the bolt will hold it fast. But it won’t do to walk over it,”’ she continued, by way of giving a colour to the tale she had already told, “‘ for fear it should yield as it did under Chiffin’s feet.’’ As she thus spoke, she stooped down, seized hold of the cord, and drew up the trap-door, which, catching with a spring-bolt, remained fixed in its setting. She then took the light from the table, and descended the stairs, accompanied by Solomon Patch. They passed into the scullery together, closing the door behind them, and there, bending over the brink of the well, Madge listened once more with suspended breath. She likewise endeavoured to throw the light of the candle down into the black depth, but without success; the inky darkness absorbed the feeble glimmerings of that light. ‘““ All still,” she said to the landlord. ‘‘ What’s the depth of that well? ”’ “About twenty feet,’’ he replied. ‘“ And the depth of the water? ”’ “ When Chiffiin measured it with plummet and cord t’other day, there was about six feet of water.” “Ah! then he was drowned in no time,’ observed Madge, and placing the candle upon the ground, she said, ‘‘ New let’s put some of these big stones over the mouth.”’ Solomon Patch aided her in the task, which was soon accomplished, and the opening was completely closed by the flags which they placed upon it. ‘Now, the best thing you can do,” said Madge Somers, “ 1s to get a carpenter to put your house to rights again, and secure that trap-door, for if you or your wife happen tc walk in your sleep, it will be rather an unpleasant business.”’ Having thus spoken, the woman took her departure from the boozing-ken, the landlord of which returned to his wife in the bar, to take the first opportunity of giving her an account of all that had occurred. d) GOmicdoo cS (FO)