The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 202: what you’re looking at

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

THE GIBBET eg and the volunteer hangman; and, the clock having now struck eight, they all proceeded to the condemned cell, where Dysart and the chaplain were together. The criminal, fully satisfied that his reprieve was in the sheriff’s pocket, presented an aspect of firmness and bowed courteously to the civic authorities. These functionaries remained in the passage outside the door of the cell, which was now left open, and the sheriff, addressing himself to the chaplain, said, “‘ I wish to speak to you a moment.” The ordinary hastened out of the cell, and as the sheriff drew him aside a little way down the corridor, Dysart per- ceived that he drew forth from his pocket a despatch of the invariable official shape and bearing a large seal. “That is my reprieve!” thought Dysart, and the flood of life circulated with a more rapid flow in his veins. ‘““ Beg pardon, sir,”’ said the volunteer hangman, producing his whipcord to pinion the criminal’s arms; then, as he drew the criminal gently aside toward the farther extremity of the cell, he hastily whispered, ‘‘ You’ve nothing to fear, Mr. Dysart. The sheriff has got your reprieve, and I have seen it.” The criminal had recoiled loathingly from the first touch of the hangman, and the more so on account of his repulsive look, for the fellow’s face was black as that of a negro; but the voice instantaneously sounded familiar to Dysart’s ear, and surveying the wretch’s countenance attentively, he recognized through the soot and grime that covered it the features of Daniel Coffin. Glancing toward the door, and observing that no one was noticing him particularly at the instant, Dysart gave the Hangman a nod of recognition; then, in a scarcely audible tone, he said, ‘“‘ You have positively seen the re- prieve? ”’ ‘‘T saw the sheriff show it to the under-sheriffs, and even heard him read the private instructions on the margin, re- turned Coffin, in an equally low voice, as he pinioned the arms of the criminal. | _“ And those instructions — what are they? ’’ demanded Dysart, with nervous impatience. “That the reprieve will not be produced till the moment the drop is ready to fall,’’ responded the Hangman. ‘“‘ So you needn’t be alarmed, sir; and in a quarter of an hour CORNICE OOO (-) <S (CO)