Stranica 156 [156]
112
the previous day, and as shadowy people
‘passed them by, he felt the robber’s
grasp upon his wrist. Suddenly he start¬
ed back at the report of fire-arms, and
there rose into the air loud cries and
shouts; lights gleamed befdbre his eyes,
and all was noise and tumult as some un¬
seen hand bore him hurriedly away.
Through all these rapid visions there ran
an undefined, uneasy, consciousness of
pain which wearied and tormented him
incessantly.
Thus he staggered on, creeping almost
mechanically between the bars of gates,
or through hedge-gaps as they came in
his way, until he reached a road; and
here the rain began to fall so heavily that
it roused him.
He looked about, and saw that at no
great distance there was a house, which
perhaps he could reach. Seeing his con¬
dition they might have compassion on
him, and if they did not, it would be bet¬
ter, he thought, to die near human beings
than in the Jonely open fields. He sum¬
moned up all his strength for one last
trial, and bent his faltering steps to¬
wards it.
As he drew nearer to this house, a
feeling came over him that he had seen
it before. He remembered nothing of its
details, but the shape and aspect of the
building seemed familiar to him. That
garden wall! On the grass inside he had
fallen on his knees last night, and prayed
the two men’s mercy. It was the very
same house they had attempted to rob.
Oliver felt such fear come over him
when he recognised the place, that for
the instant he forgot the agony of his
wound, and thought only of flight.
Flight! He could scarcely stand; and
if he were in full possession of all the
best powers of his slight and youthful
frame, where could he fly to? He push¬
ed against the garden gate; it was un¬
locked and swung open on its hinges.
He tottered across the lawn, climbed the
steps, knocked faintly at the door, and his
whole strength failing him, sunk down
against one of the pillars of the little
portico.
It happened that about this time Mr.
Giles, Brittles, and the tinker were re¬
eruiting themselves after the fatigues
and terrors of the night, with tea and
sundries in the kitchen. Not that it was
Mr. Giles’s habit to admit to too great
familiarity the humbler servants, towards
whom it was rather his wont to deport
i
gratified, could not fail to remind
them of his superior position in society.
But death, fires, and burglary make all
men equals; and Mr. Giles sat with his
legs stretched out before the kitchen
fender, leaning his left arm on the table,
while with his right he illustrated a cir¬
cumstantial and minute account of the
robbery, to which his hearers (but espe¬
cially the cook and housemaid, who were
of the party) listened with breathless in¬
terest.
“Tt was about half-past two,” said Mr.
Giles, “or I wouldn’t swear that it
might n’t have been a little nearer three,
when I woke up, and turning round in
my bed, as it might be so, (here Mr. Giles
turned round in his chair, and pulled the
corner of the table-cloth over him to imi¬
tate bed-clothes,) I fancied I heerd a
noise.” |
At this point of the narrative the cook
turned pale, and asked the housemaid to
shut the door, who asked Brittles, who
asked the tinker, who pretended not to
hear.
cc JT heerd a noise,” continued Mr. Giles.
“T says at first, ‘this is illusion; and
was composing myself off to sleep, when
I heerd the noise again, distinct.”
c What sort of a noise?" asked the
cook.
6 A kind of busting noise,” replied Mr.
Giles, looking round him.
c: More like the noise of powdering a
iron bar on a nutmeg-grater,” suggested
Brittles. ;
c It was, when heerd it, sir,” re¬
joined Mr. Giles; "but at this time it
had a busting sound. I turned down the
clothes,” continued Giles, rolling back
the table-cloth, “sat up in bed, and lis¬
tened.”’
The cook and housemaid simultane¬
ously ejaculated § Lor!” and drew their
chairs closer together.
“T heerd it now, quite apparent,” re¬
sumed Mr. Giles. ‘Somebody,’ I says,
‘is forcing of a door or window, what ’s
to be done! [711 call up that poor lad,
Brittles, and save him from being mur¬
dered in his bed; or his throat,’ I says,
may be cut from his right ear ‘to his left,
without his ever knowing it.’ ” ;
Here all eyes were turned upon Brit¬
tles, who fixed his upon the speaker, and
stared at him with his mouth wide open,
and his face expressive of the most un¬
mitigated horror.
c [ tossed off the clothes,” said Giles,