Stranica 159 [159]
113
4 Ladies present, Mr. Giles,” murmur¬
ed the tinker.
6 OF shoes, sir,” said Giles, turning
upon him, and laying great emphasis on
the word, “seized the loaded pistol that
basket, and walked on tip-toes to his
room. ‘ Brittles, I says, when I had
woke him, ‘ don’t be frightened!"
**So you did,” observed Brittles, in a
low voice.
66 ( We’re dead men, I think, Brittles,
I says,’ continued Giles, “* but don’t be
under any alarm.’” .
“ Was he frightened ?” asked the cook.
“ Not a bit of it,” replied Mr. Giles.
“ He was as firm—ah! pretty near as
firm as I was.” |
“ T should have died at once, I’m sure,
if vé had been me,” observed the house¬
maid.
* You re a woman,” retorted Brittles,
plucking up a little.
“ Brittles is right,” said Mr. Giles,
nodding his head approvingly; “from a
woman nothing else was to be expected.
But we, being men, took a dark lantern
that was standing on Brittle’s hob, and
ped our way down stairs in the pitch
ark,—as it might be so.”
Mr. Giles had risen from his seat and
taken two wre with his eyes shut to ac¬
company his description with appropriate
action, when he started violently in com¬
mon with the rest of the company, and
hurried back to his chair. The cook and
housemaid screamed.
“It was a knock,” said Mr. Giles, as¬
suming perfect serenity ; “open the door,
somebody.”
Nobody moved.
“It seems a strange sort of thing, a
knock coming at such a time in the morn¬
ing,” said Mr. Giles, surveying the pale
faces which surrounded him, and looking
very blank himself; "but the door must
be opened. Do you hear, somebody ?”
r. Giles, as he spoke, looked at Brit¬
‘les ; but that young man being naturally
modest, probably considered himself no¬
body, and so held that the inquiry could
not have any application to him. At all
events, he tendered no reply. Mr. Giles
directed an appealing glance at the
tinker, but he had suddenly fallen
asleep. The women were out of the
question.
“Jf Brittles would rather open the
door in the presence of witnesses,” said
P 10 *
c So am I,” said the tinker, waking up
as suddenly as he had fallen asleep.
Brittles capitulated on these terms;
and the party being somewhat re-assured
by the discovery (made on throwing open
the shutters) that it was now broad day,
took their way up stairs with the dogs in
front, and the two women, who were
afraid to stop below, tp: up the
rear. By the advice of Mr. Giles the
all talked very loud, to warn\any evil¬
disposed person outside that they were
strong in numbers; and by a masterstroke
of policy, originating in the brain of the
same ingenious gentleman, the dogs’ tails
were well pinched in the hall to make
These precautions having been taken,
Mr. Giles held on fast by the tinker’s
arm, (to prevent his running away, as he
pleasantly said,) and gave the word of
command to open the door. yao
obeyed, and the group peeping timorously
nt each other's LAS dGrő beheld a
more formidable object than poor little
Oliver Twist, speechless and exhausted,
who raised his heavy eyes, and mutely
solicited their compassion.
“A boy!” exclaimed Mr. Giles, va¬
liantly pushing the tinker into the back
ground. “ What’s the matter with the
—eh 1— Why — Brittles — look here —
don’t you- know ?”
Brittles, who had got behind the door
to open it, no sooner saw Oliver, than he
uttered a loud cry of recognition. Mr.
Giles seizing the boy by one leg and one
lugged him straight into the hall, and de¬
posited him at full length on the floor
thereof. “ Here he is!” bawled Giles,
calling in a great state of excitement up
the staircase; “here’s one of the
thieves, ma’am! Here’s a thief, miss—
wounded, miss! I shot him, miss, and
Brittles held the light.”
“In a lantern, miss,” cried Brittles, ap¬
plying one hand to the side of his mouth,
so that his voice might travel the better.
The two women servants ran up stairs
to carry the intelligence that Mr. Giles
had captured a robber; and the tinker
busied himself in endeavouring to restore
Oliver, lest he should die before he could
be hung. In the midst of all this noise
and commotion there was heard a sweet
female voice which quelled it in ar in¬
stant. ;
se Giles! ""whispered the voice from the
stairhead.