Oldal 159 [159]
OCR
113 4 Ladies present, Mr. Giles,” murmured 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 housemaid. * 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 accompany his description with appropriate action, when he started violently in common with the rest of the company, and hurried back to his chair. The cook and housemaid screamed. “It was a knock,” said Mr. Giles, assuming perfect serenity ; “open the door, somebody.” Nobody moved. “It seems a strange sort of thing, a knock coming at such a time in the morning,” 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 nobody, 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 evildisposed 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, valiantly 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 deposited 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, applying 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 instant. ; se Giles! ""whispered the voice from the stairhead.
