Halloa! cried Jack, looking round, and trying to fix his inebriate gaze upon the speaker,whos that?
Your mother, replied Mrs. Sheppard. Come home directly, Sir.
Mother be! returned Jack. Who is it, Bess?
How should I know? replied Edgeworth Bess. But if it is your mother, send her about her business.
That I will, replied Jack, in the twinkling of a bedpost.
Glad to see you once more in the Mint, Mrs. Sheppard, roared Blueskin, who anticipated some fun. Come and sit down by me.
Take a glass of gin, Maam, cried Poll Maggot, holding up a bottle of spirit; it used to be your favourite liquor, Ive heard.
Jack, my love, cried Mrs. Sheppard, disregarding the taunt, come away.
Not I, replied Jack; Im too comfortable where I am. Be off!
Jack! exclaimed his unhappy parent.
Mr. Sheppard, if you please, Maam, interrupted the lad; I allow nobody to call me Jack. Do I, Bess, eh?
Nobody whatever, love, replied Edgeworth Bess; nobody but me, dear.
And me, insinuated Mrs. Maggot. My little fancy mans quite as fond of me as of you, Bess. Aint you, Jacky darling?
Not quite, Poll, returned Mr. Sheppard; but I love you next to her, and both of you better than Her, pointing with the pipe to his mother.
Oh, Heavens! cried Mrs. Sheppard.
Bravo! shouted Blueskin. Tom Sheppard never said a better thing than thatho! ho!
Jack, cried his mother, wringing her hands in distraction, youll break my heart!
Poh! poh! returned her son; women dont so easily break their hearts. Do they, Bess?
Certainly not, replied the young lady appealed to, especially about their sons.
Wretch! cried Mrs. Sheppard, bitterly.
I say, retorted Edgeworth Bess, with a very unfeminine imprecation, I shant stand any more of that nonsense. What do you mean by calling me wretch, Madam! she added marching up to Mrs. Sheppard, and regarding her with an insolent and threatening glance.
Yeswhat do you mean, Maam? added Jack, staggering after her.
Come with me, my love, comecome, cried his mother, seizing his hand, and endeavouring to force him away.
He shant go, cried Edgeworth Bess, holding him by the other hand. Here, Poll, help me!
Thus exhorted, Mrs. Maggot lent her powerful aid, and, between the two, Jack was speedily relieved from all fears of being carried off against his will. Not content with this exhibition of her prowess, the Amazon lifted him up as easily as if he had been an infant, and placed him upon her shoulders, to the infinite delight of the company, and the increased distress of his mother.
Now, lets see wholl dare to take him down, she cried.
Nobody shall, cried Mr. Sheppard from his elevated position. Im my own master now, and Ill do as I please. Ill turn cracksman, like my fatherrob old Woodhe has chests full of money, and I know where theyre keptIll rob him, and give the swag to you, PollIll
Jack would have said more; but, losing his balance, he fell to the ground, and, when taken up, he was perfectly insensible. In this state, he was laid upon a bench, to sleep off his drunken fit, while his wretched mother, in spite of her passionate supplications and resistance, was, by Blueskins command, forcibly ejected from the house, and driven out of the Mint.
CHAPTER XV. THE ROBBERY IN WILLESDEN CHURCH
During the whole of the next day and night, the poor widow hovered like a ghost about the precincts of the debtors garrison,for admission (by the Masters express orders,) was denied her. She could learn nothing of her son, and only obtained one solitary piece of information, which added to, rather than alleviated her misery,namely, that Jonathan Wild had paid a secret visit to the Cross Shovels. At one time, she determined to go to Wych Street, and ask Mr. Woods advice and assistance, but the thought of the reception she was likely to meet with from his wife deterred her from executing this resolution. Many other expedients occurred to her; but after making several ineffectual attempts to get into the Mint unobserved, they were all abandoned.
At length, about an hour before dawn on the second daySundayhaving spent the early part of the night in watching at the gates of the robbers sanctuary, and being almost exhausted from want of rest, she set out homewards. It was a long walk she had to undertake, even if she had endured no previous fatigue, but feeble as she was, it was almost more than she could accomplish. Daybreak found her winding her painful way along the Harrow Road; and, in order to shorten the distance as much as possible, she took the nearest cut, and struck into the meadows on the right. Crossing several fields, newly mown, or filled with lines of tedded hay, she arrived, not without great exertion, at the summit of a hill. Here her strength completely failed her, and she was compelled to seek some repose. Making her couch upon a heap of hay, she sank at once into a deep and refreshing slumber.
When she awoke, the sun was high in Heaven. It was a bright and beautiful day: so bright, so beautiful, that even her sad heart was cheered by it. The air, perfumed with the delicious fragrance of the new-mown grass, was vocal with the melodies of the birds; the thick foliage of the trees was glistening in the sunshine; all nature seemed happy and rejoicing; but, above all, the serene Sabbath stillness reigning around communicated a calm to her wounded spirit.
What a contrast did the lovely scene she now gazed upon present to the squalid neighbourhood she had recently quitted! On all sides, expanded prospects of country the most exquisite and most varied. Immediately beneath her lay Willesden,the most charming and secluded village in the neighbourhood of the metropoliswith its scattered farm-houses, its noble granges, and its old grey church-tower just peeping above a grove of rook-haunted trees.
Towards this spot Mrs. Sheppard now directed her steps. She speedily reached her own abode,a little cottage, standing in the outskirts of the village. The first circumstance that struck her on her arrival seemed ominous. Her clock had stoppedstopped at the very hour on which she had quitted the Mint! She had not the heart to wind it up again.
After partaking of some little refreshment, and changing her attire, Mrs. Sheppard prepared for church. By this time, she had so far succeeded in calming herself, that she answered the greetings of the neighbours whom she encountered on her way to the sacred edificeif sorrowfully, still composedly.
Every old country church is beautiful, but Willesden is the most beautiful country church we know; and in Mrs. Sheppards time it was even more beautiful than at present, when the hand of improvement has proceeded a little too rashly with alterations and repairs. With one or two exceptions, there were no pews; and, as the intercourse with London was then but slight, the seats were occupied almost exclusively by the villagers. In one of these seats, at the end of the aisle farthest removed from the chancel, the widow took her place, and addressed herself fervently to her devotions.
The service had not proceeded far, when she was greatly disturbed by the entrance of a person who placed himself opposite her, and sought to attract her attention by a number of little arts, surveying her, as he did so, with a very impudent and offensive stare. With this personwho was no other than Mr. Kneeboneshe was too well acquainted; having, more than once, been obliged to repel his advances; and, though his impertinence would have given her little concern at another season, it now added considerably to her distraction. But a far greater affliction was in store for her.