A heavily
barred window was now visible in the back wall of the house, raised
three or four feet from the pavement of the yard. The room within was
illuminated by a blaze of gaslight. More policemen were here, keeping
back more inquisitive lodgers. Among the spectators was a man with a
hideous outward squint, holding by the window-bars in a state of
drunken terror. The sergeant looked at him, and beckoned to one of the
policemen. "Take him to the station; I shall have something to say to
Wall-Eyes when he's sober. Now then! stand back all of you, and let's
see what's going on in the kitchen."
He took Amelius by the arm, and led him to the window. Even the
sergeant started when the scene inside met his view. "By God!" he
cried, "it's Mother Sowler herself."
It _was_ Mother Sowler. The horrible woman was tramping round and round
in the middle of the kitchen, like a beast in a cage; raving in the
dreadful drink-madness called delirium tremens. In the farthest corner
of the room, barricaded behind the table, the landlord's wife and
daughter crouched in terror of their lives. The gas, turned full on,
blazed high enough to blacken the ceiling, and showed the heavy bolts
shot at the top and bottom of the solid door.
Pages:
515
516
517
518
519
520
521
522
523
524
525
526
527
528
529
530
531
532
533
534
535
536
537
538
539