Chapter 66 - Page 2

Feeling that he might have anticipated this occurrence, after what he had seen at Chigwell in the morning, where no man dared to touch a spade, though he offered a large reward to all who would come and dig among the ruins of his house, he walked along the Strand; too proud to expose himself to another refusal, and of too generous a spirit to involve in distress or ruin any honest tradesman who might be weak enough to give him shelter. He wandered into one of the streets by the side of the river, and was pacing in a thoughtful manner up and down, thinking of things that had happened long ago, when he heard a servant-man at an upper window call to another on the opposite side of the street, that the mob were setting fire to Newgate.

To Newgate! where that man was! His failing strength returned, his energies came back with tenfold vigour, on the instant. If it were possiblea€"if they should set the murderer freea€"was he, after all he had undergone, to die with the suspicion of having slain his own brother, dimly gathering about hima€"

He had no consciousness of going to the jail; but there he stood, before it. There was the crowd wedged and pressed together in a dense, dark, moving mass; and there were the flames soaring up into the air. His head turned round and round, lights flashed before his eyes, and he struggled hard with two men.

a€˜Nay, nay,a€™ said one. a€˜Be more yourself, my good sir. We attract attention here. Come away. What can you do among so many men?a€™

a€˜The gentlemana€™s always for doing something,a€™ said the other, forcing him along as he spoke. a€˜I like him for that. I do like him for that.a€™

They had by this time got him into a court, hard by the prison. He looked from one to the other, and as he tried to release himself, felt that he tottered on his feet. He who had spoken first, was the old gentleman whom he had seen at the Lord Mayora€™s. The other was John Grueby, who had stood by him so manfully at Westminster.

a€˜What does this mean?a€™ he asked them faintly. a€˜How came we together?a€™

a€˜On the skirts of the crowd,a€™ returned the distiller; a€˜but come with us. Pray come with us. You seem to know my friend here?a€™

a€˜Surely,a€™ said Mr Haredale, looking in a kind of stupor at John.

a€˜Hea€™ll tell you then,a€™ returned the old gentleman, a€˜that I am a man to be trusted. Hea€™s my servant. He was lately (as you know, I have no doubt) in Lord George Gordona€™s service; but he left it, and brought, in pure goodwill to me and others, who are marked by the rioters, such intelligence as he had picked up, of their