Miss Miggs was at some trouble to reprove her for this state ofmind, and to entreat her to take example by herself, who, shesaid, was now receiving back, with interest, tenfold the amount ofher subscriptions to the red-brick dwelling-house, in the articlesof peace of mind and a quiet conscience. And, while on serioustopics, Miss Miggs considered it her duty to try her hand at theconversion of Miss Haredale; for whose improvement she launchedinto a polemical address of some length, in the course whereof,she likened herself unto a chosen missionary, and that young ladyto a cannibal in darkness. Indeed, she returned so often to thesesublects, and so frequently called upon them to take a lesson fromher,--at the same time vaunting and, as it were, rioting in, herhuge unworthiness, and abundant excess of sin,--that, in the courseof a short time, she became, in that small chamber, rather anuisance than a comfort, and rendered them, if possible, even moreunhappy than they had been before.
The night had now come; and for the first time (for their jailershad been regular in bringing food and candles), they were left indarkness. Any change in their condition in such a place inspired new fears; and when some hours had passed, and the gloom was stillunbroken, Emma could no longer repress her alarm.
They listened attentively. There was the same murmuring in theouter room, and now and then a moan which seemed to be wrung from aperson in great pain, who made an effort to subdue it, but couldnot. Even these men seemed to be in darkness too; for no lightshone through the chinks in the door, nor were they moving, astheir custom was, but quite still: the silence being unbroken byso much as the creaking of a board.
At first, Miss Miggs wondered greatly in her own mind who this sickperson might be; but arriving, on second thoughts, at theconclusion that he was a part of the schemes on foot, and an artfuldevice soon to be employed with great success, she opined, for MissHaredale"s comfort, that it must be some misguided Papist who hadbeen wounded: and this happy supposition encouraged her to say,under her breath, "Ally Looyer!" several times.
"Is it possible," said Emma, with some indignation, "that you whohave seen these men committing the outrages you have told us of,and who have fallen into their hands, like us, can exult in theircruelties!"
"Personal considerations, miss," rejoined Miggs, "sinks intonothing, afore a noble cause. Ally Looyer! Ally Looyer! AllyLooyer, good gentlemen!"
It seemed from the shrill pertinacity with which Miss Miggsrepeated this form of acclamation, that she was calling the samethrough the keyhole of the door; but in the profound darkness shecould not be seen.
"If the time has come--Heaven knows it may come at any moment--whenthey are bent on prosecuting the designs, whatever they may be,with which they have brought us here, can you still encourage, andtake part with them?" demanded Emma.
"I thank my goodness-gracious-blessed-stars I can, miss," returnedMiggs, with increased energy.--"Ally Looyer, good gentlemen!"
Even Dolly, cast down and disappointed as she was, revived at this,and bade Miggs hold her tongue directly.
"WHICH, was you pleased to observe, Miss Varden?" said Miggs, witha strong emphasis on the irrelative pronoun.
Dolly repeated her request.
"Ho, gracious me!" cried Miggs, with hysterical derision. "Ho,gracious me! Yes, to be sure I will. Ho yes! I am a abjectslave, and a toiling, moiling, constant-working, always-beingfound-fault-with, never-giving-satisfactions, nor-having-notime-to-clean-oneself, potter"s wessel--an"t I, miss! Ho yes! Mysituations is lowly, and my capacities is limited, and my duties isto humble myself afore the base degenerating daughters of theirblessed mothers as is--fit to keep companies with holy saints butis born to persecutions from wicked relations--and to demean myselfbefore them as is no better than Infidels--an"t it, miss! Ho yes!
My only becoming occupations is to help young flaunting pagins tobrush and comb and titiwate theirselves into whitening andsuppulchres, and leave the young men to think that there an"t a bitof padding in it nor no pinching ins nor fillings out nor pomatumsnor deceits nor earthly wanities--an"t it, miss! Yes, to be sureit is--ho yes!"
Having delivered these ironical passages with a most wonderfulvolubility, and with a shrillness perfectly deafening (especiallywhen she jerked out the interjections), Miss Miggs, from mere habit, and not because weeping was at all appropriate to theoccasion, which was one of triumph, concluded by bursting into aflood of tears, and calling in an impassioned manner on the name ofSimmuns.
What Emma Haredale and Dolly would have done, or how long MissMiggs, now that she had hoisted her true colours, would have goneon waving them before their astonished senses, it is impossible totell. Nor is it necessary to speculate on these matters, for astartling interruption occurred at that moment, which took theirwhole attention by storm.
This was a violent knocking at the door of the house, and then itssudden bursting open; which was immediately succeeded by a scufflein the room without, and the clash of weapons. Transported withthe hope that rescue had at length arrived, Emma and Dolly shriekedaloud for help; nor were their shrieks unanswered; for after ahurried interval, a man, bearing in one hand a drawn sword, and inthe other a taper, rushed into the chamber where they were confined.
It was some check upon their transport to find in this person anentire stranger, but they appealed to him, nevertheless, andbesought him, in impassioned language, to restore them to their friends.
"For what other purpose am I here?" he answered, closing the door,and standing with his back against it. "With what object have Imade my way to this place, through difficulty and danger, but topreserve you?"
With a joy for which it was impossible to find adequate expression,they embraced each other, and thanked Heaven for this most timelyaid. Their deliverer stepped forward for a moment to put the lightupon the table, and immediately returning to his former positionagainst the door, bared his head, and looked on smilingly.