Anonymous

“ Fortune seldom follows fawning,
Boldness always is the plan;
Hoping for a better dawning
Hold your head up like a man.
Earth, though e’er so rich and mellow,
Yields not for the worthless drone,
But the bold and honest fellow,
He can shift and stand alone.
Spurn the knave of every nation,
Always do the best you can,
And no matter what your station
Hold your head up like a man.
Of course everyone professed to be delighted with the ditty.
Peace at one time had a very fair voice, but it told better in concerted pieces, not being so well adapted for solos, but he sang in time and tune. ”

“ Nor does the public danger arising from such a career as that of Peace end there.
His evil example, in spite of its fatal ending, is calculated to debauch the wild imagination of foolish lads, and every atom of sympathy wasted upon him, every misguided attempt to cast the glamour of romance around his sordid, rapacious, and beastly life, is as a hand held out from the darkness to help the saplings of crime up the steps of the gallows. ”

“ Some few days after Peace’s departure from Broxbridge, Mr. Jamblin became furious at a discovery he had made.
He was striding up and down the great stone kitchen of Stoke Ferry Farm, with his arms swinging round his head like the sails of a windmill, and his face growing redder and redder every moment.
He was a kindly-disposed man enough, and was greatly esteemed by his workpeople, but he did not like anything under-handed. ”

“ If capital punishment is justifiable, Marwood unquestionably did the State some service in ridding society of Charles Peace.
There is something terrible in the contemplation of a misspent life like his, and the wretched man’s interment, after the terrible scene upon the gallows was enacted, would make sadder even the saddest of all cemeteries—​namely, the burial-yard of a county prison.
The mercy which is infinite, and the repentance which secures it, invited Peace as they invite all other mortals, and upon the mystery of the felon’s grave all comment is struck dumb. ”

“ Give my kind remembrances to the different people in Darnall whom I knew. Say to them, sir, that I hope they will be warned by my fate. Wish them good-bye, and tell them that Charles Peace, bad as he is, has still the hope that all of us may meet again in heaven.
“I hope God will give me strength to go like a hero to the scaffold. I do not say this, sir, in any sort of bravado. I do not mean a hero such as some persons will understand when they read this. I mean such a hero as my God might wish me to be. I feel sensible of my position. I feel penitent for all my crimes. ”

“ His course of life presents us with a melancholy picture—​cunning, roguery, wholesale plunder, and reckless bravado. The old adage of “once a thief always a thief” was exemplified in him.
His thin, firmly compressed lips gave one an impression of a man who, if put to it, would stick at nothing to gain his ends. There was a wolfish look about his face, his eyes appeared more like the eyes of a wild beast than of a human being; he had a good square head and altogether looked like one who had both the head to plan and the hand to carry out any villainy on which he had set his heart. ”

“ Whether the deep blow that was about to fall on her and the old farmer had been by some strange mysterious influence foreshadowed, it is now impossible to say.
Patty was dejected, and, indeed, it might be said, sorrowful—​a circumstance very unusual with her.
There are moments, however, when our hearts are open of their own accord to melancholy impressions. This will occur at times to the most vivacious of the human species. At such times a tone of music will bring tears into our eyes, or some simple tale or sight of suffering will fill us with presentiments of a terrible misfortune. ”

“ When left to himself, Peace had more time to think over the sad event of the morning. Gregson’s fate made an impression on him, but it is to be regretted that this was but of a transient nature. He was too fond of adventure, too prone to wrong-doing, to allow the miserable end of his brutal and guilty associate to take deep root in his heart, or have any influence over his future actions or way of life. He returned to his lodging, it may be a sadder, but certainly in no way a better man. ”

“ A beautiful woman in distress might well move the most obdurate heart, the most unimpressionable of the opposite sex to her own.
Mr. Leverall felt a strange thrill pass through his frame. It was the first time the prisoner had been so demonstrative. His pulse quickened as he felt her soft, pliant hand upon his shoulder.
She was not slow to perceive the effect of her wiles. As a cat with slow, noiseless and stealthy steps approaches her prey, so did Laura Stanbridge approach her victim. ”

“ Peace was looked upon as a sort of hero. Many admired him, and not a few pitied him. His adventurous life, his daring exploits, found favour in the eyes of rogues and thieves of a lesser degree, and his exploits formed the theme of conversation among numberless sections of the lawless portion of the thieving fraternity of London.
We must take a glance at one of the haunts of the dissolute and depraved. It is Saturday night, and the hour is ten o’clock. All London is alive, for Saturday night is the market-time of the poor. ”

“ Oh! for mercy’s sake tell me that you will reform and lead a new life.”
“I will—​I promise,” cried Peace, in a hypocritical whining tone, “I hereby solemnly swear——”
“Do not swear—​there is no need for that,” interrupted the gentle Aveline. “Give me your word and keep it—​that is all I need.”
“I do give you my word. Oh, my lady, have pity on me! My only hope is in you. Remember that mercy is one of the most divine attributes which a woman or a man possesses. Think of my poor wife—​of my family, and all who belong to me. ”

“ This old man is Lord Ethalwood, who, despite his years and the sorrow they have brought, is still firm and vigorous—​still full of active intellectual life.
He is a philosopher—​a searcher after truth—​a solitary and silent worker in his old ancestral home.
To him the wonders revealed by scientific research have been a solace and a comfort in the hours of his affliction.
He has pursued his studies with unwearying industry; has never relaxed, but has worked as hard—​and, indeed, harder, perhaps—​than many men whose means of existence depended upon their own exertions. ”

“ The brutal longing to hear the worst and last that could be learnt of an assassin or a highwayman can no more be gratified in the old ways.
Turpin, and Duval, and Gilderoy died, in spite of the law, like heroes of romance. Fair ladies shed tears upon their irons in the cells of Newgate, and when each fascinating scoundrel appeared with a noose on his neck and a bouquet in his button-hole, the male beholders cheered, while the women sobbed. ”

“ I feel as if I had been party to a murder, and shall never know what peace of mind means.”
His knees seemed to sink under him, and he was so utterly prostrated that he felt as weak as a child.
When he reached the cliffs he was confronted by Laura Stanbridge.
“Well,” said she, “the attempt you have made has not proved successful, I suppose?”
“Go, woman!” he exclaimed, bitterly. “I will have naught to say to you. Go your ways, and never—​never let me set eyes upon you again. I cannot express to you my disgust and horror. A curse will cling to you.” ”

“ As Peace gave utterance to these last words his countenance seemed to darken with the darkness of a curse.
“Look here,” said Gatliffe, in a more serious tone. “For the life of me I do not understand what you mean; but I tell you frankly that I am not disposed to be insulted and abused—​the more so since I have not by word or deed done you the slightest harm.”
“It’s a lie—​a miserable lie!” yelled Peace, poking his face forward towards the speaker, and making a hideous grimace.
“Are you mad? What on earth possesses you?” inquired the other.
“Haven’t you just left Miss Maitland?” cried Peace. ”

“ In reading, writing, listening to the exhortations of the chaplain, praying, and in talking, the convict passed his time. He appeared to be not only perfectly resigned to his sentence, but to have no fear of death whatever. Indeed, he expressed a hope that he would have sufficient strength to walk firmly to the scaffold, not in a spirit of bravado, but to show that he was not afraid to die. He asked his wife to forgive him every wrong he had done her, admitting, that had he followed her advice he would not have been in his present terrible position. She freely forgave him. ”

“ How often have I walked through Edinburgh in the middle of the night, and far on in the morning—​when all were asleep but those who turn night into day—​accompanied by some silent man or woman, groaning inwardly over a loss sufficient to break their fortunes and affect them for life—​threading dark, noisome wynds, entering dens where nothing was heard but cursing, and nothing seen but deeds without shame, endeavouring in the midst of all this sea to find the sighed-for property, or detect the cruel robber. ”

“ A life of crime is always a life of care, for the hearts of the guilty tremble for the past, for the present, and for the future. The author of the “Life of Peace” reprobates in the strongest degree that species of literature whose graduates do their best to cast a dignity upon the gallows, and strive to shed the splendour of fascinating romance upon the paths of crime that lead to it—​to make genius tributary to murder, and literature to theft, to dignify not the mean but the guilty. ”

“ His shop is not filled with impatient customers like a shop in London on Saturday night, but with patient customers like a shop in the country on Saturday morning, for the good old housewives only go shopping once a week, and consider it too serious and sacred a business to be lightly hurried over.
Everything is full. The inns fill the farmers as the farmers fill the inns—​the yards are full of carts, the stables full of horses, heads are full of business, hands full of wares, hearts full of hope or joy or discontent. ”

“ He would sit in long reveries, dreaming to himself that he held her hand in his, and that she was whispering to him and caressing him tenderly, and at night, when the house was hushed to rest, when all was silent within and without, when the cries of the night birds were heard no more, when the moon was shining brightly and covered him with her pale light, visions more voluptuous still would seize him in their grasp—​visions so powerful and intense that they made him rise trembling, almost shrinking from his sleep. ”

“ And to gratify a whim this wretch would lead a poor woman, in the one weak moment of her life, from peace, from innocence, from happiness for ever! Oh why are men so wicked and women so weak? Why is it that the good are the victims of the bad, and that the foolish bear all the sufferings of the world upon their breasts?
But Mr. Fortescue was under the surveillance of one who had from the very first looked upon him with eyes of suspicion and mistrust—​this was the girl Kitty. ”

“ In the after part of the day Bandy-legged Bill made his appearance.
“Well, old man, how goes it?” said the newcomer, in a whisper.
“All right so far. Have you got the trap with you?”
“Yes; I’ve put it up at a beershop close by here.”
Peace at this moment pulled out a good-sized barbel.
“My eye! but you’ve got a whopper there, Charlie, and no mistake,” cried the gipsy.
“Don’t call me Charlie. If anybody sees us you are my man—​don’t you understand?”
“A nod’s as good as a wink to a blind horse. Your servant—​I tumble,” returned Bill. ”

“ The murderer, cheerful and complacent over the verdict of manslaughter; the professional garotter, in whose estimation human life is of no value, troubled only at being so foolish as to be caught; the professional thief, the pickpocket, the skilled housebreaker—​every one of them sound in wind and limb, intent only on their schemes and “dodges,” to extract the sting from their punishment—​all longing for the time when they and society would cry “quits,” and they be at liberty to pursue their career of villainy. ”

“ She was an adept in divining the disposition of a person by the tone of his voice. She found his was firm and melodious, but also firm and regular in its accent. She looked earnestly at his face through her long eyelashes—​an art which is much studied by women, and which she had practised to perfection. In cunning she was almost a match for Charles Peace, and this our hero was very well aware of, for he had at all times been duly impressed with the powers of discernment. He knew her to be a remarkably clever woman, as false and unprincipled as she was clever. ”

“ It has allowed the hand of the assassin to cut short many a virtuous and valuable life, and permitted the crime to go, in this world at least, undetected and unpunished, and has even permitted the criminal to pass through life without “compunctious visitings” one qualm of conscience. Mocking, as it were, the wisdom of man, it has suffered life to be taken away in the broad glare of noon, in the middle of the crowded city, in the heart of a skilfully-trained police, without the faintest clue to the murderer. ”

“ The forms of the court, the rules which regulate the examination of witnesses, what evidence is admissible and what is not, the very phraseology in which lawyers communicate with each other—​all subjects of which nobody can acquire any knowledge whatever by the light of nature; and this consciousness of ignorance on the part of the public disposes them to look with a kind of awe on the interior of a court of justice, and to be very much at the mercy of any one of the hierophants who shall think proper to rebuke the presumption of an audacious and uninstructed critic. ”

“ Bourne looked down upon the floor in all but hopeless despair.
He remained silent for a brief period; then, as if suddenly something had occurred to him, he raised his head, and glancing at his companion, said in a conciliatory tone—
“Let us arrange this matter, Mr. Shearman. Give me a little time, and I shall then be in a position to prove my innocence. As far as recompense is concerned, you had better name your own terms.”
“I never accepted a bribe from any man,” said Shearman, indignantly, “and it is not likely I should do so now. You are my prisoner!” ”

“ This man—​this Docter Bourne, my husband—​hates me—​he wants to be rid of me at any cost. The lady who was with him when you were last here is a rich widow, to whom he is paying attention. I am the one person too many in this house, and at any cost or sacrifice I must be removed. He has tried poison, but as yet has not succeeded.”
“Poison!” exclaimed Rawton, turning suddenly pale. “Do not tell me that.”
“It is a fact; I know it but too well. Every day, every hour I am in fear of my life. Oh, the miserable life I have led!” ”

“ In the fashionable world these sudden emotions are quite out of place—​they are, indeed. Well-bred people never suffer themselves to give way to violent demonstrations. Besides, dear, anger or rage is a sore destroyer of beauty.”
“I care not for beauty, and am but as nature made me. I will not give my consent to this suit against my husband.”
“You surely do not mean to say that you will oppose the wishes of Earl Ethalwood?”
“Oh, I don’t know what to do!” said Aveline, bursting into a flood of tears. “I am the most miserable creature in the whole creation.” ”

“ Like a wolf, you have stolen into the house, and stolen from me the fairest and most beautiful young creature that ever human eyes lighted on. You have driven me to desperation, made my life one long and hopeless sorrow, and now at the present moment I should feel thankful if death would come and release me from my sufferings. ”

“ The murderer of Margaret Clewson is, in all probability, still in our midst. The murder in Kidbrook-lane was one of the greatest possible atrocity. The victim lay for hours in a semi-unconscious state by the hedge where she had been stricken down, with fourteen wounds of a most fearful character on the head and face. After lingering in perfect agony and torture for some days, death put an end to her sufferings, but the perpetrator of this horrible crime has never been overtaken by justice—​the avenging arm of the law has been nerveless and powerless in this instance. ”

“ I bow to the decrees of Fate; but the last thing an Ethalwood lays down is what the world is pleased to term his pride.”
“My dear and very excellent friend,” said the vicar, “that may be true enough—​without doubt it is absolutely true in every sense of the word; but, nevertheless, that is no reason for you not turning your eyes towards the future, which is to one and all of us inevitable. Look around you and consider who is to succeed you—​who is to carry on the glories and the honours of your grand old race?” ”

“ There were times too, when Aveline Gatliffe, looking around her, said to herself—
“I did well. If the time and the choice were to come again, I should do the same. It would have been cruel, such a life as mine in a mechanic’s cottage; it would have been cruel and unjust to deprive my darling boy of this grand heritage.”
Such is the sophistry people use in cheating themselves into the belief that they have acted right in casting aside their natural ties for the blandishments of the world—​for the acquirement of wealth and power. ”

“ At the door of the habitation stands a young and beautiful woman. She is barely two and twenty, but does not look even as old as that; her hair of shining brown looks like gold in the sunshine; her eyes are of violet blue; her dress is quite plain, but the homely material only showed the grace and beauty of her figure to greater advantage. Such are the most noticeable features of Aveline Gatliffe. ”

“ Marwood, as he reclined in his easy chair, and spoke in his soft, pleasant tones of the strange experiences he had gone through.
“I am doing God’s work,” he said, “according to the Divine command, and the law of the British Crown. I do it simply as a matter of duty, and as a Christian, and I think no more of it than I do of chatting to you now.”
Such is the affable man who executed Peace. Conscious that he is doing his duty, the character of the profession he follows has no influence upon him, and he claims to be a benefactor to society. ”