Fiction > Book editions > London, 1885 - Dynamiter

126 NEW ARABIAN NIGHTS.
quiet than ordinary air, there slipped into his mind the
recollection of a certain entry in Whitcomb Street hard
by, where he might perhaps lay down his tragic cargo
unremarked. Thither, then, he bent his steps, seeming,
as he went, to float above the pavement ; and there, in
the mouth of the entry, he found a man in a sleeved
waistcoat, gravely chew^ing a straw\ He passed him by,
and twice patrolled the entry, scouting for the barest
chance ; but the man had faced about and continued to
observe him curiously.
Another hope w^as gone. M'Cluire reissued from the
entry, still followed by the w^ondering eyes of the man in
the sleeved waistcoat. He once more consulted his
Avatch : there were but fourteen minutes left to him. At
that, it seemed as if a sudden, genial heat were spread
about his brain ; for a second or two, he saw the world
as red as blood ; and thereafter entered into a complete
possession of himself, with an incredible cheerfulness of
spirits, prompting him to sing and chuckle as he walked.
And yet this mirth seemed to belong to things external ;
and within, like a black and leaden-heavy kernel, he was
conscious of the weight upon his soul.
I care for nobody, no, not I,
And nobody cares for me,
he sang, and laughed at the appropriate burthen, so that
the passengers stared upon him on the street. And still
the warmth seemed to increase and to become more
genial. What was life ? he considered, and what he,
M'Guire 1 What even Erin, our green Erin ? All
seemed so incalculably little that he smiled as he looked
down upon it. He would have given years, had he pos-
sessed them, for a glass of spirits ; but time failed, and
he must deny himself this last indulgence.
At the corner of the Haymarket, he very jauntily
hailed a hansom cab ; jumped in ; bade the fellow drive
him to a part of the Embankment, w hich he named ; and
as soon as the vehicle was in motion, concealed the bag as
completely as he could under the vantage of the apron,
and once more drew out his watch. So he rode for five