صفحة 476 من 896

On the night of the day on which he left the house, Mr. Lorry

went into his room with a chopper, saw, chisel, and hammer,

attended by Miss Pross carrying a light. There, with closed

doors, and in a mysterious and guilty manner, Mr. Lorry hacked

the shoemaker's bench to pieces, while Miss Pross held the candle

as if she were assisting at a murder--for which, indeed, in her

grimness, she was no unsuitable figure. The burning of the body

(previously reduced to pieces convenient for the purpose) was

commenced without delay in the kitchen fire; and the tools,

shoes, and leather, were buried in the garden. So wicked do

destruction and secrecy appear to honest minds, that Mr. Lorry

and Miss Pross, while engaged in the commission of their deed and

in the removal of its traces, almost felt, and almost looked,

like accomplices in a horrible crime.

CHAPTER XX. A Plea